What We’re Doing // Amanda Beckwith from Virginia Distillery Company
In our latest installment, we caught up with Amanda Beckwith, guest experience & education manager at Virginia Distillery Company. Here she shares how they’re adapting and what she’s doing at home to maintain a sense of normalcy.
WHAT VIRGINIA DISTILLERY CO. IS DOING We’ve closed The Visitors Center in Lovingston to allow for safe social distancing, but our team is moving forward in all markets with the national launch of our flagship American Single Malt Whisky Courage & Conviction (available now in select Virginia ABC stores and online!) and we’ve turned our production focus to hand sanitizer for the time being to assist those on the front lines.
Our website has details on where to find our whisky, as a well as a number of cocktail recipes well-suited for quarantine.
WHAT AMANDA IS DOING I am reading: As a book fanatic, any extra time means a chance to crack open a book. I'm currently reading The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden and The Curious Bartender: An Odyssey of Malt, Bourbon & Rye Whiskies by Tristan Stephenson.
Podcasts I’m listening to: I travel frequently, so three of my favorite podcasts to make the miles fly by are LeVar Burton Reads, Critical Role and Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History.
Series I’m binge watching: I recently inhaled The Watchmen and The Witcher, so now it’s more of an occasional old episode of Star Trek TNG or The Great British Baking Show while I wait for the next season of The Mandalorian.
Songs / playlists I’m listening to: I’ve been listening to a lot of Ella Fitzgerald, David Bowie and First Aid Kit. Colors by Black Pumas and River by Bishop Briggs were two favorites from this morning’s playlist.
Recipes I’m trying: Last night’s cravings meant tacos had to happen, but I’ve been trying to stay healthy with some creative salads. The warmer weather has me breaking out my blender for smoothies with ingredients like bananas, cherries, and chocolate.
I also love to bake, and recently made a massive batch of chocolate cherry cookies (with a hint of whisky, of course).
Ways I’m keeping the pups (and friend’s kids) entertained: I’ve been fostering a dog for a little while and the bubble machine on the back patio has been a huge success. I think my friends have been using FaceTime with me as a way to keep their kids entertained. I certainly haven’t minded.
Games I’m enjoying: Thanks to Discord and Roll20, I’ve been playing D&D online with my friends. It’s a fantastic way to stay in touch and fit in some healthy escapism every week.
Tasks I’m finally tackling around home: After a round of general spring cleaning, I’ve begun reorganizing my closets and creating a donation pile. My next project is finding a better way to store my loose leaf tea collection that now dominates an entire shelf in my pantry.
My home workspace set up: My living room and dining table both double as an office space, but the sunshine and warmer weather on the way means that my patio table will likely soon become my new desk. Whenever I’m done with work for the day, I make a point of packing up my work items to transition away until the fresh start of the following morning.
My personal immunity / health regimen: I’ve always been a frequent hand washer and a fan of the fruits and veggies, so I had a good foundation to build on. Doing my part to not spread the virus has meant giving up a lot of social interactions, but there was no doubt it was the right thing to do. Having a dog around has gotten me quite a few miles in that I wouldn’t normally be logging, and a quick yoga session in the morning is another favorite way to start a day strong.
