Chocolate | Bourbon | Charred oak | Vanilla extract | Cocoa powder | Mixed dark fruits | Malt

Chocolate mousse | Leather | Charred oak | Vanilla bean | Malted barley

Malted barley | Milk chocolate | Chocolate malt balls | Lingering heat

Virginia Distillery Co. was founded in 2011 by Irish entrepreneur Gareth H. Moore in Lovingston, Virginia. His idea was to combine traditional Scottish whiskey making techniques with Virginia-grown ingredients and the region's much warmer climate. The distillery initially produced whiskey by blending their own distillate with imported scotch before transitioning to fully in-house-distilled American single malt in 2015. Its flagship product is Courage & Conviction, along with a range of cask finished expressions. In 2025, the company expanded its portfolio with the introduction of Brewer's Coalition, a series of American single malts finished in craft beer casks from popular breweries.

Goose Island’s Bourbon County Stout isn’t the number one bourbon-finished stout on the market, but its cult following gives off a bigger aura than numbers convey alone. It's why whiskey producers love finishing in their used barrels and piggybacking on the brand’s popularity. For those who have never had Goose Island’s Bourbon County Stout, it’s an incredibly rich stout with a high ABV that has the look and feel of motor oil.

Surprisingly, Virginia Distillery Co. The Brewer’s Coalition - Goose Island Stout Finish isn’t as dark colored as you’d expect, being only a shade darker than their standard Virginia Distillery Co. Blue Ridge American Single Malt. Despite this, the whiskey features a very forward aroma of chocolate, bourbon, charred oak, vanilla extract, and cocoa powder. The palate pulls things back, gently rolling out lighter notes of chocolate mousse, leather, charred oak, and vanilla bean. The finish starts big, with an overpowering amount of malted barley upfront that is so strong, it throws off the entire experience. As it peels back, milk chocolate and chocolate malt balls take over with a bit of lingering heat left in its wake.

There’s no mistaking that this American single malt was finished in Bourbon County Stout barrels. The stout has a very recognizable flavor that pulls through at different strengths throughout the sip. That fluctuating intensity is surprising at times, but the larger question remains: does American single malt play nice with Bourbon County Stout barrels?

There are moments in the sip where that answer is “yes.” But other times, mainly during the whiskey’s finish, it's much harder to answer that. The additional malt notes against the stout flavors don’t completely clash, but there's notable friction. The sip is so malt-heavy at times it comes across as if you overindulged in a giant-sized bag of Whoppers candy. Perhaps it needed more finishing time, or it's simply a sign that this style of finishing with American single malts doesn’t work.