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American

Laws Henry Road Malt Bottled-in-Bond

$79.99

OVERALL
RATING

5

Whiskey Review: Laws Henry Road Malt Bottled-in-Bond

Tasting Notes:

About:
100% malted barley. 50% ABV. MSRP $79.99
Appearance:
Bright copper with close, slow legs.
Nose:
Palate:
Finish:
Comments:
The flavors here are imbalanced and not mature enough for this whiskey. Relying solely on barley for the profile of a whiskey is difficult, no denying that. It isn’t as forgiving as corn or wheat, which can impart a lot of sweetness. I don’t know enough about the distillation process, or growing food crops to speak eloquently on the subject.rnrnSuffice it to say this whiskey really gave off some sour notes that I was not expecting. To me, the balancing act with this whiskey has not quite found its equilibrium.

Editor’s Note: This whiskey was provided to us as a review sample by Laws Whiskey House. This in no way, per our editorial policies, influenced the final outcome of this review. It should also be noted that by clicking the buy link towards the bottom of this review our site receives a small referral payment which helps to support, but not influence, our editorial and other costs.

Denver is a beer city, and it’s not a close contest.

Still, I have family in Denver, and they love good whiskey, usually after craft beers. In fact, several years ago, they recommended I visit Laws Whiskey House to get a sense of the whiskey scene in Denver. Back then, it was a small distillery on an unassuming side street. The whiskey they were proudest to pour was their Four Grain, a whiskey they continue today. I had a fine time, but the beer in Denver was better.

However, that was over seven years ago. Today Laws, which was founded in 2011, is releasing the third iteration of their Henry Road Malt a bottled-in-bond American Single Malt whiskey. If you’re reading this, you’re probably familiar with Scotch single malt whiskey. As you can’t make Scotch outside of Scotland, several American distilleries are attempting to invent the American Single Malt category.

Laws uses heirloom two-row barley, a grain varietal saved by Wayne Cody of Cody Family Farms. This heirloom grain nearly went extinct. Now, in conjunction with Colorado Malting Company, it is the primary grain used in Laws whisky. Outside of two row heirloom malt, Laws use specialty malts like crystal malt, chocolate malt, and biscuit malt. Remember that Denver is a beer city? Those of you who homebrew probably recognizes those specialty grains. Denver metro boasts nearly 150 breweries, all of which require a lot of grain, which is a good thing for those making whiskey.

Laws whiskey is cooked, fermented, and stilled all on-grain. On-grain was a term I had not heard before. In simple terms, it means whether grains are present during fermentation and/or distillation, or not. On the grain means the grain is still present, while off grain means you’ve removed the grain. Think homebrewing, you remove the grains prior to pitching the yeast.

Al Laws, Laws founder, says “At Laws, we pride ourselves in seeking out the distinct flavors of each American mother grain in our whiskeys. We believe that the soul of whiskey is comprised of the people who grow the grain, the people who make the whiskey, and the people who drink it. We’re excited to be on this journey of Laws commitment to creating exception Bottled-in-bond whiskey and we hope you enjoy this special whiskey as much as we do. This whiskey is aged for 6-years in a #3 char American white oak, seven barrels filled in summer of 2016, yielding 1,464 bottles.” With that, we turn to the glass.

Laws Whiskey House Bonded Henry Road Straight Malt Whiskey review
Laws Whiskey House Bonded Henry Road Straight Malt Whiskey (image via Laws Whiskey House)

Tasting Notes: Laws Whiskey House Bonded Henry Road Straight Malt Whiskey

Vital Stats: 100% malted barley. 50% ABV. MSRP $79.99

Appearance: Bright copper with close, slow legs.

Nose: From the start this is a robust profile. To start we have a cherry cough syrup which quickly gives way to fresh grain and a little pine. There is an unmistakable profile of alcohol throughout. The end of the nose is orange rind and whiffs of cleaning products.

Taste: The whiskey has a heaviness to it, almost a creamy texture. At first blush we have a dry, sour, nutty, rather tart profile. With successive sips I’m approached by extremely dark chocolate, almost bakers’ chocolate, and citrus rind without any sugar. The finish lingers after coating the mouth. I pick up notes of coal dust, oak, and straight malt. In the end it is dry and tart as it lingers on the teeth, with whiffs of light cigar smoke.

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