Courage and Conviction Cuvee Cask American Single Malt Review [In Depth]
Courage and Conviction Cuvee Cask American Single Malt
by: ALEX WANG
Founder, writer
Founder, writer
Courage and Conviction Cuvee Cask American Single Malt Details
Distillery: Virginia Distilling Company
Type & Region: American Single Malt, Virginia, USA
Alcohol: 46%
Composition: 100% malted barley
Aged: At least 4 years
Color: 1.1/2.0 on the color scale (burnished)
Price: $80
From the company website:
Courage & Conviction Cuvée Cask is an American Single Malt whisky distilled, matured, and bottled on-site at our distillery in Lovingston, Virginia. Aged a minimum of four years, this 100% malted barley whisky is matured in first-fill European red wine Cuvée casks. These casks undergo ‘STR’ treatment, meaning ‘Shave, Toast, Re-char’. This process releases beautiful sugars and aromas from the wine casks, along with additional caramel, toffee and vanilla flavors.
Courage and Conviction Cuvee Cask American Single Malt overview
I’ve lived in the DC area for years and seen various Courage and Conviction single malts on shelves, but this is the first time that I’m actually drinking something from a local-ish distillery. Admittedly, it would still take me ~3 hours to drive to the Virginia Distillery Company facility in Lovingston, so it’s not actually that local, but it’s still in a neighboring state. For reference, it’s probably 30 minutes away from Charlottesville, the home of the University of Virginia.
Virginia Distilling Company was founded in 2011 but did not start distilling till 2015. Since then, they have released a wide range of only American single malts matured and finished in various casks. You can see more or less their entire line here, and that doesn’t include their single barrel single malts.
The Alcohol Professor provides a brief history of the distillery, and Virginia Distillery Company’s own website provides surprisingly detailed information on American single malt whiskey.
You can skip the next few paragraphs if you already know about this, but I’m going to briefly educate you on American single malt. The short description is that it has many of the same rules as bourbon or rye, which include being made in the United States, maximum barreling proof (120 proof), maximum distillation proof (160 proof), and ABV of at least 40% ABV in the bottle, but there also are some important differences.
ewThe first major difference is that American single malts are made with 100% malted barley instead of at least 51% corn (bourbon) or at least 51% rye (rye whiskey). It feels more like Single Malt Scotch, which is also made with 100% malted barley.
The part that is radically different to bourbon (but similar to how Scotch is classified) is that American single malt whiskeys can be aged in virgin white oak barrels (like bourbon or rye) as well as used casks (absolutely not allowed with bourbon or rye). This is where things get interesting because American single malts can be aged in a wide range of casks that impart very different characteristics, potentially getting some unique and interesting results.
This particular single malt was completely aged in ex-first-fill European red wine Cuvée casks that were shaved, toasted, and recharred. Important context as you read my notes, I wrote the overview + looked up what Cuvee meant after drinking this, so all I knew going into it was that Cuvee was French. I didn’t know about the recharred red wine cask.
With this type of cask, you can expect a mixture of red wine influence (I don’t know the exact type of red wine) that includes dark red fruits, oak, and spice. The retoasted and charred barrel should provide more dark oak influence, including dark sweetness, oak, and spice.
Let’s find out what this marriage of Virginia and Spain is like in this Courage and Conviction Cuvee Cask American Single Malt whiskey review.
This sample was provided at no cost to me. All opinions are still my own.
As an FYI, I bought and use these Glencairn glasses for everything (they’re the best): Glencairn Crystal Whiskey Glass Set of 6, Set of 4, Set of 2, or just one. Full transparency, this is an affiliate link, so I may earn a commission if you buy this or something else from Amazon.
Courage and Conviction Cuvee Cask American Single Malt smell
I smell toasted caramel, vanilla, marshmallow, cinnamon, candied orange peel, toasted oak, caramel nougat, cherry, and a little herbal fennel and this floral scent that might be fruit and/or herbalness. Courage and Conviction Cuvee Cask American Single Malt has a hint of amburana cask finish to it (not in an overpowering way) that’s a mix of vanilla and cinnamon…cinnamon toast crunch is a way to describe it.
Ok, now I think we’re finally onto something. This has nice and dark sweetness and fruitiness with better fullness and expressiveness, much better than the bourbon cask and sherry cask versions. It’s still not that defined or complex, but I still like this.
This feels like a much older American single malt, more like 7-10 years old in oak and a lot more interaction between spirit and oak.
