Particulate in your bottle?

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Posted: 10/11/08

Your lunch was stolen, the boss bit you, your dog ran away, your pick up truck didn’t start….No it is not the new hit country song, it was your day today.  You get home, kick off your shoes, aim for that Laz-y-boy with that bottle of Rocky Mountain comfort in mind.  After all, even when your wife tells you to sleep in the garage, Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey still loves you.  Your hand reaches for that glowing amber capsule, malted barley having undergone the alchemy of time, sweet, mellow, smooth, and complex.  Before you pour a well deserved dram into the glass you hold the bottle up to the setting sun to behold its golden beauty, and what’s this?!  Some “stuff” floating in the whiskey!?!?  Some sediment?!?!? Did Stranahan’s fail you in your moment of need?  Say it aint so!!!

The answer is no.  In fact a cloudy particulate in the bottle is a good thing.  Follow me here for a moment.  Here at Stranahan’s we make a very traditional hand made whiskey.  We use all natural ingredients, we use no additives, no coloring, no chemicals.  There are 5 ingredients in Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey: 100% malted barley, Rocky Mountain water, Yeast, New American white oak barrels, and the time it takes to age the whiskey.  Thats it.  We effect the whiskey as little as possible with filtration and processing to create the most robust and delicious whiskey possible.  The big boys chill filter their whiskey for a more uniform appearance.  To chill filter a whiskey, they lower the temperature of the whiskey to 32 degrees F. and then run it through a centrifuge.  The naturally occurring oils congeal and become heavy, they are then removed from the whiskey resulting in a clear whiskey that has no particulate or no chance of fogging up when cold.  Sounds like a good idea right?  Not really.  If you have a sip of SCW and let it linger in your mouth, you will notice a rich buttery mouth feel, a luxurious blanket of smooth velvet across your palette.  We believe that is a result of “phenols” which are a fatty acid present in the whiskey naturally.  When they chill filter the whiskey they remove these rich flavor compounds.  The result is a more uniform, predictable, mass-marketable whiskey.  That sounds a little boring and generic to me, I would rather experience the whiskey the way that time intended it, even if it every bottle is not cookie cutter uniform.  If you pick up a bottle of SCW and it has a particulate in the bottom, shake it vigorously, the particulate should disappear, meaning those phenols went back in to solution, and the buttery mouth feel is there.  If you shake it and it does not go away, it is just a fleck of charcoal from the inside of the heavily charred oak barrels we use to age the whiskey and is totally harmless.  If you do have a bottle with some particulate in it and you are not satisfied, bring it down to the distillery and I will swap you a new bottle and I guess I will just have to drink that one my self.  Oh darn.  Cheers Jake

Read your bible

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Posted: 11/30/08

It all started with a mail delivery.  The postman arrived with a package wrapped in plain brown paper.  I signed my name and took the parcel.  Upon opening I realized it was the much awaited “Whiskey Bible 2009”.  I had been waiting eagerly for the release of the new addition since it was to contain reviews of every batch of Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey 1-23.  I was eager to see what the esteemed Jim Murray thinks of all out little babies, but I was excited also because we are the first whiskey distillery ever, in all of time, to have every single one of its bottling cataloged, reviewed and recorded.  I hurriedly flipped through the bible to the American whiskey section and feverishly poured over our reviews.  Two and a half pages of Jim’s notes, some were glowing some were more reserved and laced with gentle criticism.  All in all, It was more than I had expected, I was beaming.  It was not until later that I flipped to the beginning of the book and started to read the periodical in earnest.  It was to my overwhelming surprise that I found in the “Award Winners” section our name appeared again: “Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey- Best Small Batch Distillery Of The Year”.  My jaw dropped, I could not believe it.  I was honored and humbled by the award and inspired to continue to make the best whiskey we possibly can.  Thank you Jim Murray, and thank YOU the customer for supporting our whiskey and coming along for this great ride.

To get a Whiskey Bible of your own go to http://www.amazon.com/Jim-Murrays-Whisky-Bible-2009/dp/0955472938/ref=sr…

Pure as the driven snow

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Posted: 01/10/09

They say no two snowflakes are the same.  On that giant rocky mountain of white glistening snow, no two flakes are alike.   The same can be said of Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey.   Each batch has its own characteristics, its own nuance that makes it unique.  We cherish that quality about our whiskey.  To celebrate the handmade character of Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey we are releasing a line of extremely limited edition one-off bottlings aptly named Snowflakes.

