Review 179: Stranahan's Colorado Whisky Batch 109

Stranahan's is a fun whisky because it is simultaneously a single malt and an American whisky (but definitely don't call it a bourbon). There aren't too many examples of this, but the category is certainly growing. I toured Stranahan's a few months ago and learned a lot. I'm going to try to work up a write up of my tour before I forget too much! Anyway, a Stranahan's "batch" is a selective vatting of (I believe) usually five casks of whisky, all of which are more than two years old. The barrels are usually standard sized, American oak bourbon barrels, so you can roughly work out the whisky volume in a given batch. This review is for batch 109 and afterwords I'm going to try to review an older batch to see how things have been changing!

Stranahan's Colorado Whisky Batch 109

Color: Amber +1

ABV: 47%

Aroma Neat:
Dark Clover Honey, Maple and Golden Syrups, Molasses, Plump Raisins, Rich Vanilla, Cream, Very Ripe Bananas, Rounded Oak, Sweet Tobacco, Charred Wood/Faint Sweet Smoke.

Deliciously sweet nose, but sweet in a rewarding and complex way.

Aroma Water:
Fermenting Barley Mash, Piney (some juniper too... maybe hops?), Dry Vanilla Cake, Brown Sugar/Biscoff Cookies, Icing Sugar, Lightly Spicy Tobacco, Cinnamon, Nutmeg (creamy eggnog too!), Salted Caramel Chocolates, Fresh Apples/Pears.

Diverse and full in flavor! Won't scare off newbies by being too subtle or challenging, but interesting enough to keep the "experts" happy! A really nice fruitiness emerges as water tames some of the heavier aromas.

Taste Neat:
Ashy Honey, Light Cigars/Tobacco, Dark Brown Sugar/Molasses, Vanilla, Cinnamon, Snickerdoodle Cookies, Sweet Malt/Mash, Corn Flakes, Herbaceous Aromatics (gin-like at times, juniper), Pine Needles/Sap, High-Ester Rum (think Appleton).

Drier and more ashy than the nose would lead you to believe. Very flavorful, full-bodied, and complex whisky. A dangerously easy drinker too. Watch yourself!

Taste Water:
Honey Comb (some wax), Fudge, Cola, Piney Peppermint, Sour Barley Mash, Grainy, Bitter Charred Oak, Smoked Vanilla, Salt and Pepper, Spicy Tobacco (slightly).

More chocolatey than neat, but also more bitter. Still complex and delicious.

Finish:
Cinders, Ash, Menthol, Cola, Bitter Dark Chocolate, Sweet Fudge.

Drying, with a surprising note of menthol! Some sweet notes bring balance and composure.

Conclusion:
Complex, rewarding, and easy all around.

Brilliant nose and very satisfying palate.

Damn good whisky!

Rating: 90/100

Absolutely excellent whisky. Stranahan's is making really unique, high quality stuff. What else can you ask for in a dram? Well, to be fair, distribution outside of Colorado would be nice guys!

Cheers!

Josh