A newcomer at Whiskies of the World San Francisco this year was Virginia Distillery Co. Based in central Virginia, they've been producing for a decade, but it was the first time we can recall seeing them at this event. They came with a bevy of expressions from their lineup, giving us different looks at their unique style.
Courage & Conviction
The flagship offering from this distillery, this single malt is a blend of three different cask maturations for their barley whisky: Bourbon, Cuvée, and Sherry. The nose is quite sour, but the palate takes a different direction. The medium-heavy mouthfeel has a syrupy sweetness without being overpowering. The finish adds baking spices to round out the experience.
Courage & Conviction Bourbon Cask
The nose starts with a bit of a sour note paired with the tart sweetness of green apple and pink grapefruit. The palate starts with caramel on the front before morphing to a more bitter profile. It concludes with a medium-short finish of mild spice.
Courage & Conviction Cuvée Cask
Orange peel and red grapefruit leads on the nose full of tart citrus. The palate is mellow, with caramel sweetness over a tinge of that tart citrus essence. The finish is long, bringing a lot of heat and spice to the tongue.
Courage & Conviction Sherry Cask
The nose on this one had a medium level of ethanol, and the nose diverges from their other offerings into notes of blackberries and deep red fruits. The palate is full of caramel and spice before shifting into a clean, medium-length finish that builds on the spice notes.
VHW Cider Cask Finished
The Virginia-Highland Whisky series blends their own single malt with an aged Scotch malt before applying at least a year of cask finishing. For this bottle, they partner with regional cideries to source their casks. The nose has some ethanol, but is light overall, with a bit of apple pie spice. Jonagold apple comes through on the palate, which has a medium-light mouthfeel with underlying notes of cinnamon and other pie spices. The finish is medium length with a nice cinnamon spice.
VHW Port Cask Finished
Another entry in their VHW series, this bottle sports a finish in Tawny Port casks as well as Port-style wine casks sourced from around the state. The nose is both sour and sweet, really leaning into the port influence. The palate has caramel mixed with that distinctively thick syrupy sweetness one associates with a port. The medium-length finish is clean, with a bit of spice on the end.
It's clear that Virginia Distillery Co. has a strong sense of their own identity. They're laser-focused on malted barley whisky, and the variety of expressions demonstrate the creativity in their distilling process. Of the bottles we tasted, my personal favorite was the VHW Cider Cask Finished, though the Courage & Conviction Sherry Cask deserves a special mention. We love seeing unique takes on cask finished whiskies, so it's great to have another distillery pushing this boundary within the American craft scene!