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.
They say it takes a village. At Laws Whiskey House, that is exactly what they call their team. They forego the title of master distiller, recognizing that each person in The Village contributes to what makes their final product. I’m looking at one of their special releases today, the Cognac Foeder Finished Four Grain Straight Bourbon Whiskey. From grain to glass they are considering every aspect of their production. I was impressed that they never operated off of sourced distillate, a rarity in today’s market due to the costs of running a distillery while the first distillation run gets up in age.
Another one of the key parts of what sets Laws apart is their grain. They work with two family farms, the Cody’s in the San Luis Valley and the Ohnmacht’s in Colorado’s eastern plains. They get heritage and heirloom grains from these locations. And while heirloom and heritage grain doesn’t mean the final distillate will be any better or worse than the stuff purchased from the commercial grain companies, it does show a particular mindfulness around what a distillery is doing.
Then there is what really sets their Cognac finish apart. Laws Whiskey House has taken inspiration from traditional Cognac methods for blending different distilling runs to create a layered and complex whiskey. They have a quick video explaining how they have acquired two 50-year-old, 60 hectoliter Cognac foeders. These hold just shy of 1,600 gallons and allow Laws to use a Solera-style aging process of pouring off a portion of the foeder before refilling it with newer distillate. Laws is starting off with their Four Grain Straight Bourbon, aged a minimum of two years in new American oak. They then marry that into the foeder, which will continue to develop with each new batch.
The Solera aging system utilizes a fractional blending method that will maintain at least a portion of spirit as old as your Solera system. Traditional systems will often have a multi-tiered structure in which each barrel has some amount of its contents poured out, and is then topped off with the barrels above. The top barrels are then filled with new distillate. Solera aging is credited with having started in Spain with Sherry production. Depending on the spirit it is used on and the country it is used in, it can use the age statement of the solera system or just the age of the youngest alcohol in the final pour.
Tasting Notes: Laws Whiskey House Cognac Foeder Finished Four Grain Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Vital Stats: 47.5% ABV, aged a minimum of four years with primary aging in new oak, ex-Cognac barrels, then finished solera style in a Cognac foeder. Distilled from a mash bill of 60% corn, 20% heirloom wheat, 10% heirloom rye, and 10% heirloom malted barley. $79.99 per 750 ml bottle.
Appearance: Gold in color with long legs.
Nose: Toffee, nuts, and golden raisins emerge with the first nosing. Sitting with it a bit I get notes of vanilla, old oak, and a little yeast.
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Palate: It’s surprisingly hot on the palate for how pleasant the nose was. This is a complex bourbon with a lot of subtle notes that progress quickly. Overall the palate is quite dry with hints of vanilla, caramel, cinnamon, oak, black pepper, banana, and walnut all hitting the palate for short periods. The finish leaves you with that Kentucky hug, not quite a burn but a nice warming sensation. There are little notes of dried fruit on the finish with a lot of spice. The addition of water really brings out the oak, eliminating the heat on the front end all together as well as a lot of the complexities that were nice in the undiluted version. Diluted the finish becomes peppery, loses the warming sensation, and becomes a lot shorter.
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