Background

Thanks to my Colorado based brother in law, this will be my first time tasting and reviewing anything from Stranahan’s. Before we dive into notes from this offering, let’s start with some background info:

• Stranahan’s American Single Malt whiskey is 100% grain to glass made exclusively in Colorado. They use 100% Rocky Mountain barley and Rocky Mountain spring water during distillation.

• Their flagship single malt whiskey enters the barrel at 110 proof. It is then aged a minimum of four years in #3 char, American Oak barrels.

• For this release, they take that flagship whiskey and tack on 3 extra years of aging in used, Bushmills Irish Single Malt barrels. 

I’ll be honest, I feel an odd guilt and/or FOMO at jumping straight into this offering without trying the flagship American Single Malt first, but whatever trying things is fun and I’m excited to see how this experiment ends up.

Stranahan’s Single Malt: Bushmills Irish Cask (7 Years, 94 Proof)

Nose: Big, sweet orchard fruit, candied apples in particular. There’s also a decent amount of honey. Did I mention it’s sweet?

Palate: Still getting the apples, this time it’s more of an apple tart. Honey Nut Cheerios, and a lavender floral note. I’m happy to find the sweetness from the nose is present but it doesn’t tilt too far into saccharine. It’s pretty malt forward, with hints of cloves and baking spice.

Finish: Apple cider, mulling spices, and black pepper. It has a nice heat and finish for 94 proof, but you know how you occasionally bite into an off putting, mushy part of the apple? Every now and then I get that and it’s a bit jarring.

Good (5/10)

Overall: Not bad, and I love the honey and apple notes that come through. It also opens up a bit and those notes pop a bit more after some time in the glass. The finish is a bit of a double edged sword for me. I appreciate a lower proof dram that punches above its weight in terms of flavor, which this does. But every now and then I pick up mushy apples and maybe even coppery notes that I wish would dissipate and leave me with happier memories of the palate. Jury is still out for me on Stranahan’s, guess I’ll have to try more!