A. Smith Bowman names master distiller

Cox working in costume.

FREDERICKSBURG, VA -- The A. Smith Bowman company today officially named a successor to master distiller Joe Dangler, who retired on October 1.

Truman Cox, who has been training under Dangler since July 1, is the new master distiller. He had been lead chemist at Buffalo Trace Distillery since 2004, but when Dangler's imminent retirement was made known early this year, he moved to Bowman.

Cox is a native of northern Indiana, grandson of a Prohibition era "gin truck" driver. He earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of Central Florida. He started in the alcohol  industry as the quality chemist for the beverage alcohol division at Grain Processing Company in Muscatine, IA. He left GPC to work at Buffalo Trace.

"I make no secret that we purchase designate from Buffalo Trace distillery and have purchased designate since fermentation was ceased in 1984," Cox said. "We distill the designate, barrel and age the distillate at our own facility. I plan on expanding our designate purchases to include some other distilleries to marry the distillates before going through my own still to come up with some unique whiskey."

[Go here for Dangler's retirement story.]

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