Tucked into the Blue Ridge Mountains, Virginia Distillery Co. has quietly become one of the heavy hitters in American single malt. Awards keep piling up, but the whisky does the talking long before the trophy cabinet does. This is a distillery that obsesses over the small stuff that makes a big difference.
Now that American single malt is an official thing, Virginia Distillery Co. is helping define what it actually tastes like. The rules are pleasingly simple. Use 100% malted barley. Make it all at one distillery. Mash it, distil it and age it in the US. No loopholes. Just a solid foundation for a style of whisky that belongs to the world, not just one country.
The flagship range gets its name from founder Dr George G Moore, who, as an Irishman, knew a thing or two about single malt long before he started making it in Virginia. When he passed, his family kept the dream alive using his favourite phrase as their north star. With Virginia’s dramatic temperature swings and a stash of excellent casks to work with, Courage and Conviction has grown into a proper showcase for what American single malt can be when you take it seriously but still have fun with it.
Everything starts with 100% malted barley and fresh mountain spring water. The whisky runs through hand-hammered Scottish copper pot stills and then settles down for at least four years in first-fill bourbon barrels. After that, the team gets playful, finishing the whisky in all sorts of interesting casks from around the world and from their own backyard. The result is whisky with structure, flavour and a sense of place that feels earned rather than engineered.
