Virginia Distilling Cider Cask Finish
Scotch & American Malt Blend | 46% ABV
When life gives you lemons, find other whisky.
Springbank, as you well know, has been a buzz-brand of whisky over the past several years. With reviews raving about the distillery, repetitive OSWA landslide wins, tales of the manner by which the distillery values the Campbeltown community, and with an understanding as to the “old fashioned” way Springbank goes about its business and cares not to bend to other processes or business models. For whisky enthusiasts, these items coalesce to make a recipe for a most sought-after liquid.
But what happens when you can’t find it? Or if you do manage to find it, what do you do if the prices require you to take out a mortgage to purchase a bottle or two?
We whisky enthusiasts speak of chasing flavour. Yes, my whisky journey has definitely been made rich and enjoyable due to being immersed in this great whisky community. The chats, the give and take, the banter – it’s utterly fantastic. But, without doubt, my whisky journey has also been so very enjoyable because of the spectrum of flavours that I have been able to uncover from legacy bottles to heretofore unknown or unheralded distilleries.
I thoroughly enjoy the chase. Walking into large stores, finding small neighbourhood shops, scouring internet auctions, or wherever else I can find whisky bottles – the flavour hunt, itself, is as much fun as experiencing the flavour when sipping a dram.
And so, it was this past weekend when I travelled from my new home in North Carolina to Washington, DC. I went to the nation’s capital as my son, Eamon, was graduating from college. I had only spent two weeks in North Carolina before the drive to Washington, DC, but my whisky search had been stymied by my new state’s liquor laws. North Carolina is only one of seventeen states in the union that has ABC liquor stores. ABC stands for “alcoholic beverage control”. Yeah, not at all ominous.
In America, each of the fifty states has purview over the sale and distribution of alcohol within its own borders. Most states allow for issuing licences to private persons/entities to stock and sell the liquor they choose. But, for those unfortunate seventeen – and depressingly, North Carolina is one of them – the state government has taken total control over what can be sourced and what can be sold.
I am reminded of one of my most favourite quips when Ronald Reagan once said, “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: ‘I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.’” I will deal with ABC stores in a future write up, but for now, understand that single malt flavour hunts during my two weeks in North Carolina were as successful as finding a burger joint in a vegan commune. I needed a change of scenery.
When I got in the car on Friday afternoon to drive to Washington, I was a bit giddy thinking that I would find myself, once more, in a jurisdiction with privately owned and managed liquor stores. No ABC stores coupled with the fact that we’d be in a large city, the chances of getting my hands on some Campbeltown whiskies might be in the cards.
Over the past few months, there have been some statements in the whisky community that Springbank is becoming a bit more available. More and more are reporting seeing Springbank and other Campbeltown offerings on shelves – certainly not as ubiquitous as Glenfiddich or Macallan, but also not as scarce as finding an honest politician. So, when I thought about a whisky hunt in Washington, DC, I had some low-key hope that the rumours of available Campbeltown liquid would be true.
Come Saturday morning, my wife and I awoke and had a bit of a spring in our step. I knew we had a small wedge of time before we would need to start getting ready for graduation festivities. We were both a bit flushed with anticipation to find a shop with a large selection of single malts.
We had some reconnaissance provided to us about a small liquor shop not terribly far from our hotel. With that bit of information, we made our way down through the Glover Park neighbourhood and located the shop in question. We had heard this was an unassuming store from the outside with an unusually large selection of whiskies on the inside. When we walked in, it was clear the information we had received was accurate. Moreover, and as a very thick layer of icing on this whisky cake, rumour also had it that this shop had a large selection of Springbank whiskies. Again, the reports were true!
Flavour was before me in spades . . . and then, after a few moments to soak it all in, my shoulders stooped as I let out a defeated exhale.
What did I see? Multiple bottles of Springbank 10, Springbank 12 Cask Strength, a Springbank 15, and a Springbank 21. A few Campbeltown Lochs. There was an Adelphi bottling of a 21 year old Springbank finished in rum casks. Oooh, a Hazelburn 12 year oloroso cask. I spied a Springbank 11 year old Local Barley. Kilkerran was represented on the shelf with 12 year old and 16 year old expressions. So, Ogilvie, why the exasperated exhale?
