By Debra Cornwell

Pucker and "Mwah!" That's the lip-tickling reaction as Bloomery Plantation Distillery's limoncello glides from glass to taste buds. Newly opened on September 17th, 2011, the distillery has already hosted visitors from twelve states and counting. Located on Route 9, just east of Charles Town, before the Bloomery Bridge, Bloomery Plantation Distillery (BPD) handcrafts fruit cordials: Limoncello, Cremma Lemma, Lemon Ice, Proprietary Raspberry Limoncello, and Dark Chocolate Raspberry Cello. These "cellos" rival any Italian limoncello. Linda Losey and her husband, Tom Kiefer, traveled to Italy for the canonization of his great-greataunt, Mary MacKillop, as Saint Mary of the Cross. While in Italy, Linda and Tom fell in love with limoncello, from the taste and the related hospitality to its merits as an afterdinner digestif.

Upon returning home, Linda and Tom chased the taste, so to speak, and came up empty handed. Linda recalls, "We came back and just couldn't find anything that tasted like the limoncello we had in Italy—not even close. So I began cooking—playing with ingredients and tasting. Perhaps with a little divine intervention, I developed a great recipe!" Tom smiles, "Our trip to Italy and the Vatican left us with a good taste in our mouths. We researched opening a craft distillery and determined it was a viable idea. We were definitely blessed with a good idea."

Linda and Tom found Jefferson County the same way their neighbors at Mountain View Polo did. They had first visited Harpers Ferry some time before. "When we ate at the Charles Town restaurant, Dish, we knew the area would support a craft distillery," remembers Tom. "What Owner Doug Vaira is doing with his restaurant, and the charm of a real town, sold us on this area. Charles Town is authentic—it's not a faux town."

Linda says she found the twelveacre parcel, with its circa 1840 ramshackle cabin, for sale on Craigslist. "The location was great. I told Tom that he needed a lot of vision. We set out to preserve the building as best we could. Much of the wood is boat-board from the C&O Canal." The building is reported to be one of only two slave quarters still standing in Jefferson County. Once part of Willowdale Plantation, the name Bloomery derives its name from the iron works—a bloomery—that once stood on the nearby banks of the Shenandoah River. BPD's Moonshine Milkshake pays homage to the Moonshine Boatmen of the river.

One of the first things that Linda and Tom did was hire Rob Losey, Linda's ex-husband, to plant the raspberries. Since everyone is so cordial, pun intended, Rob has stayed on to assist, and is the operation's biggest cheerleader. "There are only five limoncellos made in America—ours is the fifth," Rob divulges. "No one is doing flavored cellos and there are very few cream cellos." In just a short time, BPD has developed quite a following. "This limoncello is the real deal. We get great reviews from the customers endorsing the quality of the product. It's really an affirmation that the effort is worth it—this limoncello is something special." After zesting thousands of lemons, BPD sold out of their first batch in the first five business days.

Some recipes for homemade limoncello call for 100-proof vodka. BPD's starts with 190-proof neutral grain spirits. "That's right—hooch— legal moonshine," declares Linda. There's art and science creating the limoncello. Linda creates the recipes, Tom then "formulizes" the recipes. BPD's cellos range from eight- to forty-proof. Linda explains that the lemons in commercial limoncellos are machine-zested. "Handzesting eliminates the pith, and subsequently, any bitterness. When we say handcrafted, we mean it— we grow our own lemons." What? Lemons growing in West Virginia? "Sure, we have a green house. We make our own syrups and cream. Only twenty-five percent of our ingredients comes from out of state. We grow twenty-five percent, and the remaining fifty percent is sourced locally."

There are many state and federal regulations governing farm wineries, breweries, and craft distilleries. Tom says the liquor board even regulates the type of display racks used. "The process was not easy, but the staff at various government entities really tried to work with us. The people of the county have been great. We've met lots of Shannondale residents and folks on the mountain." As a result of the regulations, BPD is only open for sales and tasting on Fridays and Saturdays from 11a.m. to 8 p.m.

Linda relates a funny story. She and Tom entered their wagon and horse teams in the Charles Town Horse Parade. Two of their friends dressed as lemons and danced along the parade route. "We won an award," Linda exclaims. "We thought everyone was being neighborly and just gave us a trophy, but it's a real award that we proudly display!"

These cellos are also excellent in recipes: cocktails, punch, sorbet, granita, custard, over ice cream and pound cake, in lemon bars, etc. Part of the recipe for success at BPD is entertainment. Billy Thompson, a road-worn blues guitarist (the best kind), has performed at BPD. Of Billy's music, Rob proclaims, "Lawd, that's smokin'." Others on the entertainment roster include The Dill Pickers and Deane Kern. Everyone is mellow at the cello, including the punch-drunk bees. They all agree that BPD is an operation of pride. "We have history, hooch, and hospitality, and there's always something masquerading—sometimes new flavor experiments," Linda admits. Tom continues, "We want guests to walk away with the feeling of goodness all around."

Look for upcoming events, such as cook-offs, art shows, and mixologist competitions. For more information, check out their website at www.BloomeryPlantation.com or call them at 304-725-3036.