COURAGE & CONVICTION
Single cask #2572 aka “Maple Train” selected by San Francisco Whiskey Bourbon & Scotch Society (2025)MASH BILL – 100% malted barley
PROOF – 121
AGE – 7 years 5 months
DISTILLERY – Virginia Distillery Co.
PRICE – free sample (msrp $80)
WORTH BUYING? – Yes
One of my local Facebook whisky groups procured this single cask from Virginia Distillery Co., makers of the Courage & Conviction single malt whisky brand. A local shop, Bottle Barn, handled the sales for the group.
Back in 2020 and 2021, I enjoyed a handful of Virginia Distillery whiskies, their standard Cuvée release a favorite among them. These were all aged from 3 to 4 years and bottled at 92 proof. All were quite impressive for their age, even holding their own in side-by-side tastings with the well-established scotch brands their process is modeled after.
And so the prospect of this cask strength, 7+ year release drawn from among the brand’s Cuvée casks (likely ex-Tempranillo or Grenache according to a distillery rep) was quite appealing. Bottles sold fast. Luckily, I was gifted one from a kind fellow member of the group.
Virginia Distillery does everything right. They don’t cut corners in their process, and their transparency is off the charts. A deep dive into their website offers hardcore whisky fans everything from the expected—age statements, mash bills, casks used for aging—to unexpected minutia like exact milling and fermentation data, precise number of each barrel type used in the blend, a chart of temperature fluctuations in weather over the aging periods, changes in the amount of proof gallons in the barrels from start to finish… And though this level of detail might ultimately be of only academic or insider interest, it speaks to the care and attention Virginia Distillery puts into their products.
That doesn’t guarantee everyone will like it, nor that every release will make an equal impression. But it does demonstrate a legitimate commitment to integrity. Any Virginia Distillery whisky will be of substantial quality, whether the tasting experience appeals to a given drinker more or less.
And so how’s this release? Let’s get into a glass. Here we are, two days after uncorking and three pours into the bottle. These brief notes were taken using a traditional Glencairn.
COLOR – rich and vibrant oranges, with copper and fiery highlights
NOSE – leaps immediately out of the bottle upon uncorking it, and likewise with ease out of the glass; sweet dark ripe plum dominates, with maple syrup both drippy and dried, freshly ground rock salt, subtle oak tannins, a bit of dark chocolate syrup
TASTE – the dark plum, coffee, dark chocolate, the tannins now edgier, a ring of heat simmering around the edges from the proof yet it’s surprisingly approachable
FINISH – dark plum, chocolate, mild oak tannin, a lingering heat left to cool with a fine prickle
OVERALL – a smoldering plum bomb on a river of chocolate syrup
At the initial uncorking pour, I found this whisky to be a bit bombastic—a wine cask bomb with shrapnel! The edginess from the tannins and high-octane ABV distracted from those rich core plum and chocolate notes. My second pour was on a foggy early evening, typical of summer in San Francisco. The whisky’s heat was welcomed. But still I found it all a bit much.
At uncorking it had been my first pour of the night, so I wasn’t surprised by the overwhelm, considering the 121 proof. The second pour was my third of that night, following two 100-proof bourbons. So I tried adding a splash of water. Now it was much more approachable, still very flavorful and leaning into its wine notes. But also a bit mainstream. Good. But less interesting.
Like at uncorking, today’s third tasting is also my first pour of the day. I’m pleased to find it less brash. Those rich dark plum notes really hold sway. Coffee has emerged to complement the chocolate. And though the heat is very present, it’s not flaring so much as before, nor is it joining forces with the tannins to rough up the edges of the smoother fruit and candy notes.
I added a splash of water again, to see how this would go over today.
On the nose, now I get dry red grape skins up front, followed by brighter plum notes and the chocolate. Some baked peach wafts in and out, along with dry raw oak.
On the taste, the heat is now quite tamed and yet the flavor range remains, only with everything brightened up a notch. The coffee is less present than before, more discernible now in the finish than on the taste. And like the taste, the finish lingers brighter and with less alcohol bite. Today I’d say adding the splash of water didn’t take away quite as much of the complexity as it seemed to do before. The whisky remains rich and syrupy, with sweet and dry aspects dancing together in brighter light.
For someone newer to whisky, I do believe the heat on this single cask could be overpowering. Even for me, it pushes at the boundary of my current ABV preferences. I used to find 120+ proof whiskies spectacular, in a Hollywood blockbuster kind of way. But in the last year or so I’ve found my proof sweet spot to have settled within the 90-115 range, and I tend not to buy much that’s 120+ anymore.
But after airing out a bit, this Courage & Conviction Cuvée single cask manages to stay just within my personal heat boundaries. It seems to take water well, so I’ll continue to experiment with it in that regard. It really is a sumptuous dessert pour, and perfect on a chilly evening.
As I write this there are two bottles left at the shop. They might be gone by the time you’re reading. But if you encounter something with similar specs from Virginia Distillery, and what I’ve described here sounds appealing, I’d say go for it. The price may seem steep for a ~7-year whisky. But had I paid for this bottle rather than been gifted it, I wouldn’t be mad at the price. The tasting experience is substantially rich.
Cheers!
BTW
By the way, the cork on this bottle is as solid as it looks. It’s capped with copper, making it very heavy. The unspoken intent, which the Northern California regional company rep shared with me, is that you can use it to make an impression of the Virginia Distilling logo on a large ice cube, adding flare to your glass of whisky. Nifty!
The Right Spirit 