American

Virginia Distillery Company Cabernet Cask Select American Single Malt

$44.99

OVERALL
RATING

8

Whiskey Review: Virginia Distillery Company Cabernet Cask Select American Single Malt

We review Virginia Distillery Company Cabernet Cask Select American Single Malt, first aged in first-fill bourbon barrels for years before being finished in various Cabernet casks, including premium Cabernet Sauvignon barrels in France and California.
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Tasting Notes:

About:
An American single malt aged in first-fill bourbon barrels for years before being finished in various Cabernet casks, including premium Cabernet Sauvignon barrels in France and California. It is bottled at 93 proof and priced at $44.99.
Appearance:
There’s a lovely middle-range amber hue in the glass, supported by thick legs and strong viscosity.
Nose:
A dry berry note emerges from the glass in the aromatics department upfront, reflecting considerations of cranberry and raspberry. These are joined by supporting aromas of oak, turkey gravy, dark chocolate, a whiff of hazelnuts, and dried raisins.
Palate:
There’s a dry berry, velvety feel on the palate as one sips on this whiskey, reflecting dried raisins, cranberries, and a touch of strawberry. Further, you pick up on lingering dark chocolate, dried almonds, baked bread, a little baking spice, and some oak.
Finish:
This finishes dry and tart, carrying those considerations into a moderately long ending.
Comments:
Virginia Distillery Company Cabernet Cask Select American Single Malt shows well what this type of wine cask finishing can do for an American single malt. Overall, it is a well-constructed offering and one worth hunting down for the curious.
Virginia Distillery Company Cabernet Cask Select American Single Malt review
We review Virginia Distillery Company Cabernet Cask Select American Single Malt, first aged in first-fill bourbon barrels for years before being finished in various Cabernet casks, including premium Cabernet Sauvignon barrels in France and California. (image via Virginia Distillery Company)

Editor’s Note: We received a review sample of this whiskey from the brand. However, in accordance with our editorial policies, this has not influenced the outcome of our review in any way.

Virginia Distillery Company, founded in 2011, has a relatively long history regarding the ongoing evolution of the American single malt whiskey category. Dr. George G. Moore built up what would eventually become a world-class distillery campus in the Virginia Blue Ridge Mountains in Lovingston, VA. George’s passion for single malt whisky today is carried on by his wife, Angela Moore, and their son, Gareth Moore, along with his wife, Maggie Moore, who took the helm after his passing.

The distillery uses Midwest barley to distill through its copper pot stills from Scotland, handmade by a specialty fabricator. The new make is then aged in “cask houses,” with Virginia’s hot summers and cool winters allowing their spirit, according to them, to age faster than counterparts in Scotland.

What’s in the bottle

Virginia Distillery Company Cabernet Cask Select American Single Malt, the focus of this review, is one of several cask-finished American single malts being positioned by the distillery as aiming to “expand consumer access to this growing category by providing a bold line of American Single Malts at an introductory price point.”

This particular whiskey was first aged in first-fill bourbon barrels for years before being finished in various Cabernet casks, including premium Cabernet Sauvignon barrels in France and California.

“The level of matured stocks we’ve reached has enabled us to introduce an entry-level priced product within the American Single Malt category. Representing a significant development for our business,” Gareth Moore said when this whiskey was released. “We remain committed to leading the American Single Malt movement. This new house-brand will serve as the gateway to the American Single Malt category. It will be showcased alongside our luxury brand, Courage & Conviction, allowing us to cater to a broad spectrum of consumer preferences and price points.”

Virginia Distillery Company Cabernet Cask Select American Single Malt is bottled at 93 proof and priced at $44.99.

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Nino Kilgore-Marchetti

Nino Kilgore-Marchetti is the founder of The Whiskey Wash, an award-winning whiskey lifestyle website dedicated to informing and entertaining consumers about whisk(e)y globally. As a whisk(e)y journalist, expert, and judge, he has written extensively about the subject, been interviewed in various media outlets, and provided tasting input on many whiskeys at competitions.

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