Stranahan's Colorado Whiskey (Discontinued)

Nose: Sweet and fruity - apples. Leads off with this excellent maple syrup and black coffee combo. There's some malt funk behind those. Vanilla, salted caramel, and oak, too. I'm reminded of rum cask finishing, though this is all in new oak. Toasted cereal grains weave through. And a little earthy character. Subtle, warm spices, largely nutmeg and allspice. The sweetness you get from super-caramelized onions, with a hint of savory character, to boot, though not in a funky way. Palate: That maple and coffe combo come through. Now more in pear territory, with some apricot coming forward. The barrel influence is also present, with vanilla, caramel, and a touch of charred oak poking through. Honey nut cheerios, raisins, currants. Nutmeg, clove, and cinnamon come and go. White grape juice. This sits largely on the mid palate. Well balanced, though leaning into the midrange. Lighter mouthfeel, though that complements the friendly character of that's in the glass. Finish: Slightly vegetal and herbal to start. Chocolate, leather, and char sneak in. Dried fruits slowly come forward, and there's the coffee/maple character again. Malt funk and black tea get revealed and things just sort of hang out from there. Medium long finish - it does taper down relatively quickly, but then hangs out for quite a while. Other notes: I'm hoping to lean more into "new to me" bottles in 2021 - I want to explore and broaden my palate (and cabinet!). Through last year's advent, I discovered an appreciation for things outside of Islay, bourbon, and high proof, so I'm lookign for things that are more restrained, sublte, nuanced, or simply different. And this absolutely fits the bill - It's not big and bold, but still contains some solid complexity and nuance. This sits squarely in the midrange of intensity, while still offering plenty to explore. Highly approachable, very sippable, and ultimately not boring. This may not join the "need to have one at all times" club, but I could easily find myself grabbing a bottle on the way to a friend's place to share. Cheers!

Ok, so this one is a unique, odd one for sure, but not necessary in a bad way. N: ripe fruity notes are front forward along with a malty cereal granola that’s almost like grape nuts cereal. I’d swear there was rye in this even though there isn’t, so that’s a neat trick in this one. Orange zest and a hint of vanilla in the background, touch of cherry and dried fruits as well. Some spice notes like allspice or cinnamon. Middle of the road complexity, likely could benefit from a little more aging or a nice finishing barrel. T: definitely malty and a rye-like spice to it on the frontside, cereal grains, woody oaky notes, fruity vanilla notes eventually pop through but quickly leave in the finish with a return of a white peppery heat, some herbal notes on the finish but not strong, light to medium ashy or smokiness as well. Overall, this is definitely a scotch style meets a heavy American distilling influence for sure. I prefer more of an actual scotch vs this. But the only thing I can say is give it a try. You might like it, you might think it’s just ok. Definitely has no category that it can fall in.

Off the bat I’m getting a lot of sweetness on the nose. Everything from cherry, vanilla, caramel corn. Whole lot of sweetness jumping into the air. My brain is also saying “fresh baked bread”. So that’s the barley talking. I tasted all of that sweetness on the tip of my tongue, and then the heat and spice hit. It wasn’t unpleasant, just a little unexpected since I got so much sweetness on the nose. I think my brain was ready to taste something with the sweetness of a wheated bourbon. The flavor does linger for a while, and I got some orange notes after a bit. Added little bit of water and that softened it a bit as well. Overall I really enjoyed this. Might try to track down the cast strength and give that a go. Batch 254 94 Proof

I gambled on this based off the tasting note I found on the web. It was a store pick from a small local store but he gets hood barrels so I thought I’d try it. At first I was crushed. It smelled almost like a peated scotch and tasted nothing like the notes I found. I’ve learned that sometimes it helps to let it sit and open up, which it did a great deal. Soft feel and much more taste like what I was expecting. Not a great finish but overall a decent buy.

This is an unusual sip! Nose is super sweet. Smells of honey and caramel cream. The taste is sweet like candy with a backfill of young scotch. Very slight tongue burn on the end with notes of apple and honey. I dig it. It's very different than our usual bourbon rotation (as it should be since it's not bourbon), but not as in your face as heavy peated scotch or smoky texas offerings.

Had this after sampling several other various pours. I'm light on details, but the main takeaway was that this is not whiskey I enjoyed. It starts off nice and sweet, but ends with an earthy wet hay note that I find unappealing. I would certainly try this again, but I doubt it would change my overall opinion. Needless to say, I won't be buying my own bottle of Stranahan's Whiskey.