Today we’d like to introduce you to Mark Smith.
Hi Mark , thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My wife and I have always been entrepreneurs and have never been afraid of creating something a little different. Over the years, our family has built Sandy River Outdoor Adventures in rural Virginia, including our glamping resort and outdoor adventure experiences. The distillery became another part of that vision—creating something authentically Virginia that people could not only purchase, but actually come and experience.
Sandy River Distillery started with a passion for making quality spirits and a desire to build a Virginia brand using local agriculture and Virginia-grown grains whenever possible. We started small, learned a tremendous amount along the way, and continued investing in the business and in our community.
Our journey changed dramatically in 2024 when an explosion and fire at the distillery left me with burns over 32% of my body. I spent three weeks in the VCU burn unit and underwent three surgeries. For a time, the future of the distillery—and honestly, much more than the distillery—was uncertain.
But my wife, our family and I made the decision to rebuild. Our new American-made copper still was appropriately named “The Phoenix.” That experience became the inspiration behind our phrase “Forged from Fire,” because it isn’t simply a marketing slogan—it is something our family actually lived.
Today, Sandy River has grown into much more than I could have envisioned at the beginning. We produce bourbon, rye, vodka and other spirits, have developed special collaborations and releases, and have created a destination where visitors can experience where the spirits are actually made.
I’m proud of what we’ve built, but probably even more proud of what it took to get here.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My wife and I have always been entrepreneurs and have never been afraid of creating something a little different. Over the years, our family has built Sandy River Outdoor Adventures in rural Virginia, including our glamping resort and outdoor adventure experiences. The distillery became another part of that vision—creating something authentically Virginia that people could not only purchase, but actually come and experience.
Sandy River Distillery started with a passion for making quality spirits and a desire to build a Virginia brand using local agriculture and Virginia-grown grains whenever possible. We started small, learned a tremendous amount along the way, and continued investing in the business and in our community.
Our journey changed dramatically in 2024 when an explosion and fire at the distillery left me with burns over 32% of my body. I spent three weeks in the VCU burn unit and underwent three surgeries. For a time, the future of the distillery—and honestly, much more than the distillery—was uncertain.
But my wife, our family and I made the decision to rebuild. Our new American-made copper still was appropriately named “The Phoenix.” That experience became the inspiration behind our phrase “Forged from Fire,” because it isn’t simply a marketing slogan—it is something our family actually lived.
Today, Sandy River has grown into much more than I could have envisioned at the beginning. We produce bourbon, rye, vodka and other spirits, have developed special collaborations and releases, and have created a destination where visitors can experience where the spirits are actually made.
I’m proud of what we’ve built, but probably even more proud of what it took to get here.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Sandy River Distillery & Sandy River Outdoor Adventures ?
Sandy River Distillery is a family-owned craft distillery in Rice, Virginia, with a particular passion for bourbon and rye whiskey. We produce our spirits here in Virginia and focus on quality, craftsmanship and using Virginia-grown grains whenever possible.
What makes us different is that people can experience the story behind the bottle. You can visit the property, see where our spirits are produced, enjoy a tasting and then sit down at our Barrel House for a craft cocktail, wood-fired pizza and live music.
The distillery is also part of a much larger destination. Our family operates Sandy River Outdoor Adventures, where guests can stay in unique luxury tipis and cabins and enjoy activities including our high-ropes adventure park, zip lines, kayaking and biking. Someone can come for the weekend, have an outdoor adventure during the day and then spend the evening at the distillery and Barrel House. There aren’t many distilleries where you can have that kind of complete experience.
We’ve also been fortunate to create some very special spirits and collaborations. One of those is our 1839 Collection with Longwood University, which has received an incredible response. Having our whiskey recognized and seeing people genuinely excited about something we made here in rural Virginia is extremely rewarding.
But I’m most proud of what the Sandy River brand represents. Our still, “The Phoenix,” and the words “Forged from Fire” represent resilience, craftsmanship and our family’s decision to keep going when it would have been much easier to quit.
We’re not trying to be a giant spirits company. We’re trying to make great Virginia spirits and give people a reason to come experience where they came from.
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
I don’t think you become an entrepreneur without becoming comfortable with some degree of risk. My wife and I have taken plenty of them.
We’ve invested in businesses and experiences in a rural part of Virginia where there isn’t always a blueprint telling you something will work. Building a glamping resort, an outdoor adventure operation, a distillery and a restaurant certainly wasn’t the safest path.
The distillery itself requires a different kind of patience and risk. With whiskey, you’re spending money today to make a product that may sit in a barrel for years before you ever receive a return on that investment. You have to believe in what you’re creating and think several years ahead.
Probably one of the biggest risks we took was deciding to rebuild after the fire. It would have been understandable to walk away. Instead, we invested again and kept going.
I don’t believe in taking risks simply for the sake of taking them. I believe in calculated risks—doing your homework, trusting your instincts and being willing to work extremely hard once you’ve made the decision.
Some of our best opportunities have started with ideas that other people probably thought were a little crazy. I’ve learned that sometimes the bigger risk is being so afraid of failing that you never try.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.sandyriverdistillery.com
- Instagram: Here you go: ://www.instagram.com/sandyriverdistillery/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/The-Barrelhouse-at-Sandy-River-Distillery-61567213370388/