After swirling and 15 minutes of rest I smell caramel, creamy vanilla, candied orange peel, cinnamon, toasted oak, baked red apple, and a little herbal fennel for added brightness. You could possibly pass this off for an 8 year old bourbon with the dark sweetness, oak, and spice.
After swirling and 15 minutes of rest I smell caramel, creamy vanilla, candied orange peel, cinnamon, toasted oak, baked red apple, and a little herbal fennel for added brightness. You could possibly pass this off for an 8 year old bourbon with the dark sweetness, oak, and spice.
Courage and Conviction Cuvee Cask American Single Malt is fairly fragrant, varied, and floral. It’s not so bold or deep, but nonetheless I can still appreciate it.
Courage and Conviction Cuvee Cask American Single Malt taste and aftertaste
I taste caramel, candied orange, cherry, vanilla, cinnamon, roasted oak, nutmeg, caramel nougat, and a little bit of toasted bitterness. The scents continue into the flavors with darker sweetness, fruitiness, oakiness, and spiciness that is more full and flavorful than the other versions that I’ve had. It’s surprisingly…bourbon-y.
I wouldn’t say that it’s all that rich, complex, or deep, but it still has enough going on to enjoy and appreciate it, although there’s a little bit of bitterness in the back that I don’t love that suggests that it may be a hint overoaked, but I can mostly deal with it.
Off the top of my head, I don’t know exactly what Cuvee means apart from the fact that it’s French, but based on the flavors I also suspect that it has some to do with French oak because I get Maker’s Mark 46 vibes with the similar dark, oaky, and spicy notes.
With vigorous “chewing” I get dark caramel, vanilla, candied orange peel, toasted oak, cinnamon, nougat, and cherry. “Chewing” opens up the flavor and body, bringing out more sweetness and fruitiness that better balances the oak and spice. It also adds this shimmery and effervescent spice that’s a mix of clove and peppercorn. It’s uncanny how bourbon-y it is with the dark sweetness, oak, and spice.
The finish initially leaves toasted honey, candied orange peel, roasted oak, cinnamon, vanilla, and some nougat. It’s surprisingly oaky and toasty on the back of finish, very bourbon-like. “Chewing” makes the finish more fruity and effervescent with more caramel, vanilla, cherry, candied orange peel, toasted oak, clove, and effervescent peppercorn.
This definitely tastes drastically better than the Bourbon cask and Sherry cask versions. The viscosity is nice too, although the flavors do not completely fill the space and the definition could be better.
You know that though, this is a great foundation for even better forms of this that may come in the form of older / single barrel versions.
I’ve unfortunately lost some Glencairn’s while in transit, and that made me very sad. So, I wised up and bought this Glencairn Travel Case that comes also comes with 2 glasses so I don’t need to worry so much about them breaking. I think it’s great, and I think you’ll love it too.
Seriously, if you already have glasses, protect them.
Courage and Conviction Cuvee Cask American Single Malt Rating
Of the 3 “standard” Courage and Conviction American Single Malt whiskeys, the Cuvee Cask is heads and shoulders the best one and the only one I would even consider recommending.
As a reminder, I looked up more details on this whiskey after taking my notes. That said, the scents and flavors I got make more sense now because they used red wine casks (not 100% sure if the casks were made from French oak) that were shaved, toasted, and re-charred, exposing more reactive oak that provides the darker sweetness, oak, and spice. I’ll state it again, it’s quite Maker’s 46-esque.
If you like bourbon, then I think this is one to consider. The only problem is that at $70-80 (possibly more), it’s honestly still not quite good enough for me to recommend that you buy this instead of another bottle of bourbon. It’s definitely worth trying a pour to understand what they’re doing and give you a better idea if you like it enough to buy.
I understand why it’s so expensive for what it is, but that also makes it a tough sell when there are other better American Single Malts and bourbons out there that cost the same or less. That said, I now think that I’d considering buying a Cuvee cask barrel pick if it goes on sale for around $70-80.
Meet the Author: Alex
I have far too much fun writing about whiskey and singlehandedly running The Whiskey Shelf to bring you independent, honest, and useful reviews, comparisons, and more. I’m proudly Asian American and can speak Cantonese, Mandarin, and some Japanese.
There are no sponsors, no media companies, and no nonsense. Support The Whiskey Shelf by Buying Me A Shot.
Shattered glass really sucks, so if you’re on the move, this Glencairn-like stainless steel snifter glass should survive your travels. Full transparency, this is an Amazon affiliate link, so I may earn a commission if you buy this or something else from Amazon.
BrüMate NOS’R, Double-Wall Stainless Steel Whiskey Nosing Glass – 7oz (Matte Black)
Leave a Reply