Bootleg Distillation

What Bootleg Distillation does

BootLeg Distilling is a family-owned craft distillery headquartered at 384 Yeakley Drive in Martinsburg, West Virginia, producing and selling a portfolio of seven premium handcrafted spirits including flavored rums (Sweet Cinn, Strawberry Lemonade, Blueberry Lemonade), whiskeys (4G Bourbon, Old Fashioned Corn Whiskey, Backwoods Whiskey), and Apple Pie Moonshine. The distillery was founded by Brad Armel, who personally constructed the facility from a pole barn in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, and is co-operated with Lucia Armel. Production uses traditional distilling methods with locally sourced grains from West Virginia farmers and limestone-filtered water as inputs. The company employs 1-10 people and has no technology platform, digital product, or software component to its operations.

The business operates a hybrid go-to-market model. Direct-to-consumer sales occur through on-site tours and tastings at the Martinsburg distillery (Thursday-Sunday, 12PM-6PM), where Brad Armel personally leads tours. Wholesale distribution places bottled spirits at over 50 retail locations across West Virginia — including 7-11 convenience stores, specialty liquor stores (Shepherdstown Liquors, Penn Liquors, Top Shelf Liquors), grocery chains (Kroger, Giant Eagle, Mini-Giant Grocery), Walgreens drug stores, Little General Stores, and Mountaineer Marts. The company supplements spirits revenue with branded merchandise (t-shirts at $20, koozies at $3, shot glasses at $6, vehicle stickers at $5) and miniature 15-packs of flavored rum at $20. Full-size bottles are priced $25-$40. Marketing is conducted primarily through an active Facebook page featuring cocktail recipes and community engagement, plus the company website. BootLeg Distilling raised $338,000 in a 2018 funding round and remains privately held with no institutional investors identified.

Name

Bootleg Distillation

Legal name

BootLeg Distilling

Website

https://bootlegdistillingwv.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Craft Distillery Spirits

NAICS

Distilleries (312140), Distilleries (31214), Wine and Distilled Alcoholic Beverage Merchant Wholesalers (42482)

SIC

Beverages (2080), Wholesale-Beer, Wine & Distilled Alcoholic Beverages (5180)

akta.pro primary industry

Spirits Distilling & Brands (CRADAIAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Distilled Spirits Production & Distilling (AFAFAAAC), Craft Distilleries & Microdistilleries (THAFALAH), Distilleries (Tasting Rooms) (THAFALAG), Spirits Distillery Tours & Tastings (Whiskey, Rum, Gin, Vodka) (THAJAGAF)

Keywords

• Craft distillery spirits
• Small batch whiskey
• Flavored rum products
• Bourbon whiskey production
• Craft moonshine spirits

Headquarters

HQ city

New Orleans

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Direct Spirits Sales: On-site bottle sales through the distillery location in Martinsburg, WV. Customers can purchase spirits directly during tour and tasting visits or at the on-site shop.
2. Retail Distribution: Wholesale distribution of bottled spirits to liquor stores, convenience stores, and grocery stores throughout West Virginia.
3. Merchandise Sales: Sale of branded merchandise including t-shirts, koozies, shot glasses, and vehicle stickers at the distillery.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Bootleg Distillation is a family-owned craft distillery in Martinsburg, West Virginia, that handcrafts small-batch premium spirits including bourbon, corn whiskey, flavored rums (Sweet Cinn, Strawberry Lemonade, Blueberry Lemonade), Backwoods Whiskey, and Apple Pie Moonshine using locally sourced grains and limestone-filtered water from the Appalachian region. Products are sold directly at the distillery through tours and tastings and distributed wholesale to liquor stores, convenience stores, and grocery retailers across West Virginia, supplemented by branded merchandise sales.

