Review: Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey Sauternes Cask

A couple of years ago, Stranahan’s opened a tasting room and restaurant in nearby Aspen, and your prize for trekking out here is access to its “Aspen Exclusive” releases, one-off releases that come out roughly annually and which are only available here.

The first Aspen Exclusive was a Calvados-finished single malt; this second release, which we were fortunate to receive, is finished in French oak Sauternes casks. The offering is a five-barrel blend of whiskeys. One of those five barrels spent 4 years in new oak and about 6 1/2 years in Sauternes. The other four spent 7 years in new oak (typical for a Stranahan’s yellow label release) and 2 years finishing in Sauternes. They’re all blended together and releases as a 9 year old expression.

I tasted this whiskey over Zoom with Jason Levinson, Stranahan’s National Whiskey Educator. Thoughts follow.

Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey Sauternes Cask Review

On the nose, I was shocked to find lots of apple and green grape notes, the fruit really pouring on alongside a sultry, vanilla-heavy underbelly. Balanced and complex, the new oak does a lot of the heavy lifting here, offering classic baking spice and gently tanned leather elements. Gingerbread is particularly evocative with time in glass and some water — which also helps a floral note develop.

Creamy and sweet, the palate is rich with vanilla, almost custard-like, moving slowly into notes of cashew butter and, again, apple butter. Richly caramelized, the palate retains the fruit evident on the nose, banana being prominent, with baked apples a secondary character. A splash of water renews focus on the nuttier elements, with a sprig of mint emerging alongside. The finish is lightly honeyed — Sauternes at its clearest — and floral, with lightly drying notes lastly evoking white tea, later green tea.

Compare and contrast with any of your favorite Sauternes-finished single malt Scotch whiskies to see how a spell in new oak can change the overall tone of the experience.

94 proof.

A- / $140

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