KO Distilling Archives - Potomac Local News

Published May 18, 2026 at 2:25PM

Manassas-based KO Distilling earned top honors at the 2026 First Landing Cup, Virginia’s premier competition for state-made spirits.

Its Bare Knuckle Cask Strength Straight Rye Whiskey took Best in Show, Best in Class for whiskey, Best in Category for rye whiskey, and a gold medal. The competition, organized by the Virginia Spirits Board, drew more than 100 entries judged blind by national experts. It celebrates craftsmanship tied to Virginia’s distilling history since the 1607 landing at Cape Henry.

Local celebrity: KO Distilling releases ‘Evick Edition’ bourbon

By Madina Habib

Published July 14, 2023 at 10:39AM

Pete Evick and Bill Karlson

KO Distilling: “Manassas native, Music Director for the Bret Michaels Band, and Author, Pete Evick, has teamed up with Manassas craft distiller KO Distilling to release Bare Knuckle Evick Edition Bourbon.”

“This has been a deeply personal process to produce my bourbon,” said Evick. “We are bottling this bourbon at 98 proof to represent the year I signed my first record deal, and the barrels I chose from were filled during August, the month I was born. But the most important part is that the Evick Edition is produced in my hometown of Manassas, Virginia.”

Manassas-based KO Distilling expands to New England

By Potomac Local News

Published August 30, 2022 at 10:26AM | Updated August 30, 2022 at 4:17PM

The KO Distilling team [Photo: KO Distilling]

The Manassas-based distiller announced a partnership with Ruby Wines, Inc. and Slocum & Sons, which will place its products in stores in Connecticut and Massaschusetts. KO Distilling products can also be found in Maryland, Delaware, and Washington, D.C.

Ruby Wines, Inc. has served New England since 1933, while Slocum & Sons have been distributing wine and spirits in Connecticut since 1976.