Rich. Decadent. Smooth — Grab a Drink With Drake
Image by Thea Glassman
By Dan Friedman June 3, 2016
Who?
Canadian Jewish rapper Drake, of “Hotline Bling” fame, has released a new bourbon whiskey, called Virginia Black. NOT Virginia Black the columnist for the South Bend Tribune. Though she, too, may be “Rich. Decadent. Smooth.”
What?
Virginia Black (the whiskey) is a young bourbon blend of 2 year old, 3 year old and 4 year old whiskey.
Sounds nice, what does it look like?
The velvety black box contains a bottle that looks like a ‘70s cologne bottle on steroids. The whole thing is something you might find in a Graceland drinks cabinet.
Where?
Drake is not from Virginia (in fact his dad is from Tennessee, which is whiskey country).
But where is the whisky from?
Virginia Black whiskey is not from Virginia, it’s from Indiana (as is Virginia Black the columnist for the South Bend Tribune).
OK, where can I get it?
Virginia Black is not available in Virginia yet.
When can I get it?
It has been on sale in New York and California since June 1 and will be available nationwide later this summer. We got ours post-haste from our friends at 67 Wine.
Why?
Brent Hocking, who founded and marketed DeLeón Tequila, suggested it to Drake. Between them they developed the product.
But really, why?
Ummm, it makes people mellow and happy like Drake’s music?
Come on, why?
To make the money. Whiskey bling, yo!
How does it taste?
It’s actually quite yummy. Like Drake’s music it’s sweet, slightly sad, warm, fuzzy, largely forgettably pleasant and quite easy to consume, especially in company.
It works well in mixes and will feature in our summer whiskey mix guide later this summer.
The main feature that folks are talking about is that it has a slightly lower alcohol content that other bourbons so it doesn’t have that raw edge on first sip. That’s what makes it “accessible.”
And, priced at $35, it’s not so expensive, though without Drake on the team it would be a $25 – $30 bottle.
A Tip for the Top, Learned Hard
The strangely tacky bottle does not pour smoothly, so drink from tumblers not shot glasses. Otherwise you will drizzy it on your table and have to wipe it up. And your room will still smell of whiskey. Even two days later, believe me.
Don’t say
Moonshine bling.
Do say
Virginia is for lovers.
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