The Virginia: Birthplace of American Spirits Collection

The Virginia: Birthplace of American Spirits Collection is a limited‑edition three‑bottle release created by the Virginia Spirits Guild to commemorate America’s 250th anniversary and to highlight the Commonwealth’s foundational role in early American distillation. Produced in partnership with the Virginia Spirits Board, the Virginia American Revolution 250 Commission, and Virginia ABC, the collection represents one of the most collaborative blending efforts in the state’s modern craft‑spirits era, with only 2,400 sets made available statewide. 

The trio includes a botanical gin, a four‑grain whiskey, and an aged rum—each designed to reflect a different geographic and historical dimension of Virginia’s distilling heritage. The gin was crafted by Peter Ahlf and Kimberly Nuckols of Mt. Defiance Cidery & Distillery with blending support from Barry Haneberg of Virago Spirits and Peter Morgner of Vitae Spirits. It draws on a London Dry structure featuring Italian juniper, angelica, coriander, orris root, and lemon peel layered with Virginia botanicals such as pawpaw, rose, sassafras, and sumac to evoke the aromatic character of the state’s mountain landscapes. 

The whiskey is a blend of select barrels from Ironclad Distillery, Virginia Distillery Co., Catoctin Creek, and Reservoir Distillery anchored by a five‑year bourbon, then a seven‑year American single malt, a seven‑year rye whiskey, and a six-year wheat whiskey to represent the grain‑rich agricultural heartland that shaped early American whiskey traditions. 

The rum, guided by Barry Haneberg of Virago Spirits with support from Vitae Spirits, Belmont Farm, and Chesapeake Bay Distillery, reflects Virginia’s Tidewater history and its longstanding connection to maritime molasses trade, resulting in a coastal‑influenced rum rooted in early colonial production. 

All three bottles are housed in a triptych‑style box illustrated by Norfolk artist Mark Todd, depicting the James River flowing from mountains to heartland to coast—a visual metaphor for the waterways that carried Virginia’s spirits traditions across four centuries. Together, the collection serves as a once‑in‑a‑generation tribute to Virginia’s claim as the birthplace of American spirits and the enduring craft that continues to define the state’s distilling community.

Virginia Distillery Company's VHW and Courage & Conviction Through a Life of Miniatures

The Virginia Distillery Company has a couple of enticing series of whiskeys available with the first branded Courage & Conviction; their American Single Malt whisky finished in various used casks. The whisky is made using malted barley and fresh spring water fed from the Blue Ridge Mountains with the mash distilled using hand-hammered copper pot stills crafted in Scotland. The second series is branded Virginia-Highland Whiskey which blends their Virginia-made American Single Malt whisky with aged Scotch malt whisky and then aging in various used casks. The American Single Malt whisky is the base for the Courage & Conviction line.  The Scotch malt whisky comes from a stock they purchased many years ago when building out their distillery and needing a product to release.   And even more enticing is their release of miniatures allowing consumers to taste the series without spending the $70-80 per bottle. 

According to the distillery, "the whiskies of Courage & Conviction, developed under the tutelage of Dr. Jim Swan, feature three core cask types:

• Bourbon casks: These barrels formerly held Kentucky bourbon from well-known distilleries. Aging in American oak bourbon casks add notes of vanilla, caramel, butterscotch, oak, smoke and cinnamon. 

• Sherry casks:  The distillery uses Sherry cask types, including Fino, Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez. These casks give the whisky notes of tart cherry, golden raisin, fig, caramelized plum, brown sugar and spice. 

• Cuvée casks:  This innovative barrel is sourced from premium European red wine producers. After the wine is removed, the cask is broken down, the interior shaved, re-toasted and re-charred, and then put back together again. The re-toasting and re-charring of the cask energize the wood sugars and brings forward barrel spice, bright red fruit and toasted pecan.

The flagship Courage & Conviction American Single Malt Whisky is a target recipe of 50% Bourbon Cask, 25% Sherry Cask and 25%. The base spirit definitely provides a Scottish cerealy, salty, and peaty profile. Then the fresh and dried fruit flavors surface which continue through to a lengthy low burning finish. 

The Courage & Conviction Bourbon Cask is blunt and harsh. There's a burnt toast feel that ends with a strong coughing burn. 

The Courage & Conviction Sherry Cask is, contrastingly, outstanding. There's a complex aroma, figs and nuts, that continue into the core where it combines with more dense fruit A bit of funk lingers with the smooth tail. This is bottle-worthy.

The Courage & Conviction Cuvée Cask starts with red fruit on the nose which leads to cherry notes, a little chocolate, and a sweeter caramelized and less cerealy, salty, and peaty profile. Little to no burn.  This may be bottle-worthy.

The VHW Port Cask Finished Whisky is made from the base Virginia-Highland Whiskey which is then finished in a combination of Port-style wine casks from Virginia and traditional Tawny Port casks for a minimum of 12 months. The Scotch takes primary focus but eventually yields to dried fruits (figs) and hints of coffee and cocoa. It's a pleasant sipper - even while just enjoying the aroma.