The face of craft American whiskey today consists of many distilleries across a range of states, but when you go back just say, a decade or so ago, there were only a handful of pioneers out there trying their hand in competition against the big guys. One of these is Colorado-based Leopold Bros. which, in 2008, moved to that state from Michigan to begin a distilling spirits only focus. Fast forward to today, and word has crept out of plans for a straight bourbon whiskey to be released towards the end of this month.
The forthcoming Leopold Bros. Straight Bourbon Whiskey, according to those behind it, is an American bourbon that’s been bottled at 45% ABV, or 90 proof. It has a rather interesting mash bill that’s 64% corn, 17% two-row barley (floor-malted on site at the distillery), 15% Abruzzi heritage rye and 4% brewers’ malts. The whiskey, prior to pot distillation, was open fermented in wooden tanks with both house-cultured yeasts and so-called “indigenous yeast strains.”
Once ready for aging, this bourbon was put into new, American white oak charred (#3 char) barrels and aged four years on what’s described as “earthen floors in the distillery’s unheated dunnage-style bonded warehouse.” It is bottled unfiltered and will initially be available year round in Colorado, with plans for other markets to be announced later on.
Tasting notes posted by Leopold Bros. master distiller Todd Leopold on social media recently indicate “soft candied maple, orange marmalade, pear, lavender, peach, vanilla in nose. Stone fruit, caramel, orange peel and vanilla on palate, with a full bodied, soft finish.” There was no immediate mention of price.
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