Springbank 10 . . . $119.99 USD
Springbank 12 cask strength . . . $299.99 USD
Springbank 21 . . . $1,399.99 USD
Campbeltown Loch . . . $84.99 USD
Hazelburn 12 year oloroso cask . . . $229.99 USD
Springbank 11 year old Local Barley . . . $499.99 USD
Kilkerran 12 . . . $119.99 USD
Kilkerran 16 . . . $199.99 USD
Adelphi 21 Springbank . . . $849.99 USD
The Springbank 15 was behind the register and I did not see a price, nor did I ask about the price. Seriously. What in the wide, wide world of sports is a-going on here?
Recall that in October I was in London and purchased my first Springbank 10 bottle for £52, which currently translates to around $65 USD. I also purchased a bottle of Campbeltown Loch for £39, around $48 USD.
The difference in price between the U.K. and here in America for liquid from the Wee Toon is simply and nauseatingly staggering. Welcome to the reality of Springbank and Campbeltown whiskies in the North-Eastern United States. (And, it appears from prior comments from Dramface reader, Dave Shaw, that the same is true in Australia, among other places.)
Now that I have fully depressed myself from re-living the experience of the price shock that I saw, and now that I have most likely depressed most of you, I come to the silver lining of our programming: the dogged desire and enjoyment of a flavour chase.
When the Springbanks, Hazelburns, Kilkerrans, and other beautifully crafted whiskies of lore are either absent or cost-prohibitive, we whisky enthusiasts may be temporarily winded but that does not keep us from our appointed rounds to seek out flavourful whiskies from any and all quarters. We are a determined lot.
We know there are other distilleries and other bottles – perhaps under the radar, perhaps not as well known, perhaps new releases – that can bring surprisingly good flavour. Single-minded and tenacious as we all may be when in a shop with bottles for sale, we become detectives searching for that overlooked or under-appreciated bottle. And that is what happened in that small, neighbourhood Washington, DC shop.
Almost as quickly as the breath from my exasperated exhale left my body, I was already pivoting and examining other shelves. I scoured through the shelves of whiskies. Single malts from Scotland, Irish whiskies, Japanese. A few bottles caught my eye that weren’t marked up anywhere akin to the Campbeltown section. My inner whisky flavour hunter was in full hunt mode.
When I had finished with the offerings on the single malt shelves, I started to comb through the bourbon section. Why look through the bourbon section if I am looking for single malt? In my experience, oftentimes liquor stores here in the States put American single malts in between the bottles of bourbon. Whether the proprietors are not whisky knowledgeable, or if the persons stocking shelves are whisky novices, if they see the words “American” and “whisky” on a label odds are they think the bottle is a bourbon.
So, as I was making my way through bourbon territory, I pushed aside a bottle of Calumet Farm Bourbon which revealed the tall and narrow neck of a bottle with the Virginia Distillery Co. label. Dramface readers will recall that I am a fan of Virginia Distillery after reviewing their Port Cask Finish whisky and their Courage & Conviction expressions. Fishing out the bottle, I was glad to have in my hand an expression I had not yet sampled.
This cider cask finished expression sounded quite interesting. Knowing from my prior research of Virginia Distillery that their whiskies are all natural expressions – the one in my hand was 46% ABV – and seeing that this bottle was literally less than half the price of the lowest priced Campbeltown single malts in the store and $30.00 less than the Campbeltown Loch, taking this bottle to the register was a no-brainer.
Review
Virginia Distilling Co., Cider Cask Finish, American Malt Whisky, 46% ABV
USD$54.99 (£43) available in the Eastern US
This expression is one of Virginia Distillery Co.’s VHW Series. The series consists of this cider cask finished whisky, the port cask finished whisky, a chardonnay cask finished whisky, and an expression called their Brewers Batch (their whisky finished in casks from local, Virginia breweries).
