Posted: 11/30/09

Well the turkey is dead and the goose is getting nervous. The madness of “Black Friday” is over and I managed to not leave the house at all until Saturday.  It was not hard to hole up with left over Turkey, stuffing and numerous pies covering every surface in my house.  I am not a fan of fighting crowds to save a few bucks on a holiday gift so you can imagine how excited I was to see that our SCW online shop is finally up and running.  Now from the comfort of your living room you can purchase the latest Stranahan’s gear and have it shipped right to your door, you can even pay with paypal.  My kinda shopping.  Ill leave the stampedes and fist fights over sweater to the pros.  I will pop a cork, crack some ice, and right click my way through the holidays.  See you in January

Posted: 02/24/10

Here at Stranahan’s we love good music almost as much as we love good whiskey, but you already knew that.  We are proud to announce that Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey will be sponsoring the “Mile Hi-Fidelity stage” at South by Southwest this year in Austin.

Posted: 09/14/10

Fall is in the air.  The trees are barely starting turn, the nights are cooling off, but the days are still warm.  This is a perfect time to announce the release of the new Triple Wood Snowflake.   The Triple Wood Snowflake will go on sale at the distillery only Wednesday September 15th 12:00 noon for $85.  There are only about 130 bottles of this special whiskey made.  It is strictly first come fisrt serve, and when it is gone it is gone

The Triple Wood Snowflake spent its first 2 years in a heavily charred new american white oak barrel. When the flavor profile was right I transferred it into a used Hungarian white oak cask that had previously housed a Chardonnay form Sonoma California. Over the course of months the tannins form the hungarian white oak went to work in harmony with the white wine that had soaked into the wood and created a massive layer of rich delicate flavors on top of the Stranahan’s foundation. To round out and mellow the new tannins and flavors, I moved the whiskey back into a used Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey cask. The time spent back in the worn american white oak gently rounded the edges of the 2 complimenting oaks creating a complex, rich, harmony of flavors. This one is for savoring.

Tasting Notes:

Full strength:
Nose: Big fruit and spice right off the bat. The woody smell of an apple cider press, bartlett pear, green apple and melon. As the nose blooms, spices manifest in a cinnamon and mineral wisp, light brown sugar, dates, pie crust, Colorado wild flower honey. With ones eyes closed you could easily imagine a forest in autumn, rich musty aromas playing with bright cool notes of turning leaves and the promise of snow.
Palate: The first sip brings rich dark honey, spice, laced with strong floral notes, flavors of green apple and ripe cherry. As the whiskey settles into the palate the spice resonates with heat, white pepper and chilies(?), molasses, marduro tobacco soars in the mouth. These flavors somehow remind me of a cabin in the woods. The finish is extremely long, black grape, spice, wood, coco and coffee. Bright green apple, possibly lychee fruit? Tons of butter, leaves me tasting a biscuit buttered and slathered in pear jam.

Dilute:
Nose: With a drop of water the Chardonnay really shows up. Honey, butter, toasty, coco, floral, mineral. I almost pick up pancakes?
Palate: Cantaloupe, honey, wedding cake frosting. Floral bright notes, mango, lychee, melon, The spice remains- sweet white pepper. Again reminds me of the woods. Banana, chilies, biscuit, wheat bread, tobacco. Lots going on. Finish is stone fruit, mineral, black tea, buttered toast and peppery tobacco. The whiskey maintains a heat throughout the entire experience with out being unpleasant.

As you let the glass sit and open up, the sweetness grows and grows. What a finish, complex and big, wisps of campfire and coffee. Over all this whiskey can’t help but remind me of autumn, the last fleeting days in the forest before winter reclaims what is hers. I think I’ll have another.

Cheers Jake

Listening to: Guy Clark

Remember, this is first come first serve, we will not hold a bottle for you and we can not sell before 12:00pm Wed afternoon.

Posted: 05/13/08

If you have been following what has been going on in recent times, you know that we were in the market for a new wash provider.  We are excited to announce that we will be contracting with Oscar Blues brewery to ferment our recipe!  I cant tell you how excited we are to work with Colorado’s best brewery.  I guess it helps that they are mavericks like us, they spat in the eye of convention and put their fine micro-brew in a can.  Maybe they put premium beer in a can because a can is a truly air-tight enclosure and a bottle is not, maybe it is because you can hike out your camping trash easier if you can stomp it flat, maybe it is because when you finish a Dales pale ale you can smash it on your forehead, I don’t know for sure, I don’t care as long as I can get my hands on one.  I have been a fan of their beer for a long time and I am excited for them to bring their fanatical dedication to quality to our recipe.  How will this change Stranahan’s?  It wont.  Dale and the boys will follow our recipe in every detail to ensure we receive the same high quality ingredients we have always used to produce the finest whiskey anywhere.  Tonight after work on my way home I am going to stop by my neighborhood liquor store and pick up an ice cold 6 pack of Oscar Blues Gordon IPA to sip it along side my Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey and grill a steak to celebrate.  Hmmm I just had an idea… whiskey in a can?…..

For more reading http://www.oskarblues.com/

Posted: 07/22/08

I was at the new ‘Roo Bar Park Ave West’ last night visiting my dear friend John Zelzer, manager and bartender extraordinaire.  He was deeply involved in a game of billiards so when it came time to mix the next round of drinks he asked me to fill in and make a round for the table.  I am no stranger to the other side of the bar, having tended bar many a year.  So as often happens, as soon as I am driving the libation bus I go straight for the ‘Old Fashioned’, my personal favorite cocktail.  I got behind the bar, found an embarrassingly large glass and proceeded to assemble the ingredients, a good 3 fingers of  Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey, a cherry with just a drop of brine clinging to it, a fat slice of freshly cut organic orange, and, and, where is the simple syrup?!  There was no simple syrup, and no sugar to be seen!  Undaunted I proceeded to muddle the cherry and orange, being sure to bruise the rind to release the oils, added a dash of bitters and all that lovely Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey.  I was sure the cocktail would be amiss not having simple syrup, however, when I had a sip i found it perfect.  Stranahan’s is a delicate whiskey and the more subtle flavors are easily overpowered if a mixologist is not careful.  I found the lack of simple syrup refreshing, I was still able to pick apart flavors and it was not too sweet, so next time you raise a muddler in the heat of passion, try a Stranahans Old Fashioned with out simple syrup and see what you think.  Just a muddled thought, cheers.