J's Whisky Diary

Founded in 2004, Stranahan's was an early comer to the craft distilling scene, and the first microdistillery to open in Colorado. Stranahan's is named for co-founder George Stranahan, notably also a co-founder of Flying Dog Brewery, which went so far as to provide all the wash for the distillery until adequate brewing equipment could be procured. The distillery was acquired, in 2010, by Proximo Spirits, notable for their distribution of Jose Cuervo in the United States along with ownership of several other "premium" alcohol brands. Stranahan's produce a range of Single Malts, each with different finishing characteristics, including the annual, unique "Snowflake" release available for only one day each year. Today I'm trying the Sherry Cask Finish; this is batch 2 (out of 3, so far), it is non chill-filtered, given an age statement of 4 years, finished in Oloroso Sherry casks, and finally bottled at 94 proof. The malt pours a muted yellow-gold w

Teeling Whiskey, located in Dublin, Ireland, are a part of the new craft distilling scene emerging in Irish Whiskey, though, as per usual, they claim a heritage of distilling dating back to 1782. Distilling operations at Teeling began in 2015, though the company started in 2012. With Master Distiller Alex Chasko, an American ex-pat formerly of Bridgeport Brewery, in Portland, OR, Teeling have been racking up awards for their range of Irish Whiskeys, including a "Small Batch" corn/barley blend, a Single Malt (100% barley), and this "Single Grain," which is 95% corn and 5% barley. Doing the math on a 5 year matured product, bottled in 2015 means this batch is all sourced barrels, with no information available on where from, though Teeling's website states that it was column distilled. The copy on the bottle indicates that the spirit was aged in ex-wine casks, apparently California Cabernet Sauvignon, and further finished in ex-rum barrels for 6 months, a relativel

The Hillrock Estate Distillery, located in the Hudson Valley, NY, take their name quite seriously. Established on a stunning--well, estate --complete with a mansion built in 1806, Hillrock describe themselves as a "field to glass" distillery; in addition to growing their own heritage barley, they floor malt, smoke, and kiln it in house. The distillery is staffed by a team of industry veterans including Master Distiller Dave Pickerell, of Maker's Mark and Whistle Pig fame. In addition to the painstaking attention paid to their barley, Hillrock also use a solera aging technique for their Bourbon. You can read more about that process here , but it is a complex and difficult technique which allows the average age of the spirit produced to grow continuously over time via fractional blending; the longer a solera is in place, the older and more complex the bottled spirit becomes. Presumably, this process is somehow made compatible with the legal requirement that Bourbon be aged

Glendronach is a Highland distillery founded in 1826 near Forgue, the second distillery to be granted license to produce whisky in Scotland. Though the distillery was briefly mothballed 1996, it reopened in 2001 and is now owned and operated by Brown-Forman. It is a stream-fed distillery, with water supplied by the Dronac burn, which runs through the facility. This is a single-cask offering, part of a yearly Limited Release and selected by Master Distiller Billy Walker. While many Scotch single malts are finished in sherry casks, this malt, distilled in 1994, was fully matured in a Pedro Ximenez Sherry puncheon, and bottled in 2015 after 20 years. The 1994 pours a dark, rich amber, with a bright ruby tint, indicating straightaway the hefty age statement and pronounced barrel character. As soon as you lift the glass its clear that the spirit inside is dripping with lavish sherry character; a perfectly oxidative mahogany cherry pie, lively with citrus highlights, warm with the cask s

There's a bit of a complicated story behind this 6 year old corn whiskey. Carlos Lovell (profiled here ), a lifelong moonshiner from Mount Airy, GA distilled this whiskey after finally going legit in 2012 and opening Ivy Mountain Distillery. The whiskey, made with a recipe developed by Lovell's family over a 150 year legacy of moonshining in Northern Georgia, contains hickory cane, white dent corn, rye, malted barley, and malted corn. In 2015, the Indianola Distilling company, based in Houston, acquired the remaining barrel stock of Appalachian Corn Whiskey, and are now blending and bottling the "Heirloom" whiskey under the Ivy Mountain name. This product alongside a peach brandy also purchased from Ivy Mountain are limited stock and will presumably be discontinued when the barrels run out. The whiskey pours a slightly hazy amber yellow. The nose is bright and sweet, with a floral, minty finish; hints of dill and oily caramel lend an old-school, appalachian qualit

Kentucky Owl Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey is an 11 year old blended rye whiskey, distilled and bottled in KY, as signified by the "Kentucky Straight" appellation. The name of the brand is resurrected from a pre-prohibition distillery founded and run by the great-grandparents of master blender Dixon Dedman. However, it is not clear where the barrels for their products are sourced, likely a range of large-scale producers across the state; it is bottled on a contract basis by Strong Spirits in Bardstown. Kentucky Owl is a buzzy brand, with bottles selling well above their already significant retail price on the gray market; accordingly, after only a few years, they've already been snapped up by the Stoli Group, the American arm of the SPI group, with plans rumored for a $150 million, 400 plus acre "distillery park" facility to begin production in 2020. Notably, this would place the release of a 100% grain-to-glass Kentucky Owl Rye in the year 2031; one can only ho

Bowmore, established in 1779, is said to be the first distillery opened on the isle of Islay. Notably, the distillery continues to source malt from the island and has an active traditional floor malting process, however, this is bolstered with industrially malted barley from the mainland. Personally, the distillery holds some significance for me as I once had a torrid love affair with a pour of the Bowmore 15 year old in the inimitable Aero Club bar in San Diego, early in my whisky journey. The experience was eye—rather, mind—opening for me, dramatically expanding the horizons of flavor and complexity that I had so far experienced in a whisky. Undoubtedly, some part of that magic was the product of inexperience and inebriation, but, as they say, you never forget your first time. As far as Islay Malts are concerned, the Bowmore 12 year showcases a relatively gentle peat, so those for whom the power of the bog holds no charm need feel no concern. The malt pours a rich yellow-gold, with

Old Grand Dad is a brand of straight bourbon whiskeys distilled by Beam-Suntory in Kentucky, notable for the higher percentage of rye compared to the standard Beam mash bill. The brand is named for Basil Hayden Sr., the famed distiller. Old Grand Dad is bottled at three different proofs; 80, 100 (bonded), and 114. While the 80 proof offering is entirely forgettable, I have long prized "Bonded OGD" as an accessible, classic, and extremely affordable bourbon, providing an introduction for the neophyte, a standby for those "ballin'-on-a-budget," and a terrific base for bourbon cocktails; make a pitcher of juleps for your friends with a bottle of Bonded and you'll be a hero to anyone who can remember what they tasted like. In comparison to the simplicity and accessibility of the bonded offering, 114 proof requires a bit more of its audience. This is by no means a "fine" spirit, no age statement is given, aside from the "straight bourbon" de