The foundation of all of the VHW Series is a blend of whiskies. The blend is comprised of, on the one hand, single malt that Virginia Distillery Co., distils and ages at their home in Lovingston, Virginia. On the other hand, they import a blend of Highland single malts from Scotland. I have no information as to which Highland distilleries are sourced. Nor do I have any information about the ratio of American single malt to the Highland blend. Nor do I have an idea of the age of distillate in my glass.
Unlike the absolutely amazing transparency that I found with their Courage & Conviction expression, there is not nearly as much intel available with regard to the VHW Series and this expression, in particular. Aside from understanding my dram is a blend of American single malt made in Virginia and a blend of Highland single malts, I understand that the whisky in my glass is finished in the cider casks for anywhere between eight and twenty months. After appreciating the transparency given to their Courage & Conviction bottlings, I must say that the lack of information for VHW expressions is a large step backwards.
I will endeavour to reach out to the distillery to gain more information, but in the meantime, let’s get into this whisky.
Nose
Lovely fruit and vanilla. Yellow apples. Hint of banana. Butterscotch. A hint of Jasmine tea. After a few trips up to the nose, I start to detect stewed apples with nutmeg, cinnamon, and a hint of candied ginger. This is a light and balanced nose.
Palate
Butterscotch, vanilla, and malt. Bit of baking spices. The apples and white fruit are ever-present. Perhaps it is the knowledge of the blends that go into this whisky, but I can almost parse out the malty ex-bourbon casks and an apple and pear layer from the cider casks. It is a good marriage, with one aspect not covering or overwhelming the other, and both work together nicely with flavours not competing with one another. Light toffee and a slight ginger/peppery tinge at mid-palate through to the finish. It is on the lighter side but also layered and complex. Full of flavour. Quite nice.
The Dregs
Please understand that I am not comparing this bottle to a Springbank. No. The point I am making with this review – perhaps inartfully – is that there are veins of flavour in the whisky landscape that we can find if we dig. Certainly there are known and sought-after bottles that can and do bring wonderful enjoyment. But, when we cannot find those bottles, or when we find them and they are outrageously expensive, or if we simply want to try something different, we need to don our Sherlock Holmes caps and revert to being flavour chasers.
Five or ten years ago we whisky enthusiasts could not have fully anticipated the choice we have today. Bottles of Ardnamurchan, Lagg, Lindores Abbey, Virginia Distillery Co., Balcones, Iron Root, Tobermory, Bimber, Raasay (to name only a few) were either not producing whisky or had just started to bottle. These new distilleries, coupled with ever new expressions and releases being brought forth, produce veins of whisky flavour that are all around – we just need to pick up a figurative pickaxe, move our focus from shiny objects on the surface, and dig a bit.
Living in the United States, I am used to carrying around my single malt pickaxe. I have to dig here and there to find bottles of interest that are usually much more available in the UK. I don’t complain. OK, maybe a little, but I don’t fret. The journey and the chase are rewarding. Proof positive of that is the bottle I have in my hand. Having had to scour and hunt a bit to find this bottle of Virginia Distillery Co., cider cask finished whisky, I’d say the hunt paid off very nicely.
This bottle is a welcome addition to my whisky cabinet. I give this bottle a solid recommendation. In the present whisky world around me, the vast majority of bottles now seem skewed toward peat and/or sherry finishes. Having something different is a nice change of pace, and my bottle is that very good exception. The cider casks work well with the underlying distillate, bringing forth a product that is rather unique, solid, and rather tasty. Put your overalls on, grab a pair of work gloves, and pick up that pickaxe – there are great bottles of flavour out there waiting to be found . . . and a good number of them won’t force you to sell a kidney to purchase a bottle. Well done, Virginia Distillery Co. – although some more information on the bottle or website would be fantastic.
P.S. As this year of 2023 comes to a close, I want to take a moment to thank all of the Dramface readers, and certainly those of you who share your comments. I know I speak on behalf of everyone at Dramface when I say we truly appreciate your interest in Dramface, your time to read the content, and the time you take to comment and perhaps have a dialogue with us writers. It means more than we can say.
I will raise a toast to you all this evening – wishing you and your family's good health and happiness now and throughout the new year. Cheers. OS
Score: 6/10
Tried this? Share your thoughts in the comments below. OS