How is a snowflake born?  Just like the raindrop transformed by cold mountain air into a beautiful work of art, our whiskey is born of pure ingredients and precise conditions and it is transformed into something breathtaking and fleeting.   I start with our standard recipe of 4 different malted barley, carefully ferment them, meticulously distill them, and then age the resulting spirit in heavily charred new American white oak casks.  After years of much patience, testing, tasting, and pondering, a barrel is done.  Aged to perfection, smooth and full of character, all it needs now is its silver crown.  However a few choice barrels are set aside to become Snowflakes.   The whiskey already aged to fruition, is carefully transferred into a barrel that once housed a wine for a second maturation.  The wine barrels are made of a different wood, usually French white oak, which has a different flavor profile than American white oak.  Wine barrels are toasted, rather than charred, so they create a  more subtle infusion, which is perfect for adding another layer of complexity and flavor to our whiskey with out masking what is already there.  The wine that was in the barrels had soaked into the wood over time, and it steeps back out into the whiskey adding richness and color.  The end result is amazing.  The foundation is Stranahan’s, but the layers of flavor and complexity built atop are unlike anything you have ever tasted.  The fruity richness of the wine gently playing with the complex warm malty nature of the whiskey.  Each and every batch, like the snowflake, is unique and will never happen again.  Each release is extremely small production and as a result will only be sold out of our tasting room at the distillery for $75, and like the white blanket on the rocky mountains, when it is gone, it is gone.

Whiskey Fest 2007

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Posted: 12/04/07

Whiskeyfest 2007    10/23/07

As far as a 24 hour day goes, that was one of my favorites.  When all was said and done, from pillow to pillow it was just about 24 hours.  I was up at 4am to get everything together, scoop up Dave and head out to the airport.  God bless ‘SNOOZE’ (breakfast place just 2 blocks form the distillery) for the coffee, and ham benedict that gave me the strength and courage for the journey.  Jess was waiting for us in the Denver Airport and we boarded the plane and headed for San Francisco.  What a great city SF is.  I love it.  We checked in and headed out for some lunch.  We of course had to go to Fisherman’s Wharf and eat a mess of fresh crab.  We enjoyed riding the cable cars and all that fun “country boy in the big city” stuff.  The trip got really good that evening when the Whiskyfest started.  I had the chance to meet some people for the first time face to face whom I had known only by phone or by reading their articles.  After the VIP tasting session the general public came.  That was rewarding. One person after another walking up to the booth with a quizzical look on their faces, “whiskey form Colorado?!”, and then after tasting a wee dram, walking away converted.  Great reviews are cool, but my real satisfaction comes from the guy on the street loving our whiskey.  The night was a whirlwind of handshakes and business cards.  One of those handshakes was followed by an invite to the ‘Bourbon and Branch’ after party.  MMM after party.

After the fest had ended we had a quick dinner and set off to meet our friends at Whiskey Thieves.  Our group was joined by a Denver transplant to SF, and old friend of mine Ryan Carver.  He had introduced me to Whiskey Thieves during a previous visit.  Whiskey Thieves is a great bar.  Beyond a wicked selection of whiskey, it has the all charm and comfort of your favorite pair of jeans.  We walked through the door and immediately felt at home, great jukebox, even better whiskey.  The staff, Stephanie, and John, were friendly and knowledgeable.  We brought along some distillery samples for them to try, and sampled a bunch of different whiskeys.  We generally just had a really good time.  (I think I owe Stephanie some sort of tour of Denver or something, I am prone to making lavish promises when the whiskey is flowing.)  Next was the Bourbon and Branch.  The B&B is an actual old speak-easy that has been brought back to life.  I made fast friends with the staff by handing a few bottles of Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey across the bar.  I gave them a bottle or 2 of our regular Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey and a couple bottles of special samples I had brought from the distillery. The staff was amazing, their dedication to their craft was inspiring.  Having already enjoyed my weight in straight whiskey I was ready to sample one of the myriad artisan cocktails the B&B offers.  I started with an Old Fashioned, one of my all time favorite cocktails.  Jon Santer- Lead Bartender, poured me the magical elixir containing house-made bitters, house-made orange marmalade, garnished with a singed orange rind, and their house label rye poured over the hardest coldest ice cubes I have ever seen*.  The resulting drink was madly complex and satisfying.  After the old fashioned, I put my faith totally in bartenders Dominic and Jon, leaving my drink choices totally in their capable hands.  They poured one mixoligical feat after another.  Todd Smith- Bartender and Owner B&B, and Dahi Donnely-Owner B&B have taken cocktail making back to a craft form, focusing on the mundane and taken for granted ingredients, breathing new life in to them and reinvigorating tired old flavors.  If you are ever in San Francisco, you have to stop by and have a drink. Heck might as well order a Stranahan’s while you are there.

