Spirit Hound Distillers Offers Up Malt Whiskey Finished In Ex-Honey Barrels

Colorado-based Spirit Hound Distillers is one of a myriad of craft distillers which have helped propel this state towards the front of the “new whiskey distillery” industry wave. They are known in particular for their malt whiskey, and now they’ve released a variant of it that’s been finished in local ex-honey barrels.

The new Spirit Hound Colorado Honey Whisky, according to those behind it, was initially a two year old malt whisky (the distillery spells their single malt without the “e”) aged in new, fully charred American oak barrels. It was then finished for three months in honey barrels from Bee Squared Apiaries, a Colorado beekeeping operation. The two businesses are said to have developed a unique process during which raw honey is aged in spent whisky barrels for 100 days. Each honey-filled barrel is rotated daily, by hand, to maximize absorption of whisky and oak essence. The barrel, once emptied, is returned to the distillery to host the whisky.

“Finishing our straight malt whisky in used honey barrels is a natural way for us to accentuate the honey notes that we get in our whisky normally,” said Craig Engelhorn, head distiller at Spirit Hound, in a prepared statement. “We get amplified flavors and enjoyable honey characters without being overly sweet.”

“The barrel-aged honey process that we’ve developed allows the honey to remain raw—unheated—for maximum flavor,” added Beth Conrey, owner of Bee Squared Apiaries. “Our partnership with Spirit Hound is a wonderful ‘full-circle’ collaboration that our clients truly appreciate and makes for a great honey and a great whisky!”

Spirit Hound’s Colorado Honey Whisky is said to be available in limited quantities throughout Colorado for a price point of around $65 per 750 ml bottle.