Lemon peel | Toasted malted barley | Faint dried cinnamon apple | Green grape | Peeled ginger

Oak | Chewy barley | White peppercorn spice | Lemon zest | Bitter ginger root | Baking spices | Faint gingersnap

Gingerbread cookie | Oak | Mixed nuts | Lemon | White peppercorn spice | Faint chocolate malt

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.

The Brewer’s Collection sees Virginia Distillery Co. partnering with craft brewers around the country to age their single malt in a limited number of the brewery’s barrels. Originally released in 2024, the company initially partnered with Goose Island Beer Company and Hardywood Park Craft Brewery for their first two releases. The brand reintroduced these two collaborations along with others last fall. For this latest edition of Hardywood Gingerbread Stout Cask Finish, just 20 barrels were sourced to finish in.

The whiskey opens with an aroma containing a surprising amount of lemon peel and toasted malted barley scents. Joining in are green grape and a surprising peeled ginger scent. Ginger and lemon carry through to the palate but in the form of a bitter ginger root note and lemon zest. Additional chewy barley and oak join in, along with a dash of white peppercorn spice. A faint gingersnap note appears, which morphs into a light gingerbread cookie to start the finish. Oak and mixed nuts add an earthier flavor profile while lemon reappears, along with a faint chocolate malt note which is the only reminder that stout barrels were used.

Hardywood Park Craft Brewery states that the Gingerbread Stout is “made with baby ginger and wildflower honey from local family-owned farms; Hardywood Gingerbread Stout captures the terroir of Central Virginia in a rich, creamy libation with a fresh snap of ginger in the finish.” While the honey doesn’t pull through in the resulting finished whiskey, the baby ginger is certainly noticeable throughout. Without knowing how the stout was produced, however, many consumers might assume that Hardywood Gingerbread Stout Cask Finish will host gingerbread-inspired flavors front and center. While this is certainly a flavorful finished American single malt, the balance of fresh ginger and lemon notes can sometimes be a bit overpowering and drown out more of the holiday-inspired notes that many will be expecting.