Whoever said you can never have too much of a good thing must not have known that Shakespeare coined a similar phrase, Can one desire too much of a good thing? 

Or maybe that person was heckling the actors from As You Like It and simply answered the question, “No! You can’t!”

I’m left wondering. But if you were to ask the folks at the Virginia Distillery Company the answer to ol’ Willies’s pondering query, chances are they’d be in agreement with the heckler. Which is why while waiting for their work-in-progress distillery in Nelson county Virginia to be finished, they had a very nice fellow by the name of Jim McEwan marry together two single malt whiskies, representing three regions of Scotland—Speyside, Highland and Islay—and gave them a catchy little name like, ‘The Anticipation Series.’ Classy, huh?

Thankfully, so are the vatted malts.

Masterfully, they’re referred to as Double Malts. Why enjoy one fabulous single malt, when you can have two of your favorites coupled into one bottle? Like chocolate and peanut butter. Or pork and beans. Or guns and ammo. Singularly, they are cherished. Together they are magical—and in some cases explosive.

The Virginia Distillery company is using the profits from the Double Malt series to invest into the infrastructure of their new home in the lush landscape of Eades Hollow, near Lovington, Virginia. (Check out the distillery’s progress here.)

The folks at the helm foresee making a single malt whisky, not unlike what one would find crafted by master distillers in Scotland today. Keeping in step with many in the frontlines of innovation, they’ll try their hand at finishing off the spirit in casks of Virginian wine, deepening the flavors of a true Virginia spirit produced by the people, a product of the land.

I own all three of the Eades whiskies—twice over. The first and second series. That means six bottles reside in my pantry standing beside reputations long in the making. How do they fare? Proudly and with good reason. I hope you’ll find them worthy of support in their adventure toward becoming a realized entity, and that your opinion of their malts are similar to mine. Truly worthy.

The Virginia Distillery tasting notes for my personal favorite:

2nd EDITION ISLAY

Series 2 & 1

70% Bowmore 10yr Old finished in Grenache
30% Caol Ila 18yr Old finished in Chateau d’Yquem

TASTING NOTES

NOSE – Fruit, iodine, cloves with sweet honey
foundations.
PALATE – Light to medium body with notably
smooth texture. Honey sweet, fruity malt draws
aside to reveal layers of subtle smoke, peat,
seaweed, salt and cloves. The sweetness returns
joining coastal bonfire notes melting away in a
long interplay of sweet malt, smoke and fruit
ending in a long finish.

WINE CASK INFLUENCES

Grenache imparts blackberry, cherry, currant and
raisin all of which compliment the less peaty,
fruity Bowmore.
Chateau d’Yquem contributes ‘Botrytised’ grapes,
the Noble Rot delivers intense honey and raisin
notes that pair perfectly with the 18yr old Caol Ila.

Slainte!

Don’t forget to check out what’s cookin’ in the Scullery (here) and what I’ve been blethering on about this week in the main post (here).