Review: Tincup Bourbon Fourteener Release No. 2

Tincup’s Fourteener series (a 14 year old Colorado bourbon) got its start at the end of 2022, and as promised it’s back with a second edition, Release No. 2, which is bottled in honor of Quandary Peak, one of the 58 mountains in Colorado known as Fourteeners, due to their height topping 14,000 feet. For what it’s worth, Quandary is one of the most popular 14er hikes in the state, should you find your feet feeling antsy to get out into nature.

Other than the label, the only other new twist is that Tincup has partnered with the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative (CFI) “to carry out a combined responsibility to protect and preserve some of Colorado’s most treasured resources.” $14,000 is donated to CFI with each release of the whiskey.

With that, let’s give the late 2023 release of Fourteener a spin.

There’s a boldly cereal-driven quality to this whiskey that evokes malt and honey; while the 2022 bottling felt barrel-heavy on the nose, this expression isn’t weighed down with wood at first, with notes of menthol and eucalyptus dominant, Some lumberyard elements creep into the mix with time in glass, but a dusting of cardamom and cloves prop the baking spice character up well throughout the experience.

The palate feels heavy on the malt, almost buttery, with a baked apple pie character at the core — echoes of Release No. 1 — complete with flaky crust. More cardamom here, alongside a bold peanut character, some barrel-driven tannins, and cloves coming into focus later on. There’s definitely less sweetness with this release than in the inaugural edition, as the whiskey seems to lean more on its savory side, the finish a bit doughy and dense. Things remain a bit scattered on the whole, and it’s still a bourbon in search of its raison d’etre, but I think things are headed in the right direction for the series, at the very least. At this price, it’s certainly worth sampling.

84 proof.

A- / $70 / tincupwhiskey.com [BUY IT NOW FROM CASKERS]

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