Whiskey Review: Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey

image copyright The Whiskey Wash

Editor’s Note: This whiskey was provided to us as a free sample to review by the party behind it. The Whiskey Wash, while appreciative of this, did keep full independent editorial control over this article.

Resting quietly on top of a bottle of whiskey is a large metal jigger.  ” Have a little,” it seems to say, “and be generous.”  The whiskey itself is Stranahan’s, an American single malt style out of Colorado. This state is famously known for its generosity – for its smiling, no-nonsense, everybody is somebody way.

Stranahan’s Colorado whiskey is ruggedly hand crafted in small batches, using Colorado grain and Rocky Mountain water.  Each batch is just a little different, but the distillery claims they’re all as unique as the great state from which they spring.

For the founders of Stranahan’s, it was important their whiskey not be given names that would compare it to other spirits with no relation to what they were producing.  It is not a single malt.  It is not an American Scotch.  It is not a bourbon, or a rye.  It is just whiskey – honest, no-nonsense – like Colorado.

Although Jim Murray’s Whiskey Bible lists Stranahan’s best batches, my batch (145) didn’t get a mention. I am, however, open to the possibilities.  Tipping that jigger, the color is 14 karat gold in the glass.  Medium legs give no hint of what to expect.

The nose of malt and hazelnuts gives over to an oily palate full of smooth pineapple jam, toast and a hint of smoke.  The finish is typically American in its sweetness, with a bright, slightly acidic twist and a whisper of buttery oak.

This is a lively spirit, with a good balance – easily paired with a lunch of thin shaved buffalo roast on a farmhouse loaf with onion & tomato jam.

I give Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey a score of 86 points.