In Malt Masters, top bartenders are competing to create the best cocktail from Virginia Distillery Company’s whisky tribute to Charlottesville. The Charlottesville 29 Single Barrel is the distillery’s first-ever single-cask 100% American single malt finished in a port cask. “Crafted from this place, for this place,” the distillery says. The full story is in C-VILLE.
Now, Charlottesville bartenders are vying to make the tastiest creation with it. The line-up of entries is so stellar that picking a winner will not be easy. That task falls on a panel of three judges who helped select The Charlottesville 29 Single Barrel itself.
Amanda Beckwith, Lead Blender & Director of Liquid Development, Virginia Distillery, Co.
Amanda Beckwith is the Lead Blender at Virginia Distillery Company. Renowned for her palate, she has trained with industry experts like her mentor Nancy Fraley, Scottish consultant Harry Cockburn, and the late Dr. Jim Swan. In addition to leading the company’s blending program, Beckwith oversees product development and company education. As for her palate, the data-focused CEO of Virginia Distillery Company, Gareth Moore, has been known to test Beckwith by intentionally mislabeling samples for the distillery’s sensory panel, and even using caramel coloring to make samples look older than they are. Beckwith’s palate is so refined that he has never once duped her. “There must have been a labeling mistake here,” she’ll say…