*The Bourbon and Branch have a special type of ice machine that was produced during the golden era of cocktails that produces ice cubes with no air bubbles.  I am not sure of the exact machine process but this makes the ice harder, and they do not melt as rapidly as a result, so I can have a cold cocktail with out unduly watering down the drink.

Visitors 10/30/07

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Posted: 12/04/07

Whiskey is kind of a small world and when fellow “whiskey folk” Fred Noe and Simon Brooking passed through Denver they stopped in for a visit.  Fred Noe as you may or may no know is the great grandson and Master distiller for Jim Beam.  Simon Brooking is the brand ambassador for The Dalmore.  They were in town for “The Great Whiskey Debate”.  I took advantage of having such knowledgeable guests and broke out a bunch of cask samples for evaluation.  We spent the better part of the morning tasting, sampling and discussing the various expressions.  It was a pleasure to have the input of such distinguished palettes.  I have to say on a personal level, it is hard to find 2 better guys.  Fred and Simon are they kind of guys that you want to have a few drinks with on friday night.  In fact I think we did.

Modern Marvels Filming 11/30/07

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Posted: 12/05/07

I love history and science and the way things work.  That being said “Modern Marvels” is one of my favorite shows.  “Celebrating ingenuity, invention and imagination brought to life on a grand scale, MODERN MARVELS tells the fascinating stories of the doers, dreamers and sometime-schemers who created everyday items, technological breakthroughs and man-made wonders.”*  You can imagine how excited we were when the phone rang and it was a producer form the MM and they wanted to do a show on us!  The episode on whiskey production is due to air on St. Patrick’s day 2008.  Sean said we were the only microdistillery he could find that was dedicated to making strictly whiskey- fulltime.  Lucky for us.  It looks like we will be in good company, he is also filming Jack Daniel’s, as well as Scotch, Irish, Japanese, and Canadian distilleries, and some of the business that support the distilling industry.  I don’t know about you but I am looking forward to this show.  Now that I am famous you can acquire my autograph by sending a self addressed stamped envelope to the distillery**.  Cheers!!!

http://www.history.com/minisites/modernmarvels/

*Quote from History Channel website.
** Please enclose $324.38 for shipping and handling

Lost Dog

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Posted: 12/14/07

Some old hillbilly once said “The only thing that remains constant is change”… aint that a fact.  As you may or may not know Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey has been contracting with the Flying Dog Brewery to ferment our Rocky Mountain grown barley for our custom whiskey wash during the last 4 years.  In the last 4 years the FDB has grown quite a bit and as a result purchased the Wild Goose Brewery in Frederick Maryland.  The board of directors for the FDB have decided to move all of their production to Maryland, to try to consolidate expenses and hold their market share.  As a result of the FDB moving to Maryland we will be contracting with a different Colorado brewery (yet to be announced), to ferment our premium whiskey recipe.  What does this mean to you?  Nothing.  Everything will continue on the same as before, we will be careful to select a Colorado brewery that can deliver the same high quality product that we are accustom to.  The whiskey should not taste any different.  The one thing that will change will be the beer in the keg at my next BBQ.  That being said, lets raise a glass to a Colorado legend, “Heres to Flying Dog, good luck in Maryland”.

Stranahan’s featured on Colorado Public Radio

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Posted: 12/18/07

Colorado Public Radio is going to air a piece on us 12/18/07 at 7pm.  If you miss it you can listen to the archive here: go to www.kcfr.org and click on “Colorado Matters” on the right hand side-bar schedule. Then type in your Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey in the search bar at the top of the page .  The interview is with Jess Graber, I guess he has a face for radio.  Cheers, Jake

The Eggnog is all gone.

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Posted: 01/10/08

The christmas tree is a pile of dried pine needles at the curb, and the mistletoe is somewhere snug in a landfill- nestled warmly among the wrapping paper of battery hungry toys.  Baby new year is growing like a weed and already needs a change of diaper.  I find my self, back at work, sitting before the stills.  As I prepare for the bottling of batch #16, I look forward to the coming year, and look back over the last few years.  It seems only yesterday that I was eagerly anticipating the first barrel coming of age, and here I sit signing labels for our 16th batch.  January 1, 2007 SCW was available in a small number of hand selected locations in Colorado.  As of January 1, 2008, SCW is available in 17 states,and Japan, Sweden, and the Netherlands.  It was quite a year.  I would like to personally thank all of you out there what have supported us in the past year and I hope you will stay with us as we continue to work hard to bring you the finest whiskey a man can make.  Cheers Jake

Cool new website… all about whiskey!!

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Posted: 01/10/08

I just found this cool new website all about our favorite thing… whiskey.  It is called Whiskeypedia, check it out .

http://www.whiskipedia.org/index.php?title=Stranahan%27s_Colorado_Whiske…

Cheers Jake