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Whiskey Review: Virginia Black American Whiskey (aka Drake’s Whiskey)

Drake has officially entered the whiskey game. We review Virginia Black American Whiskey, a blend of sourced juice packaged in a doozy of a bottle.

OVERALL RATING

  • Margarett Waterbury is a whiskey enthusiast and industry expert.
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Tasting Notes

About:

Appearance:
I actually like the bottle – the gold accent looks great on my dark wood liquor cabinet, and the diagonal ribbing on the glass gives it a cool midcentury feel. The plastic cap feels chintzy, though. The spirit itself is dark amber, far darker than I’d imagine given the spirit’s young age.
Nose:
Smooth and buttery, with aromas of maple syrup, popcorn, and some mild oak spice.
Palate:
No surprises here. Almost unctuous in mouth feel, this is sweet and inoffensive in all ways. Creamy vanilla and sawdust gives way to a curiously vacant mid-palate, before a short, dry, reasonably pleasant rye-inflected finish. The texture is so buttery you hardly notice you’re drinking it – it just slips down. Conclusion: It’s not so bad. It tastes weirdly adulterated, like some Canadian whiskies (an homage to Drake’s hometown?), but there’s nothing horrible about it. I can absolutely imagine drinking a lot of it without really realizing, like maybe waiting up late one night for my hotline to bling (did I do that right?) FINAL SCORE: 85/100
Finish:
Comments:

Editor’s Note: This whiskey was either bought as a sample by The Whiskey Wash or provided to us as a review sample by the party behind it. Per our editorial policies, this in no way influenced the outcome of this review.

Margarett Waterbury

Margarett Waterbury is the author of "Scotch: A Complete Introduction to Scotland's Whiskies" and a full-time freelance writer and editor specializing in the beverage industry. Her work has graced the pages of numerous publications, including Whisky Advocate, Food and Wine, Spirited Magazine, Artisan Spirit, Edible Seattle, Sip Northwest, Civil Eats, Travel Oregon, and many others. She also boasts editorial experience as the former managing editor of Edible Portland and as a co-founder and former managing editor of The Whiskey Wash. In recognition of her talent, Margarett received the Alan Lodge Young Drinks Writer of the Year award in 2017 and was awarded fellowships for the Symposium for Professional Wine Writers in 2017 and 2019.

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