This summer I took a trip back "home" to Colorado. I lived there for over twenty years. My family is still there, and I try to come back at least annually.
When I lived in the Denver
area, there were breweries. That’s what folks were interested in. Colorado
distilling was more along the lines of vodka, gin, and fruit whiskeys. Sure,
there was more traditional whiskey, but that wasn’t on the forefront.
Every time I go home, I try
to take in a few distillery tours. There are so many Colorado distilleries now
it is crazy. There exists a Colorado Whiskey Trail. The good news is I can
probably visit Colorado enough times and always find something new each time I’m
there.
One of the distilleries I
visited this last time was Copper Sky
Distillery. It is owned by Mike Root,
someone I’ve known for a few years but never met in person. Copper Sky is off
the beaten path, easily missed if you don’t know what you’re looking for. It
has a great outdoor patio, there are events all the time, perfect for the
surrounding Longmont neighborhood.
Mike gave me a bottle of
his Wheat Whiskey Honey Barrel Finish,
which is part of his Experimental Series. This was the first experimental whiskey
for this distillery.
“We start with honey from a local beekeeper and regular at the distillery, Bill, from Bill’s Bees, and boil the honey down to a soft liquid. Next, we fill a barrel just enough to coat the sides, rolling it every day to ensure it gets in every nook and cranny. After we feel like the barrel is ready, the honey is removed and our 5-year old wheated bourbon is added. Once it hits that sweet spot of ‘whiskey with a little honey on the side,’ we pull it and get it ready for its new home with you.” – Mike Root
What’s in the wheated
Bourbon? The actual distiller is undisclosed, but it is from a mash of 51% corn, 45% wheat, and 4% malted barley. It aged for five and a half years before it was ready. Then the contents were transferred into
that honey barrel for finishing. Batch 1 is packaged at 107.5°. It is sold out,
but the retail price was $74.99 for a 375ml bottle.
The above is nice and all,
but is it any good? The only way to find out for sure is to #DrinkCurious.
Thank you, Mike, for providing me a bottle in exchange for a no-strings-attached,
honest review.
Appearance: Poured
neat in my Glencairn glass, this whiskey was the color of, strangely enough,
copper. It formed a medium-thick, sticky rim that just stuck to the wall. It
eventually let loose fat legs that fell back to the pool.
Nose: Toasted
oak was the first thing I picked out. Then came corn, caramel, and molasses.
When I took the aroma into my mouth, I found vanilla mint.
Palate: The
mouthfeel was medium-bodied and a bit oily. Considering the barrel it was in,
that was unexpected. The front of the palate featured fresh sweet corn,
vanilla, and Bit O’ Honey candy. The middle offered caramel and cinnamon. On
the back, flavors of toasted oak, Cocoa Krispies cereal (I swear I could almost
taste the cocoa powder on it before it flavored the milk), and a hint of mint.
Finish: The
finish was medium-to-long in length and a bit dry. It started with faint mint,
then toasted oak, followed by caramel. Subsequent attempts brought mocha. With
each additional sip, that mocha dominated more and more.
Bottle, Bar, or Bust: I wasn’t
a fan of the neck pour. I’m not a believer in neck pour quality issues, but it
was my first taste. I let it alone on the shelf for a couple of weeks during
Bourbon Heritage Month as I concentrated on, well, Bourbon. When I revisited it
in October, anything I wasn’t a fan of was long gone. I loved the finish,
especially how the mocha kept stealing the show. I sipped it as I composed this
review, and each time I did, I had to remind myself that I need to finish
writing.
Look, if you can find a
bottle of this, just pick it up. And, if you aren’t a fan of the first pour,
let it sit in the glass and try it again. I’m betting you’re going to come to
the same conclusion as me – this one takes my coveted Bottle rating. Cheers!
My Simple, Easy to
Understand Rating System
- Bottle = Buy It
- Bar = Try It
- Bust = Leave It
Whiskeyfellow encourages
you to enjoy your whiskey as you see fit but begs you do so responsibly.
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