Milk chocolate | Honeysuckle | Lemon | Dried mango | Dried apricot | Apple | Malt

Honey | Toasted cinnamon | Caramel | Green apple | Apricot | Pear

Apple cinnamon | Pie crust | Orange rind | Almond | Malt grain | Slightly earthy

Virginia Distillery Co. was founded in 2011 by Irish entrepreneur Gareth H. Moore in Lovingston, Virginia. His idea was to combine traditional Scottish whiskey-making techniques with Virginia-grown ingredients and the region's much warmer climate. The distillery initially produced whiskey by blending their own distillate with imported scotch before transitioning to fully in-house-distilled American single malt in 2015. Its flagship product is Courage & Conviction, along with a range of cask finished expressions. In 2025, the company expanded its portfolio with the introduction of Brewer's Coalition, a series of American single malts finished in craft beer casks from popular breweries.

Virginia Distillery Co.’s Blue Ridge American Single Malt is one of its more straightforward whiskeys. Aged for at least 4 years in first-fill ex-bourbon casks, then finished in new toasted casks for an undisclosed amount of time, the result is a whiskey that features its malted barley heritage front and center.

The aroma features a milk chocolate scent alongside honeysuckle, lemon, apple, dried mango, and dried apricot. The palate is on the light side, featuring bright sweet notes of honey and caramel against fruit notes of fresh green apple, apricot, and pear. The finish turns a bit deeper in flavor with apple cinnamon, pie crust, orange rind, and almond. There is also a slight earthiness at the end that lingers with malt grain.

For those who enjoy their American single malts approachable and straightforward, limiting the number of gimmicks offered should be right at home here. The whiskey’s 93 proof keeps things light; its sweet, fruity palate is easy to parse, and its finish adds a welcome contrast to what came before. Given how long the distillery has been distilling, I’d like to see a bit more age on it and explore a deepening of its flavors. With the average age of American single malts continually increasing, it may be time to push this product a bit more.