Lightburn Spirits came to CF Napa to develop a premium whiskey from the ground up, including the name, brand story, logo, and packaging. This new brand needed to capture the beauty, people, and independent spirit of West Virginia and the crafted care put into every bottle. The name “Rimfire” was developed as an ode to Eli “Rimfire” Hamrick (1868-1945), a mountaineer and one of West Virginia’s most iconic figures, and provided the inspiration for the brand story:

The spirit of West Virginia is one of resilience, wild beauty, fortitude and liberty. It has long been a place of breathtaking landscapes where forests cover more than three-fourths of the state and rivers run through majestic mountains. Level land is scarce, and the terrain begets self-reliance—a longstanding trait inherent of the people of West Virginia.

Rimfire Whiskey is an ode to one of West Virginia’s most iconic figures: Eli Rimfire Hamrick, the original West Virginia Mountaineer. Hamrick’s trades were many, but his life’s purpose was singular, pursuing adventure in West Virginia’s great outdoors. His dedication to the Mountain State inspired us to craft Rimfire Whiskey—embodying the rugged beauty of West Virginia and the strong independent spirit of its people. Rimfire is distilled with the highest quality, American grown ingredients and aged in charred oak barrels resulting in a pure, bold, smooth-tasting whiskey.

From coal miners to backwoods bootleggers, to lifelong outdoorsmen like Eli Rimfire Hamrick, the hard-working people of West Virginia have carved a history engrained with independent thinkers, intrepid explorers and adventurers that stood for freedom and persisted in the face of adversity. Rimfire is the new American Whiskey proudly instilled with the spirit of West Virginia. We hope every bottle of Rimfire Whiskey inspires you to be bold in the pursuit of your next adventure.

CF Napa researched historic bottles and glassware that would have been used in West Virginia in the late 1800s/early 1900s when Eli Hamrick was exploring Appalachia. CF Napa selected a flask-style shape for the bottle as it reflected the style of whiskey bottles used in Rimfire’s era and was reminiscent of canteens used for carrying water on hikes. CF Napa developed a custom glass bottle with cartouches of the brand name on the sides and back. For the label, CF Napa commissioned an illustration of the adventurous Rimfire exploring the breathtaking West Virginia landscape. Intricate gold foil details light up the drawing, branding, and whiskey information against the bold blue label. For the closure, we crafted a custom wooden T-top with an inset metal coin modeled after a West Virginia coal coin – a historic payment method from the 19th century utilized by businesses in forested areas that were reluctant to use their lumber to produce cash. Workers, such as miners, were paid in this metal currency which could be exchanged at the employer’s shops. The packaging design captures the history of the region, the spirit of adventure, and invites the imbiber to live bold, free, and independent.