Stranahan's Blue Peak

Rating: 16/23 N: Malty, sweet, ethanol. Hints of the barley and maybe some sort of faint sherry finishing. This doesn't have a lot going on, but what it has is very approachable and decadent, with some really nice boldness and fullness. P: This is smooth and easy-drinking, with just enough going on and some nice sweet character. I also get some of that Westward yeasty funkiness. It doesn't taste all that old, but it doesn't have a youthful alcohol flavor either. Flavor-wise, I get malt with caramel and yeast, with not the boldest of any of those. nose of sherry (I'm thinking oloroso nuttiness and a clear cherry flavor). Overall, this has a nice balance of fruit and yeast with malt, in a way that reminds me of Westward. F: This is pretty clean, but it does have malty flavors with some fruit and light floral character. The key element is that this is clean in the malty dimension. Without obstruction, some of the mature characteristics could develop into some more standard flavors. I feel like that is ambiguous to say, but I'm thinking that the more I sip, the more I wear out my palate. Honestly, I'm trying hard to be generous here. This is tasty, but young and struggling. - Conclusion - Side by side, Westward is more funky and nuanced. This is fruitier and more approachable, but also has more alcohol and less maturity. This is still nice, but it's an immature dram, so it doesn't compete with more mature spirits. Still, it's quite nice. Monkey Shoulder is fine, but it tastes more like alcohol. It also tastes more like alcohol. That's, not good, but not damning. Monkey Shoulder (14/23) is clearly less mature than this, with more alcohol going on. At the same time, this is struggling to meet the quality of Kavalan Distillery Select. At times, I think that this is not much better than the Monkey Shoulder, but this is definitely always better. This is at least a 15. There is not much evidence to suggest that it beats a 16 though. Kavalan Distillery Select #1 (16/23) is more mature and tannic than this is, but it's also a bit more aggressive. I'd take that over this. I think that this is being pushed solidly into the 15 range. With more comparison with other impressions.... This is a 15 or 16, no question. I'm leaning 15. Still, a 16 is very plausible. OK, after much contemplation, I'm getting some generic fruity elements with a high degree of failure. Whoa. This isn't that hard to anticipate, brut it's hard to appreciate and doesn't work for enjoying. Coming back to this for one final comparison, the buttery and yeasty richness really stands out. This is just so decadent and easy to sip. It's definitely not on par with Westward, but it's very competitive with the Kavalan. I could even believe that this is a 17, though I don't really think that it is. For $45, Stranahan's has put out a shockingly good dram. In fact, there's a good chance that if I were choosing a daily single malt, I'd go for this. I think it's just across that line where it goes from sometimes not so appealing to always at least slightly appealing. Very nicely done.

This is a barley whisky - an American "single malt," meaning in plain English that it's made from 100% sprouted barley in one distillery. It's 86 proof, cost me $47.99 at Kelly Liquors, and has no age statement. It's the color of beer in the glass - a yellow-brown. 𝗡𝗢𝗦𝗘: This is the best part of the whisky. I initially get a melange of fruit, which with continued nosing I'm able to resolve into mango, pineapple, apple, a little bit of orange, and finally a hint of chocolate. After the first sip I got, in addition to this, a distinct undifferentiated grain note. 𝗠𝗢𝗨𝗧𝗛𝗙𝗘𝗘𝗟: Surprisingly smooth for something that's only 86 proof. 𝗧𝗔𝗦𝗧𝗘: All I got was honey butter and brine. 𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗜𝗦𝗛: Sour! It tasted so bad that I didn't even notice how long or short it is. 𝗦𝗨𝗠𝗠𝗔𝗥𝗬: The first glass I had of this whisky was all right, but as the bottle has opened up it's gotten less and less good, until now I just don't like it. I'll not buy it again. 𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: On my hick scale this comes in at 3, Mediocre (1 is the lowest and 8 is the highest on this scale). This is the same as 1.875 stars, 37.5/100, or 3.75/10.

Stranahan's Blue Peak single malt, solera process, 43% ABV, purchased at Jackalope Liquors in Fruita, CO, March 2023 (so maybe a 2022 bottling?). Tasting neat. Light copper color and moderate coating legs in the glass. Nose is light cereal and floral, vanilla and sweet. Dry and tannic oak in the mouth over the top of sweet cereal oatmeal and tart grapes or apples. A little baking spice in that oaky dryness. Finish is smoky oak tannins, dry almost to the point of puckering, but looong and with enough sweet to restart the saliva. In general, I'm impressed by Stranahan's upper end single malt whiskies and how they're making and experimenting with them. Also love the packaging-- bottle and label! Something satisfing about a longneck bottle of beer or whiskey. Not sure this is quite as good as their single barrel cask and wine barrel expressions--a little rougher around the edges, but an ice cube takes care of that. Very drinkable, and gives you something to think about while you do. Will revisit this.

A bold, American Single Malt Whiskey crafted with 100% malted barley, yeast & pure Rocky Mountain water; aged for 4 years in new American oak with a #3 char before being bottled at 43% ABV. It has an aromatic birth of grains, wood, fruits, herbs & spices; while rich & creamy life adds notes of barley, dried apricot, baked apples, butterscotch & brown sugar; that led to a long & bold death with notes of toasted oak, cayenne, nutmeg, cinnamon toast, hints of leather & light tobacco.

Day No.3 I wasn't aware that Colorado made whiskey! This is my first experience trying something from this location rather than the usual Kentucky and Tennessee sources. That aside, this was pretty good. The aroma netted honey and sweet fruit such as pear and banana. The pear went onto the taste along with some apple as well. The inital semi-spicy bite dwindled after the second sip. The fruit and oak melded towards the finish which hung around a bit. Not bad at all.

NOSE Dried orchard fruit, malt, banana chips, vanilla cream, cocoa, cream soda and some taffy sweetness. Soft, warm and sweet, it’s a very approachable aroma. PALATE Dried orchard fruit, cocoa, banana chips, oak, malt, vanilla cream, cream soda and some spice and nuts. Kind of a banana milkshake thing going on… an oaky banana milkshake. FINISH Medium -> Banana chips, oak, nuts and some spice and cocoa.