Stranahan's Whiskey Flight

The glowing amber that ignited years of passion for the liquid amber.

Each cloud has a silver lining—in the case of Stranahan's, a cloud of smoke, specifically. You see, Stranahan’s Whiskeys were born of actual fire and an unexpected friendship. It was when a volunteer firefighter Jess Graber responded to his neighbor brewer and Whiskey lover George Stranahan’s barn fire, the two discovered a shared passion for a fine pour and the Colorado outdoors. They distilled this glowing passion into a distinctively smooth and flavorful American Single Malt Whiskey using their surroundings to their advantage. 

Founded in 2004, Stranahan’s is considered Colorado’s first microdistillery, one of the first US craft distilleries, and one of the first American Single Malt producers. Their Whiskey makers pride themselves on using good quality local ingredients and elbow grease to hand-craft each small batch from barley to bottle. Situated in the picturesque Rockies, their Single Malts are made from 4 ingredients only: 100% malted barley, yeast, Rocky Mountain spring water, and time in the barrel.

Stranahan’s offers fans of the liquid amber juice 6 expressions, all hand-made at a high altitude: the Original, the Solera-finished Blue Peak, the straight Mountain Angel 10-Year, the one-day-a-year Snowflake, the Olorosso Sherry Cask, and the hand-selected private reserve Single Barrel.

This Tasting Box takes you on a beginner’s hike of the Original, Blue Peak, and Diamond Peak expressions. 

Stranahan’s Original Single Malt Whiskey is the first Rocky Mountain Single Malt. Aged 4 years in new American oak barrels (#3 char), it’s non-chill filtered and cut to 94 proof (47% ABV) with Rocky Mountain water.

Stranahan’s Blue Peak Single Malt Whiskey is their signature Single Malt finished using the famous Solera method. This way, the already aged Whiskey flavor profile is further expanded with fruit and butterscotch characteristics, resulting in a rich and mellow pour.

Stranahan’s Diamond Peak Whiskey  is a blend of carefully selected Whiskeys that are at least 4 years old. Crafted from 100% malted barley and aged in new charred oak barrels, this highly limited expression offers a creamy flavor profile of cereals and tropical fruits flavors.

Smartass Corner:

1) According to the American Single Malt Whiskey Commission, there are six standards of identity. An American Single Malt must be 1. Made from 100% malted barley; 2. Distilled entirely at one distillery; 3. Mashed, distilled, and matured in the US; 4. Matured in oak casks of a capacity not exceeding 700 liters; 5. Distilled to no more than 160 proof (80% ABV); and 5. Bottled at 80 proof (40% ABV) or more.

2) American Single Malt is hardly a new thing anymore. One of the early pioneers of American Single Malt was Steve McCarthy, who started Clear Creek Distillery in Portland Oregon in the 1980s. That was followed up by St. George Spirits producing an American single malt in 2000, followed by Stranahan’s and Westward in 2004, and then Balcones in 2008.

3) There are more than 90 distilleries producing Single Malt Whiskey in some form in the US.

4) The Oloroso Sherry barrels used by the Stranahan’s come from the Andalusia region of southwestern Spain, where they aged Sherry Wine for over 40 years, leaving behind a depth of flavor soaked into the ancient oak staves. 

5) The Solera method is an aging process, a type of fractional blending, where the finished product is a mixture of ages, with the average age gradually increasing as the process continues over many years. Traditionally used for Rum production, the Spirit is periodically drawn from the lower casks which never move, and refreshed with an equal quantity of “new” Spirit from the casks above.