Reservoir Distillery

Reservoir Distillery in Virginia was founded by old school friends Dave Cuttino and Jay Carpenter, with the aim of focussing purely on quality rather than quantity. They wanted to honour their Southern heritage, but also tear up whatever rules they needed to make the whisky they wanted to make, and drink.

Every step of the process, from dirt to bottle, is tailored to produce the best possible result: a long, open fermentation; a French pot still; a custom char to the barrels, which are made from hand-picked local trees. Even the grains are all from local farms, from farmers known personally to Jay and Dave.

The heart of the distillery are the three main whiskies: Bourbon, Wheat and Rye, each of which is a single grain mash bill, separately aged. Fantastic as straight whiskies, they can also be blended depending on preference (Dave is partial to a ‘wheated rye’). The single grains are also blended at the distillery to make Hunter & Scott, an everyday sipper or cocktail bourbon. Finally, they continue to innovate, from finishing in wine casks – the Maison de Cuivre – to teaming up with local breweries to distil IPA and Gingerbread Stout. Quality, innovation and above all fine whisky.