My goal to get booze from national sources is rooted in many reasons. Like everyone, I only have so much money to spend on alcohol, and so what little I do fork over I would like to see it stay in the domestic market helping out local communities. Also, it seems environmentally callous to have an ocean freighter bring me my libations from a far away continent, when a producer in another state can get me an equally tasty product without the extra transportation costs and energy input. Ultimately, it is my goal to strictly drink from local Colorado producers, further reducing the energy needed for me to get my buzz rolling. Given this background, it is only appropriate my first entry into the wide world of American spirits be the Denver produced, small batch # 10 Stranaham’s Colorado Whiskey (http://www.stranahans.com/).
The first thing that strikes me about Stranaham’s Colorado Whiskey (SCW) is the unique labeling. On the center of the bottle there is a label with a hand written note from the bottler. It lists, among other things, what the operator was grooving on whilst bottling this Rocky Mountain born whiskey. My bottler, Jake, was listening to Johnny Cash back in 2005; the last time this whiskey smelled fresh Colorado air. For imagery sake, I hope ‘Ring of Fire’ was on back in ’05, because SCW brings quite a bit of heat with it. Most whiskies are sent out to the public at 80 proof or 40% alcohol by volume. But as typical with all other things Coloradoan, SCW laughs at traditional mores and sends their whiskey to the marketplace at a burly 94 proof. Given this high octane and the burning sensation I picked up off my nose, I was expecting my throat to blaze as the firewater made its way down. Quite to the contrary, the first sip filled my mouth with a sweet, creamy taste that was peppered with notes of caramel and hazelnut. The creaminess almost turned to velvet as I let it sit on my palate. It went down smooth, leaving me with that warming sensation familiar to all those who have traveled down the whiskey path before. For my initial tasting I drank it straight at room temperature, but to be completely honest I like mine with a couple of ice cubes and so did the SCW. It benefited greatly from a little bit of ice, which brought out a lot more of its sweetness and calmed down the ever lurking hard alcohol devil.
Being that this is my first review, I have an opportunity to create some kind of witty grading criteria based on tomatoes or thumbs or the Dewey Decimal System. Rather, let’s keep it simple. My reviews will give either a recommendation to try or I will suggest to save your money. In the case of Stranaham’s Colorado Whiskey, I strongly recommend it. If you can afford the lofty $55 for a 750 mL bottle: go, go now. I won’t be offended if you stopped reading this to go find a bottle. This product fulfills the criteria from which I judge. It is first and foremost a delicious, high quality, uncompromising product that doesn’t rely on hype to get sales. Secondly, it’s as local as I can expect without converting my basement to moonshine still (I’ve thought about it, but the wife isn’t too keen). Cheers, Airek Publius
