PBMichiganWolverine
291 Colorado Whiskey
Other Whiskey — Colorado, USA
Reviewed
July 8, 2019 (edited August 3, 2019)
I took a few sips after sending out some samples for @LeeEvolved @dubz @Telex @Scott_E and @Generously_Paul .
If you ever get up one day and say “ damnit, I wonder what an aspen tree taste like”, wonder no more. Just buy a bottle of this, and your wish will come true. Tastes woody, young oak, a bit of hay. A wee bit of smoke. Some resin. Seems more fitted to something out of Deadwood than Aspen. I can see Al Swearengen drinking this, not really the socialites skiing down the CO slopes.
This was bottled way too young. I totally get the desire to quickly release a product to market—-after all every day it’s stuck in the warehouse, it loses revenue. But this is where they should’ve maybe have been producing rum or gin to supplement cash flow while this whiskey matures. The idea was good—-think Colorado, and you picture the Rockies and those yellow leaf aspen trees. So inserting a few staves of aspen would’ve surely bought home the notion of local, but it just needed more time in the barrel.
I bought this last year in CO, since I figured it’s only locally available. At $50, this was a waste. If I want local Colorado whiskey, that $50,would’ve been better spent over a few pours of Stranhan’s Snowflake.
Lee, Paul, Jason, Scott, Dubz—-I sent this before tasting it—-sorry about that. On the bright side, the samples I sent are all blind tasting...you’ll be easily picking this one out from that lineup.
50.0
USD
per
Bottle
Create Account
or
Sign in
to comment on this review
@PBMichiganWolverine Yeah I'm not sure if it's just as a young distillery they are wildly inconsistent as they don't have enough experience or they can't get consistent supplies of say certain items e.g. casks. Or they make a couple of really great batches enter those and then pump out mediocrity there after.
@Soba45 that entire prize thing seems like a gimmick. Everyone seems to win. Wondering if they pay to win?
Yeah I was really disappointed with this distillery. The younger ones seem really inconsistent in their output.. one day they win prizes and the next when you try them...meh
@SolanaRoots yeah—-I’m actually in CO next week and week after. Was going to look that Laws one up
@OldDude Nice. Never heard of Peach Street. Will have to keep an eye out for a bottle or pour next time I’m in Colo
@PBMichiganWolverine Reading the Friday Distiller news & sure enough AD Laws is mentioned & it is, in fact, a distillery. Add it to your tour list when you’re in town
@SolanaRoots I might have to check out Deerhammer, I’ll be in that neck of the woods in a few weeks. Another is Peach Street Distillery over by Junction. Since they’re a startup they make other spirits which allows them to age their whiskey, they’ve gotta make money somehow.
@PBMichiganWolverine Good question, I have no idea. I want to say they distill but might be wrong on that
@SolanaRoots does AD Laws distill, or procure from MGP or somewhere?
@PBMichiganWolverine Yeah, Stranahans & A.D. Laws are decent but my fave Colorado distillery I’ve tried so far is Deerhammer...
@OldDude yeah, I really like Stranahan’s. I visited the distillery, just outside downtown Denver. The only place you can actually get a pour of Snowflake (the one that comes out one day in December and folks camp out days for it). Wasn’t a fan of Tincup—-which I found interesting that it was made by MGP, but bottled by Stranahan’s
Colorado is a haven for craft beer brewers not to mention the 2 big league hitters. As a result distilleries are trying to make inroads into this lucrative market. I haven’t tried this one and after reading your take on it I’ll pass. However Stranahan’s is pretty good and is firmly rooted here. Breckinridge isn’t too bad and worth a pour and Tin Cup is really enjoyable, both of these get outside help from either Indiana or Kentucky.