LeeEvolved
Virginia Distillery Co. Cider Cask Finished Virginia-Highland Whisky
Blended Malt — Multiple Countries
Reviewed
July 14, 2019 (edited June 13, 2021)
Ah, home grown whisky. There’s nothing like a locally produced spirit. Virginia Distillery Company is located in the mountainous region of Virginia, Nelson County to be exact, and they’ve quickly ramped up production on their own interpretation of Scottish single malt style whisky. They love Scottish whisky so much that they’ve blended it into their initial releases until their own whisky has matured enough to be released on its own. They take small amounts of Virginia malt mash, blend it with an undisclosed Highland distillery single malt and then finish it for around 8-12 months in a variety of different casks. This particular release is finished in ex-Cider casks from 2 Virginia cidery : Potter’s in Charlottesville and Buskey in Richmond.
This release from the Commonwealth Collection is straw yellow in color and makes fast running legs in the taster. It’s watery and leaves behind huge droplets, as well. The nose is primarily orchard fruits and oak. Toffee and vanilla creme candies provide the sweetness, but the caramel comes across as extra sugary and over-manufactured (if that makes sense).
The palate is youthful, but creamy as can be. Highland sherry scotch and caramel-dipped apples really shine here and make an oily, warm and mouthwatering dram. It’s right there on the border of being too dessert sweet, but there’s enough heat and alcohol presence to keep it from crossing that line. The finish is medium length, creamy and warm with a pleasant malty aspect that lingers. You can still taste apples and caramel for some time.
This release will continue to have successive batches, unlike the others in the Commonwealth Series (IIRC), released every fall- perfect timing and a great way to watch the leaves turn here in Virginia’s Shenandoah Mountains. This is probably my favorite from VDC to this point, although the price is currently too high- $65. There’s currently also a lawsuit between VDC and the Scottish Whisky Association over their use of the Highland nameplate, so I’m wondering if this whole series could just come to an end, especially if their own juice is starting to reach bottling ages and quality. This is a 4-4.25 star dram and if you like cider and wish it had a heavier kick- this could be your jam. Cheers.
65.0
USD
per
Bottle
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@Generously_Paul & @LeeEvolved nice work on the latest episode; funny stuff!
For those of you who want to check us out at Dapper Drams, please follow the link. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC92wgzttTaJdSSoTaN2t2MA Fair warning: amateurs ahead
@Evilbiochemist thanks for the kind words. We are going for a more scripted delivery, but due to the fact that we are a couple of hacks and not professional actors there will be a lot of rough edits, lines that might not really follow each other very smoothly and other amateurish mistakes. Episode 4 dropped yesterday and I’m working on editing number 5 right now. It’s a blind challenge from @PBMichiganWolverine. Unfortunately it looks like it’s going to be another long one since he sent me 8 samples in the challenge. Takes a long time to get through that many lol.
@Evilbiochemist - thanks. We’re just getting started and trying to put a different spin on the typical taste and review by injecting some comedy into it. I think @Generously_Paul is trying to film and add a video every 8-10 days so it’s going to be a slower than most process. I hope we’re adding a chuckle or two to everyone’s day, at least. For those still unsure where the channel is it’s called Dapper Drams on YouTube. Check it out and subscribe if that’s your thing. Cheers.
Watched some of your YouTube stuff dudes; -fantastic - keep un coming. It’s nice to put a face and tone with the names on here. Please post links- I deleted mine a while back because I wanted to do a different format, I’m also interested in teaming up on a video tasting. Cheers
Great review. Interesting combo of whiskey and cider cask finish. Will check out your latest videos :-)
@Rick_M - lol, well I’m partly to blame. If I could read multiple lines of dialog without screwing up he wouldn’t have to edit so much. I fully expect the edits to slowly reduce over time as we both get better at doing these things. It’s tougher than you’d think and I agree with him that we’d prefer a more polished delivery than leaving the flubs and stutters in the final cut. Please just bear with us for the time being- we’ll get better with practice. Thanks for watching and sticking with us, though. Cheers.
@LeeEvolved - very nice job! You need to take the edit button away from GP. It’s killing him.
@Rick_M - yes, I’ll be making a complete fool out of myself when the new episode gets uploaded tomorrow morning.
Great review as always! I remember enjoying this one when I had it a while back! Cheers!
@LeeEvolved - Your new avatar looks dapper. :) Will you be appearing in the next installment of dapper drams?