First (Mini) Bottle Kill in A Long Time & Some Preliminary ‘Final’ Tasting Notes on VHW Cider Cask Finished Whisky

Today, I killed my first bottle (albeit a mini one) in longer than most of my undergraduate students have been alive. It was a mini 50 ml bottle of the Virginia Distillery Company’s (VDC) blended American Single Malt Whisky finished in Virginia apple cider casks. It is a mix of their own distillate and sources Scottish single malt whisky.

Bottom line up front, single malt whiskies were probably not the gentlest introduction to whisky, particularly after so long away from them and all spirits. However, fortune favors the bold and in for a penny, in for a pound. I need some more time with single malts specifically and whiskies writ large more broadly, including bourbons. I’m not sure whiskies are my thing, at least not right now, but I have numerous others in mini and regular bottle size to try. Before remembering mini bottles, over the years I purchased some full-sized bottles of scotch, VDC American single malts (including several from their Courage and Conviction & VHW lines). I have them now, so I’ll definitely try them out over time.

Preliminary “Final” Tasting Notes on My Last Pour of VHW Cider Cask Finished American Single Malt Blended Whisky from the VDC:

These tasting notes are based on a neat, final pour with no water added.

The initial crisp, juicy, sweet apple aroma on the nose transformed, as I continued to swirl, into a deeper, still sweet apple aroma mixed with hints of caramel, a stewed apple/white fruit with baking spices, and a malty “breadiness” with hints of smoke.

On the palate, there was a quick hit of fruity sweetness at the very beginning that remained in the background, but which was mostly displaced by malty smokiness and a kick of heat from the alcohol. The alcohol heat remained in the back of my throat and in the nostrils for a few seconds. There was a lingering oak tannin bitterness that remained on the palate for a little while.

While I can’t honestly say that single malt whiskies are something I enjoy like I do tequila and other agave spirits, I also know that this is in part because I need more exposure. I intend to continue tasting, experimenting, and trying new whiskies of all types before forming a harder, “final” opinion/s.

At this point, I can say that I definitely enjoy the aromas of many whiskies, single malts and others, more than I do, for now, their flavor profiles. But I don’t dislike the flavor profiles of most either and so will continue tasting, learning, and building my palate and taste preferences.