Review: Stranahan's Colorado Whiskey

[mishalak]

I don't know exactly why I don't like this whiskey. I know some about making whiskey, but not enough to identify why Stranahan's has a strong tannic taste I didn't care for at all. I could barely finish the glass as I found it much stronger, in a bad way, than almost any whiskey I've had. It isn't the sort of big flavor that I enjoy like an Isle of Islay, which is rather peaty/smoky. While I certainly think it is possible to produce a very fine whiskey in Colorado this isn't the one I'm looking for. There are people who may like it, but to me it was reminiscent of tea that had been left to steep rather too long. It smelled lovely though.

Edited, because I didn't know wherefore I was speaking about new barrels.

Comments

[akirlu.livejournal.com]

Sounds like a bad law, with an agenda. Sort of like the way that in some dairy states, it's been illegal to sell margarine with yellow dye added. You could sell it white, with yellow dye in a separate packet, or you could sell it red or green. Just so people wouldn't "mistake" margarine for butter. Yeah.

[bovil.livejournal.com]

Alcohol regulation is strange.

There are a lot of regulations designed to be onerous and make the business of distilling difficult, thus making it more difficult for people to get alcohol and drink. Yeah, works really well.

There are a lot of laws tailored to generate beaucoup tax revenues. Again, puritainism in action. Tax the sin.

Strangely enough, the remaining regulations are, for the most part, centered on quality control, industry standards and consumer protection. Rye whiskey must contain 51% rye in the mashbill; rye grain is expensive and has relatively low yields compared to cheaper wheat and corn. Unscrupulous distillers often used less to save money while still marketing their cheap spirit as "rye."

I'm not sure where the "new charred oak barrel" reg came from. Probably an industry standards thing. Without it, though, Scotch distilleries wouldn't have that steady stream of used-once bourbon barrels...

[mishalak.livejournal.com]

Well given that margarine is horrible tasting crap that isn't anything like butter I think it is reasonable to not add coloring to it to make it more attractive. 'cause, bleah! (Strong opinions, what, me?)

[bovil.livejournal.com]

Tannic?

Usually whiskey sucks vanillin and other flavors out of a new barrel (why some bourbons have such a strong nutty vanilla flavor), not bitter tannins.

St. George and Anchor both make very good whiskey. Anchor did two versions of their single-malt rye, one in charred new oak barrels and the other in un-charred new oak barrels. St. George does a single-malt that's somewhere in the no-man's-land between Irish and Scotch, lightly smoky and floral. There are plenty of good bourbons aged in new oak.

I have to think it's not just the new oak. The distiller may be incompetent (Anchor made whisky for several years before producing their first "market-quality" batch). The grain may be iffy. The mashbill could be too heavy on cheap, flavorless grains.

[mishalak.livejournal.com]

I totally swear this was tannic, like tea that has been steeping too long. Maybe it isn't the new barrel, but something is wrong with it. It might be that it is far too young or something, being a new company. It had a wonderful aroma, but the taste was just off.

[bovil.livejournal.com]

Oh, I don't doubt that you were tasting tannin-like bitterness, and there's definitely something wrong there.

I just don't think the use of new oak is the major contributing factor. There's some other sort of screw-up going on.

[mjlayman.livejournal.com]

There is no such thing as tea that's steeped too long! I love tannic acid!