FlyboyX
Laws Four Grain Straight Bourbon
Bourbon — Colorado, USA
Reviewed
May 23, 2016 (edited September 18, 2020)
Several months ago, I tried a pour of batch #5 in an establishment in downtown Denver. Yesterday, i did the local Laws distillery tour. I have to say that i am very impressed with this bourbon in many ways. The no compromise approach they use is something I have never seen in this industry. Their process is perhaps 95% transparent. They will tell you the mash bill and explain the process to the point of only keeping the wart boiling temperatures and the actual distillation temperatures a secret. They cut no corners to craft the product they produce.
Here are my tasting notes:
Nose: it has a nice alcoholic fuminess and a very pleasant smell. I detect some pepper and leather and a tiny bit of spiciness from the rye. As the glass is swirled, it is very noticeable that the glycerine content is high in this spirit. There is a very dark caramel color for it only being 3 years old.
Taste: Peach, apricot, butterscotch, vanilla, a tiny bit of chocolate. Rolling into the mid palate and finish, I detect a good deal of distilled grape such as sherry flavors. Perhaps if i were to have a critique of the profile, i would say this "sherry" flavor is a little too predominant. However, there are lots of bold but plesant flavors and an incredible amount of complexity for a 3 year old bourbon.
Finish: this spirit has a nice burn but it is not excessive. The finish lasts a very long time. There is a very nice syrupy-ness without being too thick.
Overall, I have to say that this is a VERY good spirit, especially keeping in mind that it is only 3 years old. Its not perfectly rounded, but I believe this will come as they release older age statements in the coming years. I think it could use a little more oak and char to round out the palate. I predict in the future that this will be one of those bourbons that are impossible to find and will trade on the secondary market for exponentially more than MSRP.
Unfortunately, since they are a new company, this product is not readily available in many areas. I will call it Colorado's best kept bourbon secret. If you get to this state, search out a liquor store and pick up a bottle.
Since they have been on the market now for 4 years, they have started releasing expiramentals. at the distillery, they had two wheat whiskeys that can be found in some stores. the "a" is 100% wheat and the "b" is a wheat with 5% malted barley. Both are very good spirits. They allowed us to try a Cask Strength single barrel bourbon. I was so impressed with this one that I purchased a bottle to take home. A few months ago, they released a "bottled in bond" variety. Unfortunately, they were sold out and I was unable to try this one. i will be looking for it the next time its released.....
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