Prepared for a pair of extra restricted Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey opinions? Enable me to clarify…
We missed Diamond Peak 2024 however we’re again to it with 2025, which is a doozy, paying homage to Stranahan’s brewing heritage. For this launch, Stranahan’s partnered with 4 native breweries, giving them every ex-Stranahan’s casks that have been first seasoned with their craft beer, then despatched again to the distillery. Oddly the breweries are usually not said, however Stranahan’s says the beers are “beers like Espresso Stouts, Barley Wines, and Belgian Quads.” Every cask was refilled with a wedding of 4- to 6-year-old American single malt and aged an extra 18 months within the seasoned beer casks.
Subsequent up: Stranahan’s Mountain Angel 10 Years Outdated truly dates again to 2020, however we by no means reviewed it on the time; David coated the later 12 yr outdated launch in 2024. There’s no huge story with this one: It’s aged 10 years in new American oak, with no uncommon finishes. The 12 yr outdated model is utterly totally different, with a layer of ruby Port barrel getting older that isn’t used in any respect with the ten yr outdated model. Whereas it’s launched yearly, Stranahan’s says, curiously: “Stranahan’s Mountain Angel 10 12 months is a restricted product with a brand new batch crafted and launched yearly. The flavour and high quality of the whiskey stay constant throughout batches, as there aren’t any variations within the product from batch to batch. It’s possible you’ll obtain any batch quantity when making a purchase order.” So there.
Let’s dig in to the duo.
Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey Diamond Peak Native Brewer’s Cask (2025) Overview
Batch #4 of Diamond Peak is 5 to 7 1/2 years outdated, and whereas 18 months of that point is spent in beer casks, you wouldn’t understand it from the nostril at first. Aromas of candy cereal, sunny sesame, and a lightweight grassiness (hops, maybe) present a nice, malty assault. Time in glass brings up some candy, plummy fruit and sugared espresso notes, evoking a few of the extra unique beers within the combine.
On the palate, Native Brewer’s Cask is a extra aggressive and shocking entity, preliminary flavors working straight to chocolate, then mocha-driven espresso. Dried figs are a definite aspect that evolves in time. The mixture of all the above with the underlying malt is greater than nice, truly fairly lovely, with notes of vanilla and toasted almonds creating, earlier than a tough proper flip hits you, driving right into a extra bitter realm that once more evokes notes of hops and recent inexperienced herbs, clinging to the end.
The combo of candy dessert and extra brooding bittering brokers makes for a curious yin-yang expertise, nevertheless it works fairly nicely on the entire, providing an encounter that invitations repeated visits. 90 proof. B+ / $80
Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey Mountain Angel 10 Years Outdated Overview
This can be a clear whiskey, nosing with ample fruit each recent and baked, heavy on the apples. Woody after which bready notes emerge from there, coming throughout like calmly torched pizza dough, although not overly smoky. The tropicality is mild right here, leaning into dried fruits, heavy on pineapple, although the barrel tends to overpower issues, layering on an earthy, wood-forward high quality.
The palate is richly bready, showcasing calmly sweetened cinnamon rolls, milk chocolate, and cinnamon earlier than a hasty return to the barrel: Punchy lumberyard, graphite, ashy creosote, and cloves all come into focus earlier than a dense darkish chocolate aspect takes maintain. The end is dry however participating, with an natural high quality that feels each pastoral and approachable. Vibrant notes of candy lemon drops cling to the fade-out. 90 proof. B+ / $119 [BUY IT NOW FROM FROOTBAT]
Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey Diamond Peak Native Brewer’s Cask (2025)
USD80
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