Virginia Distillery Co. is doing something that, according to the company, has never been done before in the United States. The Virginia-based distillery has launched what it calls The Split Barrel Project, a new limited-release series built around blending Kentucky Straight Bourbon with American Single Malt whisky. The first release — Project #1 — hit the market in May 2026, and it's already turning heads in the American whiskey world.
The concept is straightforward on the surface but surprisingly bold in practice. Take two distinctly different American whiskey styles, each with its own loyal following, and put them together in equal measure. Half bourbon, half single malt, one bottle. Virginia Distillery Co. says no one has brought something like this to retail shelves before in the U.S., calling it "a genuine landmark moment for American whiskey."
Whether that claim holds up to scrutiny is for historians and whiskey nerds to debate. What's harder to argue with is that the timing makes a lot of sense.
Two Distilleries, One Bottle
Project #1 is the result of a collaboration between Virginia Distillery Co. and Bardstown Bourbon Company out of Bardstown, Kentucky. The bourbon side of the equation is four years old, built on a mash bill of 75% corn, 15% rye, and 10% malted barley — a fairly traditional bourbon recipe that leans a little spicier than something like a wheated bourbon but still lands in familiar territory for most bourbon drinkers.
Image credit: Virginia Distillery Co.
The other half is Virginia Distillery Co.'s own five-year-old American Single Malt, produced at the company's facility in Lovingston, Virginia, in Nelson County. That whisky is made entirely from malted barley and was aged exclusively in first-fill ex-bourbon barrels, which means it picked up a heavy dose of oak and vanilla character without the softening effect that comes from barrels that have already been used once or twice before.
The blend sits at 45% ABV, which gives it enough presence to stand up in a glass without crossing into the territory where alcohol starts to overwhelm everything else.
What's In the Glass
According to the official tasting notes, the nose opens with warm oak, vanilla, and caramel — the kind of familiar greeting that bourbon drinkers have come to expect from well-aged American whiskey. That's not an accident. Part of the thinking behind this project is making American Single Malt feel accessible to people who haven't explored it yet, and starting with aromas that feel comfortable is a smart way to lower the barrier.
The palate is where the single malt starts to show its hand. Rich malt character comes through alongside stone fruit and chocolate, giving the whiskey more complexity and layering than a straight bourbon of similar age might offer. The malt adds a kind of roundness and depth that the corn-heavy bourbon alone wouldn't bring. Together, the two components create something that apparently sits in between the two categories rather than tasting like one or the other.
The overall profile is described as balanced and approachable, which aligns with what Virginia Distillery Co. is trying to accomplish here. This isn't a whiskey designed to challenge or polarize. It's designed to invite.
The Strategy Behind the Blend
Gareth Moore, the CEO of Virginia Distillery Co., has been direct about what The Split Barrel Project is meant to do. "We're creating a gateway into American Single Malt by meeting bourbon drinkers where they are, while still showcasing the depth and character that defines our whisky," he said. "It's a bold step forward in growing the category."
That last line is the key to understanding the whole project. This isn't just about selling one interesting bottle. It's about market development. American Single Malt is one of the fastest-growing segments in American whiskey right now, but it still represents a small fraction of what bourbon moves. The challenge for producers in the single malt space is that most American whiskey drinkers built their palates on bourbon, and making the jump to a 100% malted barley whisky can feel like a significant leap.
A 50/50 blend is, in that sense, a logical bridge. It takes something familiar and pairs it with something unfamiliar in a way that doesn't ask the drinker to abandon what they already know.
The Category Just Got Official
The timing of The Split Barrel Project launch is not coincidental. The American Single Malt category only recently received formal recognition from the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, which finalized a standard of identity for American Single Malt Whisky. This put it on equal regulatory footing with bourbon and rye, categories that have had defined legal standards for decades.
To qualify as American Single Malt, a whiskey must be made from 100% malted barley, produced in the United States, and distilled at a single site. Those rules, which the American Single Malt Whiskey Commission spent years pushing for, now give the category a clear identity and protect it from producers who might otherwise slap the label on something that doesn't meet the standard.
With that formal recognition now in place, producers like Virginia Distillery Co. are in a position to build on a foundation that didn't fully exist just a few years ago. The Split Barrel Project arrives at exactly the moment when the category is trying to establish itself in the mainstream market.
Virginia Distillery Co. in the American Single Malt Story
Virginia Distillery Co. is not a newcomer to any of this. The company began production in 2015 and has spent the better part of a decade building a reputation as one of the leading American Single Malt producers in the country. Based in Nelson County in the Blue Ridge foothills of Virginia, the distillery has focused almost entirely on malted barley whisky at a time when most of the industry was still skeptical that American consumers would embrace the style.
The company also operates a third-party distilling arm that has worked with other producers in the single malt space, giving it a broader view of how the category is developing across the country.
Project #1 with Bardstown Bourbon Company is the first in what Virginia Distillery Co. plans to be an ongoing series. Future editions of The Split Barrel Project will bring in new distillery partners, meaning each release will reflect a different collaboration and a different perspective on what bourbon and single malt can do together. The format is designed to evolve, which gives the series legs beyond a one-time novelty release.
Bardstown Bourbon Company as a Partner
The choice of Bardstown Bourbon Company as the first collaborator is notable. Bardstown has become one of the most prominent contract distilling operations in Kentucky, working with dozens of brands and producing whiskey across a wide range of mash bills and aging programs. The company has a reputation for technical precision and consistency, which matters when you're trying to build something as carefully calibrated as a 50/50 blend.
Using a four-year-old bourbon from Bardstown means the whiskey has had enough time to develop genuine barrel character without so much age that it starts to overpower a five-year-old single malt sitting alongside it. The balance between the two components appears to have been given serious thought.
Where to Find It and What It Costs
Project #1 is available in limited quantities through Virginia Distillery Co.'s website at shop.vadistillery.com and through select retailers across the country. The suggested retail price is $44.99, which puts it in a range that's accessible without being cheap. For a limited-release collaboration blend from two well-regarded producers, that price point is competitive.
Given the limited nature of the release and the attention it's already drawing, quantities are unlikely to last long. The project is designed to generate conversation, and first-release bottles from new series like this tend to disappear faster than expected.
For anyone who has been curious about American Single Malt but hasn't found the right entry point, The Split Barrel Project #1 may be exactly what the category needed someone to make.
