Review: Whiskeys of Locke + Co.

Colorado-based Locke + Co. — with a plus, not an ampersand — appears to be following in the footsteps of other mountainous distillers by forging its own path. Focusing on bourbon and rye releases, the busy operation has a singular trick up its sleeve that it leans on for all of its releases to date: Finishing with aspen wood.

The details of this finishing vary from one release to the next, but largely it involves tanking fully mature whiskey (aged in new charred oak) and adding aspen discs for a while before bottling. The way those discs are treated and the length of time they spend in the finishing tank aren’t standard, but Locke’s love affair with the evergreen tree is a constant.

We received three of Locke’s most prominent, permanent releases. Thoughts follow.

Locke + Co. Big Catch Bourbon Review

Made from a blend of high rye and high wheat bourbon mashbills (making this a four grain release), this is aged two years in new Missouri oak barrels before finishing in tanks on both new charred aspen wood discs and rye-soaked charred aspen discs.

The nose comes across as significantly more mature than its mere 2 year old age would suggest, the wood aromas coming across as evergreen and refreshing, lacking the lumberyard heft one might expect at this age. An herbal note takes things into more minty territory in time — clearly that aspen finishing has had a massive impact on the final product.

The palate is softer and quieter than the nose by a wide margin, which is perhaps to be expected as the underlying whiskey doesn’t have enough maturity to back up the woodsy treatment. It’s still a lively experience and a well-crafted bourbon, though it simply comes across as short. A gentle peanut-popcorn attack sees a smear of vanilla and a touch of maple, chased by a light layer of peppery char. While gently sweet on the finish, I found myself really missing the aspen impact that’s so vibrant on the nose. 95 proof. B+ / $52

Locke + Co. Big Blaze Bourbon Review

While I wouldn’t personally choose to name two very different products “Big X,” that’s a story for another time. This one is aged for 5 years (mashbill unstated), then finished with aspen discs that were harvested from trees that naturally burned in a 2020 Colorado forest fire (hence the name).

Bolder and more immersive on the nose, this whiskey has a different aspen influence that has more of a torched nose, smoldering evergreen branches mixed with a more straightforward grassiness, later somewhat hemp-like, or evocative of coconut husk. The whiskey has a certain nuttiness in evidence, but the aroma gravitates toward smoke the longer it sits in glass.

The palate melds tradition with the impact of the unique finish — fairly heavy on the peanuts up front, mild vanilla, then more of a Butterfinger flavor as the finish builds. A little time in glass sees the evergreen element vanishing almost completely; here we see the opposite of Big Catch, where the added age on the whiskey has effectively subdued the impact of the finish. All told, it’s a lively bourbon, though it lacks the clear distinction of its little brother. 95 proof. B / $57

Locke + Co. Aspen Aged Rye Review

This rye (no mashbill supplied) is aged for “three plus” years in new half-size 30-gallon oak barrels with a variety of char levels: 2, 3, 4, and 5. After that, the whiskey is tanked and finished on charred Colorado aspen discs for 8 months.

This noses with the most classic profile of this trio of whiskeys, a very herbal, grassy aroma bursting from the glass, quite extreme at times. The whiskey smolders with crispy burnt edges in the glass, though the longer it sits, the more these aromas burn off. (So to speak.)

The palate has the bright greenness of lots of rye — fresh (not dried) hay, just-mown lawn. It doesn’t surprise much, though there’s a latent sweetness evocative of coconut nectar and a pinch of cloves on the finish, both of which serve to cut at least a bit through the lingering flavors of cut grass. 90 proof. B / $70 [BUY IT NOW FROM FROOTBAT]

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