90 points
Virginia Distillery Co. Prelude: Courage and Conviction American Single Malt, 46%
A limited-release preview of the distillery’s first American single malt label, Courage & Conviction, which will launch in April 2020. Aged at least 3 years in sherry, bourbon, and cuvée wine casks, this whiskey has a malty nose with notes of dried fruit, wood spice, lime, and pineapple. Baked apples, figs, vanilla, and baking spice on the palate, with a honeyed finish of toffee, toasted oak, and almond. A deft balance of barrel influences. (4,200 bottles)
Reviewed by: David Fleming (Winter 2019)