Product overview

BootLeg Distilling is a family-owned craft distillery producing a portfolio of premium spirits, including flavored rums, whiskey, and bourbon. The core product line consists of seven spirit offerings: Sweet Cinn Rum (cinnamon), Strawberry Lemonade Rum, Blueberry Lemonade Rum, Corn Whiskey, 4G Bourbon, Backwoods Whiskey, and Apple Pie Moonshine. The distillery emphasizes locally sourced grains, limestone filtered water, and handcrafted production methods. The products are available for direct purchase at the distillery and through retail locations across West Virginia. Additionally, the company offers merchandise including miniature bottle packs, apparel, and branded accessories.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Old Fashioned Corn Whiskey
• Apple Pie Moonshine Apple pie-flavored moonshine made from three local blends of apples and spices, bottled at 48 proof, sold at the distillery and through West Virginia retailers.
• Bourbon Whiskey (4G Bourbon) Smooth, smoky bourbon whiskey aged in oak barrels, bottled at 86 proof, sold at the distillery and through West Virginia retail locations.
• Backwoods Whiskey Oak barrel aged whiskey made from locally sourced wheat, rye, and corn, bottled at 90 proof, sold to consumers at the distillery and through West Virginia retailers.
• Blueberry Lemonade Rum All-natural rum infused with blueberries and lemons, bottled at 65 proof, sold at the distillery and through West Virginia retail locations.
• Sweet Cinn Rum Cinnamon-flavored rum tasting like cinnamon candy, bottled at 65 proof, sold at the distillery and through West Virginia retail locations; one of the distillery's flagship flavored rums.
• Strawberry Lemonade Rum All-natural rum infused with strawberries and lemons, bottled at 65 proof, sold at the distillery and through West Virginia retail locations.
• BootLeg Branded T-Shirt Branded T-shirts sold at the distillery, available in sizes S through 3X at $20 per shirt.
• BootLeg Branded Koozie Insulated beverage koozie branded with the BootLeg Distilling logo, sold at the distillery at $3 per unit.
• BootLeg Branded Shot Glass Branded shot glass sold at the distillery shop at $6 per unit.
• BootLeg Vehicle Window Sticker BootLeg Distilling branded window sticker for vehicles, sold at the distillery shop at $5 per unit.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• FEW Spirits: Illinois-based craft distillery producing whiskey, gin, and bourbon. Comparable small-batch craft distillery with DTC tasting room, founder-led brand, and multi-channel distribution model.
• Balcones Distilling: Texas craft distillery producing whiskey, rum, and gin. Comparable small-batch craft operation with distinctive product range, regional identity, and DTC plus wholesale distribution.
• Short Mountain Distillery: Tennessee craft distillery producing whiskey, vodka, and moonshine with on-site restaurant and tasting room. Comparable small-scale craft operation with integrated DTC tourism and farm-to-bottle sourcing.

Broad incumbents

• Heaven Hill Distillery: One of the largest independent American spirits producers, with broad bourbon, whiskey, and flavored rum portfolios. Represents the scaled competitive backdrop BootLeg faces for shelf space and consumer attention.
• Ole Smoky Distillery: Tennessee-based moonshine and flavored spirits producer at significant scale. Represents the broader-flavored spirits competitive set BootLeg's flavored rum portfolio competes against in retail.

Regional players

• Copper Fox Distillery: Virginia craft distillery producing whiskey, gin, and vodka with proprietary malting processes. Comparable small-batch craft operation in the mid-Atlantic region emphasizing handcrafted production methods.
• Catoctin Creek Distilling Company: Virginia-based craft distillery producing whiskey, gin, and brandy. Comparable mid-Atlantic craft distillery with farm-to-bottle sourcing story, DTC tastings, and regional wholesale distribution.

Direct peers

• Smooth Ambler Spirits: West Virginia-based craft distillery producing bourbon, rye, and gin. Most direct geographic peer — competes for the same West Virginia shelf space, tourism visitors, and craft-spirits consumer.
• Bloomery Plantation Distillery: West Virginia craft distillery in Charles Town specializing in flavored moonshine and cordials. Direct competitor in the moonshine/flavored-spirits category in the same state with overlapping DTC and wholesale channels.
• Greenbrier Distillery: West Virginia craft distillery producing vodka, gin, whiskey, and rum. Same-state direct competitor in the craft spirits category with similar scale, family-owned positioning, and statewide distribution.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/110869261083515
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bootlegdistilling

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Bootleg Distillation