Virginia Distillery Co. Brewers Batch Virginia-Highland Whisky

I love getting to try local craft whiskey. I really think it’s a true testament of gritty hard work, creativity, and passion. But, their prices seem more on par with well aged malts, which is what I can’t seem to fathom for young whiskies and bourbon. I got to try a sample of this thanks to a pour from @LeeEvolved. I’m especially thankful, because this one here isn’t simply available in NJ. You can clearly tell the passion that went into this—-it’s quality spirit, with strong aromas of fruit (specifically kiwi, stone fruits), followed by a crisp hint of beer and cereals. Ideally suited for a nice sunny hot Virginia day. It’ll be interesting to see where these guys go, as their whiskey becomes older and more refined. Bar, Bottle Purchase, or Avoid...I’d say bar for this one. I’d gladly buy a pour, but at $65, I can get a good young single malt or bourbon. Thanks Lee!

This is the newest release from Virginia’s largest single malt whisky producer: Virginia Distillery Co. They are poised to become not only the largest whisky producer in Virginia, but the entire eastern seaboard of the US. Until their stocks have aged properly they continue to blend some of their young stock with several undisclosed, Scottish Highland single malts and experiment with different finishing casks. This is Batch 1 of the newest venture: Brewers Batch. They take the single malt blend and age it for another 8-9 months in previously filled barrels of Wee Heavy Scotch Ale from local, craft beer brewery Three Notch’d Brewing (Charlottesville, VA). This whisky is pale yellow in color, is very oily and doesn’t leave many legs running down the taster. It’s bottled at 46% ABV and doesn’t have any added color. I’m not sure about the chill filtering, especially with the sourced Highland malt. I suspect it is. The nose is ridiculously fruity. Clearly indicating a sherry cask aged source malt. Vanilla cream candies mingle with the sherry notes and there’s a very light, charred oak backbone. The palate is waxy with tons of orchard fruit again dominating the profile. Vanilla and light citrus turn it to a dessert dram for sure. The youthful, Virginia whisky aspect definitely leaves a bit of harshness behind by mid sip, but some nice oak notes help keep any abrasiveness in check. The finish is warm and heavy on the spiced oak. The harshness comes in again and is the only real negative aspect that stays past it’s welcome. There is a lingering sweetness that makes this medium length in duration. Overall, this is miles above the port finished stuff they released last year. It should be very interesting to see what these guys are capable of once their own stuff fully matures- especially if they can source some quality casks. This is easily a 3.5 star dram, possibly reaching 4 on a good day. The price point is borderline high, at $65, but that’s the price of local, craft whisky these days I suppose. I’m looking forward to seeing what else these guys come up with in the future. Cheers.