We were delighted to sit down and talk craft whiskey with Dave Cuttino of Reservoir Distillery in Virginia. Dave and the team have been forging new ground with their high quality, ultra-local approach to whiskey-making. We discuss the past, present and future of Reservoir and also the recently released (and swiftly sold out!) Hedonism x Reservoir collaboration bottling.
Tell us the Reservoir’s origin story, what made you decide to found a distillery?
First and foremost, I love whiskey, and when I had the opportunity to be my own boss back in 2008, I seized on the idea. I had been working in New York as a bond trader, and I needed a change. Leaning on my background as an engineer, I looked at the first of the micro-distilleries (before craft was a term) and thought this could be fun. I grew up in an area where Bourbon has an amazing past, so it was a natural fit. Virginia has a rich history of distillation—recorded as far back as 1620.
Reservoir Distillery carries on that long-standing tradition by utilizing and highlighting everything “Virginia.” From our founding days in 2008, we’ve dedicated our efforts to work on every step within the distilling process—from creating the mashbill to bottling the final product, and because of that commitment, we’re now a Double Gold award-winning distillery.
The wheat, corn and rye you use is all grown in your home state of Virginia and you even use local wood as barrel staves – how important is Virginia and Appalachia to the identity of the whiskies?
We love Virginia –we love our farmers and their grains, the trees that make our barrels, and the climate that ages our spirit. Somewhere along the way, because of how we make whiskey, we discovered we were answering a very important question: What does Virginia taste like? The answer? Pretty damn good.
How much influence does a high quality mash have on the final whiskey or would you say careful distilling and barrel selection are more important?
Attention to detail is everything. We believe one of the reasons Reservoir’s whiskies are so well received is because—apart from our Hunter and Scott Bourbon—we perform every step within the distilling process in-house, from creating the mashbill to bottling the final product. We are the third distillery outside of Kentucky to make bourbon, and although a lot of our customers are initially impressed to hear this, what ends up sticking with them is Reservoir’s ideology. That which is inside each barrel is what truly matters. That being said … it all matters. We could be spot on 95% of the time and ruin our efforts if we let the last 5% go south. If you put garbage in—you get garbage out.
The core range at Reservoir is all bottled at 100 US proof (50% ABV) – why do you choose to bottle at this higher strength?
We feel that there is no universal “right way” to enjoy one’s whiskey or “the perfect proof” for every palate. If you like it neat—terrific, straight up—coming up, mixed into an exquisite cocktail that’ll knock your socks off—we’ve got you covered. We can provide you with a lot of options—keep it neat or proof it down, but we just can’t proof it up. At least not using today’s science. 5. Tell us about the “Holland’s …” series of bottling – how did that come about? This was Reservoir’s first big collaboration, created with the owner of the largest whiskey bar in Virginia. The owner had just finished a 1960’s bourbon and, knowing there was no longer any stock of this spirit, asked us to help recreate it.
We created a mashbill consisting of 70% corn, 15% wheat, and 15% rye. But realized we were missing the barley component, so we finished that mashbill in a stout barrel from a local brewery for a further 18 months. The result was a dead ringer for what the bar owner wanted—a whisky filled with toasted oak and hints of cocoa, burnt sugars, and stewed fruits. A blend that spoke of all its deep flavors and rich spices. Our aim was not to recreate somebody else’s whiskey, but rather it was to allow a customer to build a flavor profile beguiling to them personally. We do this regularly through our Custom Program. The two bottlings following in the series—Holland’s Milkman and Holland’s Blade Rummer— possess the same mashbill but are finished in a milk stout cask and a 25-year-old rum cask respectively.
Hedonism and Reservoir have just collaborated on a very special release to celebrate our 10th anniversary (now sadly sold out!) – what can you tell us about this exclusive bottling?
The wonderful thing about working with respected peers is trust. When Hedonism approached us about this project, we first said, “Well, this needs something special, what are you thinking?” And we loved the response: “We love your whiskey, we trust you, whatever you like!” When someone gives us the chance to be creative, we go wild. A beautiful thing about making single grain whiskies is the ability to recreate any mashbill we like by choosing barrels that highlight specific notes at certain ages. Nick Vaughan, Reservoir’s barrelman, rushed to our rickhouse and dove into our Reserve Grey Ghost barrels to come up with something unique and specific to celebrate Hedonism.
The Grey Ghost collection is our most extraordinary set of spirits, and they exhibit our highest skill levels developed from an experimental distilling and aging perspective. The prized spirit was a 5-year wheated bourbon blended from 20 Liter quarter casks from two of our favorite cooperages. The Barrel Mill is a wine cask grade with alligator char while the Gibbs Brothers barrel is first toasted and then given an alligator char. Bottled on 12/14/22 from the following barrels. B01921 Barreled 3/22/18 Barrel Mill B01754 Barreled 7/6/17. Gibbs W00537 Barreled 5/2/18 Barrel Mill The wheated bourbon has a nose of honey and ginger with a light hint of lavender and marshmallow. Chocolate orange, anise, and black tea on the palate. A warming finish with some cinnamon and spice.
What does the future hold for Reservoir?
In addition to producing world class whiskeys from 100% local Virginia grains for our “Founding” and “Holland’s” series, we also capitalize on our team’s blending skills—highlighting the flavors of our provenance while artfully marrying hand-selected barrels from outside Virginia for our Hunter & Scott Bourbon and for collaborations with craftsmen from around the world. So, the answer is fun! We don’t make defibrillators, we make whiskey, and we love working with people who share that marvelous passion.
Beyond the US, which spirits or distilleries do you look to for inspiration?
When we visit someplace new, we’re given an opportunity to seek out what is distinctive to the patch of earth we’ve just stepped foot on. You can eat and drink the stories. You can smell and taste the history. You can experience that sensory adventure that you can’t get anywhere else—the things that cannot be replicated because they are specifically indigenous to that community.
Seeking out whatever spirit is distilled in that location is representative of so many aspects of that specific population because firstly, it’s likely to reveal what the commodity is there – what they’re growing and have some abundance or excess of. It also reveals a level of creativity and craftsmanship that you can deem as almost magical. The flavor produced in that region is nearly like an alchemical elixir—something that is part science part sorcery. And it’s put into liquid form. We’re all still trying to understand just how flavor is created—and for anyone to think that one can point to just a single ingredient and believe this is the thing that deserves all the credit (or in some sad cases, all the blame), one could argue that they are somewhat narrow-sighted as there is a vast spectrum of influences that participate in creating flavor. Inspiration comes from every place we visit. We simply ask that spirit, “What do you have to say, and will you leave a memorable impression?”