Are you craft-curious? With 2,753 craft distilleries currently open and operating in the United States, I think it's safe to say the craft movement is well and truly upon us. The American Craft Spirits Association (ACSA) defines a craft distillery as any independently owned distillery producing less than 750,000 gallons of distilled spirits annually. For those more visual like me, that's roughly 3,718,932 750-milliliter bottles. I am certainly not a numbers girl, so let's move on to why we're all here.
Boulder Spirits is a new craft distillery to me, and perhaps to you too, but they're not new to the scene (they opened in 2015). I'm excited to explore their latest cask strength bourbon release for a few reasons. They locally source their grains, use pot-distilled methods, and have been at the forefront of the American single malt movement. Right. I'm not reviewing their American single malt in this write-up. Still, I think it's important to highlight those craft distilleries contributing to the next big wave in whiskey, apart from the Rye Renaissance.
Thank you to the folks at Boulder Spirits for providing this to taste through for a no-strings-attached review. Let's see how this Colorado pot-distilled cask-strength whiskey lands!
Company on Label: Boulder Spirits
Whiskey Type: Straight bourbon whiskey
Mash Bill Percentages: 51% corn, 44% malted barley, 5% rye
Proof: 128.4°
Age: 7 years 4 months
Further identification: This is the 2024 release of Boulder Spirits cask strength offering at an MSRP of $85.00
Nose: Toasted caramel wafts from my glass before it's even under my nose. There's good volume here. Soft oak spice follows next, notably table shaker black pepper. A citrus note is also rather present, kind of like a mix between a lime and grapefruit. A slight burn is present on the nose, which is to be expected at this proof. With a few swirls, I'm surprised to find roasted sweet potatoes and a hint of parmesan cheese. I think it may be time to for a sip.
After a few sips, I return to the curious scent of wood oil. Caramel and vanilla have thickened the fruity plot in this evolving storyline, and the heat remains turned up while cinnamon happily aids in the spicey journey. I find that as the liquid levels lower, the more the proof distracts from the range of smells in the glass. The empty glencairn smells like a small town deli operating in a 100-year-old building.
Palate: This starts abundantly sweet, favoring a fruity profile, but quickly becomes overrun by black pepper and ginger spices. Wow, my tongue is tingling. A second sip settles that initial spice shock with sweet and chalky candy notes, transforming into a silky caramel banana split Sunday. The mouthfeel is oily, but the finish is slightly drying. The linger is moderate in length and, after some time, begins to turn metallic. Additional sips turn up the volume on the oak spices, notably round and hollow cinnamon sticks floating in fruit punch. I'm curious if that combo works or not too. Unfortunately, the more I sip, the more the oak spice and heat take over the earlier silky caramel and fruit notes. The final sip falls away from the dynamic flavors from earlier, seemingly being left in the dust of all this oak spice.
TL;DR: a pot distilled promise of flavors that fell off by the end
Rating: 3/5
I liked what was in my glass; the flavors and oily nature that pot-distilled whiskey creates Are my preferences. I'd be curious to learn about Boulder Spirits barrel seasoning practices and how their barrels are stored, as it seems the oak wanted to take over the beauty of the other flavors.
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