Stranahan's Blue Peak

100% barley gives this a strong malty nose that I really like and is uncommon amongst all the American bourbons filing the shelves. Seems like the brand is selling the water and the methodology, and honestly can think of worse things! I think the solera casking employed here brings a softer and smoother experience than their regular bottle. Sometimes the water matters too, there is just something bright in all of their whiskies that I want to attribute to that. Perhaps there is a small memory of growing up in the area that is invoked. Either way, would drink again. Wish it was a little bit less money when compared to malty scotches in same range.

We got walloped here in the Lone Star State last week. Lots of good people here in Texas lost power, potable water, and some lost even more than that. The wife and I were quite fortunate to ride out the storm with our utilities and our pipes intact, but there were some tense moments throughout the week. Many strong, cask strength bourbons were consumed to cope with the stress (and keep warm). About a week later, you'd never know it snowed here. It's 80 degrees at the end of February, the humidity is in the mid 70%s, and the first signs of spring are poking through the ground. Even my sorry ass front lawn is beginning to creep back to life along with my liver. After a storm like that, I needed to dial back a bit. I had forgotten this in the back of my liquor cabinet, and decided to see what five months of air in a bottle down about a third tastes like. This bottle tastes like spring, and spring tastes pretty damn good. I'll spare you the usual detailed tasting notes. I happen to agree with the Distiller review. Prominent notes to me are apricot, pineapple, sourdough bread, and some barrel char. What's more important about this bottle is that it represents a market shift for American Single Malt. It's almost what Glenlivet would taste like if it were aged in new, charred oak instead of the traditional refill barrels. While still a young-ish category, many American Single Malt producers have had an unfortunate entry to mass-market appeal because their entry level products are often $60 and above. This bottle (along with the Balcones Lineage) show up at a respectable $40 entry price, and appear to be the beginning of a shift in the core lineup for these producers. I haven't been too excited about ASM as a category so far, but if this is what the future holds for them, then I do believe in another five to ten years we may have a very diverse and tasty category on our hands. Cheers!