Marriage of Scotch and American Whisky
While overindulging during Virginia Spirits Month (buying far too many bottles of American Single Malt!), I decided to pick up this little mini of Virginia Distillery Co.’s blended, cider cask-finished whisky.
I haven’t tasted their old lineup in quite some time, and their new American Single Malt, also finished in cider casks, gave me an opportunity to compare the two bottles side-by-side. I jumped in with low expectations and only a vague memory of this whisky from years past.
Distillery: Virginia Distillery Co.
Region: Lovingston, Virginia, US.
ABV: 46%.
Age: NAS. (8-20 Month Finish)
Cask type: Unspecified initial maturation. Finished in Potter’s Craft Cider and Buskey Cider casks.
Price: $4 for a 50ml mini.
Color: 1.1, Burnished.
Tasting Notes
Tasted neat in a Glencairn with 15+ minutes of rest. Dilution was added for the second half of the tasting with an additional rest of upwards of an hour. This review encompasses my initial impression to the final glass.
Nose: Expected apple aromas with herbal and floral cereals. This is Glenlivet, with the apple notes turned up to 11. A green apple tart nose with crisp, fall aromas. Honey-sweetened cereals, rough puff pastry, and floral malt notes – like a large bush of grassy honeysuckle. The oak characteristics emerge as earthy walnuts, flavored tobacco, and sappy pinewood. It certainly smells like a bag of apple wood smoking chips. The fruity and grassy nature of the nose reminds me of a strawberry and walnut salad. A pleasant start to the dram.
Palate: More viscous than expected, with subtle flavors that build over time. Initially, the oak dominates with a fruity, tannic bitterness. Think bitter green apples. After sitting for an extended period, the cereals developed the herbal and floral qualities from the nose. Fall foliage, wet pine, or fir lumber. Honey-sweetened buffed barley cereal and citrus rinds. A touch of water set off the sweet tobacco and cinnamon candy flavors. Unexpected and a nice boost of complexity.
Finish: The finish is delightful if you are a Chartreuse or bitter lager fan. Ruby red grapefruit juice in an amaro sour. Bitter IPA, but more grassy notes versus hops specifically. Herbescent and mineral flavors with anise, wormwood, and quinine. It’s an alfalfa and thyme infused tonic water. A cucumber gin spritz, if you will. A unique and rather fun finish for a blended whisky.
Overall
Great nose, low to mid on the palate, and a unique finish made this dram a little more fun than I expected. It’s a respectable blend that when poured neat, has enough complexity to excite for the first few glasses. Unless you fall in love with the bitter, grassy notes, this bottle is a bit simple and honestly astringent.
It would do well in a cocktail like a Sidecar or a Hot Toddy. You’d only need to provide a campfire for the perfect fall cocktail sipping experience.
Final Score: 80
