Review: Virginia Distillery Split Barrel Project #1
Review: Virginia Distillery Split Barrel Project #1
How do you get more bourbon drinkers to embrace American single malt? Virginia Distillery Co. thinks they might have the answer with their latest line extension. The Split Barrel Project is a first of its kind blend of bourbon and American single malt conceived as a gateway to American single malt for those traditional American whiskey drinkers unfamiliar with or averse to the new-ish whiskey category.
For the first release in the Split Barrel lineup, dubbed Project #1, Virginia Distillery Co. blended 50% five-year-old American single malt produced at their Lovingston, Virginia distillery and 50% four-year-old bourbon sourced from Bardstown Bourbon Co. in Bardstown, Kentucky. That blend may seem straightforward enough, even repeatable at home, but you won’t easily find either of these components on liquor store shelves. The bourbon mashbill of 75% corn, 15% rye, and 10% malted barley is rare among Bardstown’s other products with more corn than any of their Origin Series releases. Ditto the Virginia Distillery Co. single malt which is aged exclusively in ex-bourbon barrels making it unique among the brand’s core lineup. What happens when these two whiskeys combine? Let’s find out.
Virginia Distillery Split Barrel Project #1 Review
The single malt component dominates the nose with initial notes of warm oatmeal dusted with cinnamon. It’s earthy and malty and a little dry with undertones of toasted oak and vanilla pudding. As it opens, things sweeten but only slightly, shifting from a porridge to more of a creamed corn profile that’s gently sweet and laced with subtle notes of caramel candies and orange taffy.
The palate is more bourbon forward, delivering a big, sweet note of candy corn then layering on malt balls, chewy caramel, and a bit of Belgian cocoa powder. The sweetness builds into the midpalate with notes of cocktail cherry and candied orange peel and continues with syrupy verve into a warm finish of vanilla cream, treacle, and baking spice. This one clearly aims to convert fans of sweeter bourbons, and while it isn’t overly nuanced, I doubt that was the goal of this inaugural effort. First, Virginia Distillery Co. needed to convince the average American whiskey drinker that there is life beyond bourbon, and I think they’ll succeed with this release. Future editions of the Split Barrel Project will reportedly collaborate with other distilleries, so I look forward to seeing how this experiment evolves.
90 proof.
B+ / $45
Virginia Distillery Split Barrel Project #1
USD45
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