Virginia Distillery Co. Courage & Conviction Sherry Cask

Nose - fig, plum, apricot, cinnamon, raisin, sulfur, black pepper, clove, strawberry jam, barrel spice, grass, honey, nut, mild to moderate ethanol burn. Taste - sour apple, plum, apricot, dry vanilla, raisin, orange zest, caramel, grass, lemon, allspice, clove, black pepper, meaty sulfur, date, spiced nut, bitter herbal notes, moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium short with dry fruit, baking spice, and bitter herbal flavors. Last up on my Virginia Distillery Co is this Sherry cask offering. The sherry influence immediately hits you on the nose. The dry, spiced fruit and nuttiness are strong. This is the only of the three cask releases that would have probably fooled me into thinking it was from Scotland. The palate is bold, citrusy, jammy, and spicy. However, there’s a nontrivial sulfurous note that doesn’t altogether ruin the nose and palate, but it’s certainly unwelcome. This reminds me of Glenmorangie Lasanta, and I think it’s about on par with it as well. Both have some nice sherry influence, but fall short with the execution. The same insidious sulfur note sneaks in and puts a damper on the entire experience. Of the three Courage & Conviction cask releases, the Cuvée is my favorite. I’m not sure whether I like this or the Bourbon cask better, but they’re fairly close for me. Still, the flagship Courage & Conviction bottling remains my number one (and it’s cheaper than the three cask editions), although I likely won’t pick one up due to the premium pricing.

Nose: almond, hazelnut, raisins, plum, green apple, lemon zest, cherry tart Palate: sour apple, vanilla, oversteeped sweet tea, lemon juice, caramel Finish: barrel spice, white pepper, cloves, honey, plum Value: D+, The nose is nice, but with some unpleasant sharpness that I can’t quite describe. The palate is almost sour and not very complex and the finish is medium length with some ethanol burn to it. This costs more than a Macallan 12 and I find that far more enjoyable. I will give it to the distillery though as I visited recently. They are a very new distillery and will likely need to sell their bottles at premium price for the next few years to make enough to start a better business model with finer whiskies available and my hope is that these courage and conviction releases will represent what’s essentially the bottom line with the highest price point due to lack of profit. More hopeful for the future of this distillery as the whisky isn’t terrible, but the price for the quality is.

This was fine. A little young/sharp at first. Mostly malt, honey, and some apple. Maybe some dryness in the finish from the sherry cask. Nothing special but a good sign for future releases from this distillery.

All sherry in the nose with a touch of prunes. Lighter body that builds on the front palate. Sherry continues to dominate the profile but does welcome in some younger oak. Simple. Finishes dry.

Berry aroma, and butter. Sweet with berries and cream. Finish is buttery but sweet.

Fruity and wheaty on the nose. Spicy and oily palette. Finish is more of the same.