Virginia Distillery Co. Bottles Rare Beer-Barrel Collaborations

Virginia Distillery Co. has released two American Single Malt whiskies finished in beer barrels, each limited to just six barrels total.

One expression finished in imperial stout barrels from The Bruery's Black Tuesday, the other in barleywine barrels from Revolution Brewing's Straight Jacket. Both started life the same way, aged more than five years in ex-bourbon barrels before their finishing detour, and both land at 100 proof.

Six barrels is a rounding error, not a release. Call this what it is: a marketing exercise dressed up as craft, though the underlying whisky's pedigree deserves better than the gimmick wrapped around it.