Tastes

Batch 22 Opened in celebration of the Colorado Avalanche winning the 2022 Stanley Cup Nose: Very wine forward, like a sherry note Dusty marshmallows (bourbon barrel?) Stone fruit (port barrel?) Taste: plum, milk chocolate, raisins (sherry note)

Christmas present 2017. Opened June 18, 2021 in new house. Nose: new carpet, oat cereal, candied bacon, not as smokey as expected Taste: Friendly, non-aggressive, velvety, big iodine up front, light smoke, old library book binding fabric, Finish: fresh, minty finish

Nose: Bright, fruity berry notes. Raspberry, strawberry, kiwi. Hazelnut and milk chocolate (Nutella almost). Taste: Maltier than most Stranahan's. Dusty malt, nutty up front. Finish: Tart, fruity finish with the raspberries and strawberries from the nose. Longer finish then expected.

First tasted at a friend's tasting party. Nose: Dusty marshmallows, buttered cornbread, after-rain (probably from dishwasher detergent residue) Taste: like Hibiki Harmony, this comes out of the clouds from a very modest nose. Big cherries up front, mild vanilla finish.

First tasted at Havana Manor cigar lounge 10/30/19, gifted by a friend to me. Nose: Floral sweetness, like wildflowers. Sugared cereal. Faint maple/brown sugar. Fresh barn hay/sawdust/wood shavings. Taste: pleasant, non-aggressive rye spice, faint dillweed note in the background. Marshmallow or cotton candy sweet, like a confectioners sugar. Clove. Above-average proof.

Batch number 21 Mt. Elbert First opened at the summit of Mt. Elbert on 8/31/2019 Nose: Festive holiday smells. Cloves and citrus (might be my own holiday nostalgia bias). Sweet potato. Milk chocolate. Vanilla similar to graham crackers. Taste: This is Christmas morning in a glass. Deep, complex, and intense sweetness. Queen Anne's Cordial Cherries (especially the cherry liqueur inside). Don't kill me for this... the chocolate notes remind me of cookies and cream.

Tasted at home while playing a board game outside. Nose: Confectioner's sugar, Whippy Topping, buttered cornbread, faint rye, grapefruit citrus Taste: surprisingly one dimensional compared to the nose. Breakfast cereal, sweet oak cherry note, light rye finish

Nose: Strong smoke up front immediately after pouring, but it subsides after sitting in the glass for some time (or I just get used to it). The smoke has a pleasant bitterness like coffee. Soft fruity notes add to the reminder of coffee. Subtle peach ring candy notes Taste: tasting smaller sips yields a clearer palate, which is much easier to pick apart. Normal tasting is much smokier and tougher to see through the smoke. Bittersweet dark chocolate, burnt peach cobbler, iodine, medicinal

Tasted a mini while watching the sunset, camping in Utah Nose: an assault of sweetness - brown sugar and pure vanilla Taste: tastes very young... maple, brown sugar, rye spice Finish: short rye note on the end