*Virginia Distillery Company Courage & Conviction Double Cask Reserve American Single Malt*

I received this sample as part of my interview with Amanda Beckwith, Episode 258 of the Whiskey Ring Podcast. Overall, it fit well into my revisit (perhaps rediscovery) of Virginia Distillery Company’s current offerings.

Virginia Distillery Company's Courage & Conviction Double Cask Reserve draws from two of the distillery's primary maturation styles, first-fill bourbon barrels and European red wine Cuvée casks, the latter employing an adaptation of the STR (shaved, toasted, recharred) technique developed by the late Dr. Jim Swan. When I spoke with Amanda Beckwith, VDC's Director of Liquid Development and Lead Blender, we discussed the work that goes into managing these casks, particularly how different toast levels and Virginia's climate influence maturation. The Cuvée casks are a substantial part of VDC's identity, and Double Cask Reserve gives them plenty of room to show what they can do.

Perhaps a little too much room, at least for my tastes. Compared with the Brewer's Coalition, the oak is immediately more pronounced on the nose, initially keeping both the malt and red wine influence in the background. Give it some air, though, and the fruit opens up considerably, with cherry bubblegum, creamy vanilla, and a rush of ripe red berries. The palate follows with bright cherries and more bubblegum, accompanied by a brief flash of oak heat before the fruit begins to dry out into something closer to fruit leather and figs. There's a surprising amount of spice toward the finish, too, with cherry returning alongside a persistent prickle of wood and proof.

My biggest issue is how little of the underlying malt comes through. The STR/Cuvee casks have certainly done their job, delivering plenty of fruit and oak character, but I find myself searching for the American Single Malt underneath it all. The mouthfeel doesn't quite help matters, either. It's silky and lightly oily, though thinner than I'd like, especially given the intensity of the flavors. There's plenty to enjoy here, and the cherry-forward profile is appealing, but I would have liked more weight and a stronger contribution from the malt to balance the assertive cask influence. A solid whiskey, just one where I think the wood has a little too much power.

Thank you to Virginia Distillery Company for the opportunity to taste this product. All opinions are my own.

Virginia Distillery Company Courage & Conviction Double Cask Reserve American Single Malt: Specs

Classification: American Single Malt Whisky

Producer: Virginia Distillery Company

Grain Bill: 100% Malted Barley

Proof: 96º (48% ABV)

Age: 5+ Years Old

Location: Virginia

Virginia Distillery Company Courage & Conviction Double Cask Reserve American Single Malt Price: $79.99

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Virginia Distillery Company Courage & Conviction Double Cask Reserve American Single Malt: Tasting Notes

Eye: Dark apple juice. Medium rims and legs, quick-falling teardrops.

Nose: Immediately more oaky than the VDC Brewer's Collection on the nose, malt comes second. Lightly toasted wood and barely-there red wine fruitiness. Cherry bubblegum, creamy vanilla. As the oak fades, red fruit explodes. Malt remains understated.

Palate: Ooh - bright red fruit, lots of cherry, front third of my tongue gets a brief flash of oak heat. The bubblegum continues, too. I’m struggling to find much malt character; it’s there, but incredibly subtle. Mouthfeel is thin side ofmedium, silky, oily, not quite coating. Astringency grows slowly, drying the cherries into fruit leather, becomes almost figgy.

Finish: Spice ramps up on the front and sides of my tongue, a surprise flash towards the end. Cherry reasserts itself as a wood-and-proof prickle suffuses the palate.

Overall: Solid flavor, but I’m struggling to find the malt. The casks, specifically the STR, are clear as day, and the present flavors are good. I want a stronger mouthfeel, too, to carry the flavors beyond good.