Stranahan's Blue Peak American Single Malt Whiskey Review

 

Founded in Denver in 2004, Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey was Colorado’s first legal post-Prohibition distillery. In 1998, George Stranahan’s barn caught fire. George was a long-time brewer. His neighbor, Jess Garber, was a volunteer firefighter who tried to save Stranahan’s barn from total destruction. When all was said and done, the two discovered a mutual love of whiskey and became the foundation for building the distillery.

 

Stranahan’s concentrates on producing American Single Malts and is one of the category’s pioneers. Its first whiskey, Stranahan’s Original, was released in 2006, and its portfolio has grown to six expressions. It has an annual release, Snowflake. It has a cult-like following, with people literally camping overnight in the parking lot. I have a handful of friends who participate in this tradition and post on social media.   

 

In 2020, Stranahan’s released its Blue Peak American Single Malt Whiskey. It is named after a 13,000-foot mountain located near Aspen.

 

Blue Peak is distilled from 100% malted barley and aged four years in new 53-gallon, #3-charred oak barrels. Once matured, it is transferred to a 620-gallon toasted oak foeder for several months to undergo a Solera process.

 

Solera is something that’s typical for winemaking but, in recent years, has made its way to whiskey-making. Essentially, you have a vast amount of matured whiskey; the oldest is removed for bottling and then replaced with newly matured stocks. It is a continuous blending system that goes on for however long the distiller wants.

 

Stranahan’s uses water from Eldorado Springs near Boulder to proof all of its whiskeys. In the case of Blue Peak, that’s 43% ABV (86°). A 750ml package has a suggested price of $42.99.

 

Here’s the weird thing: Stranahan’s Original was my introduction to American Single Malt Whiskey many years ago and was one of the first distilleries I ever visited. Yet, until today, I’ve never reviewed anything from it.

 

Thanks to Stranahan’s providing me with a sample of Blue Peak in exchange for my no-strings-attached, honest review, we will #DrinkCurious and fix that.

 

Appearance: I poured this whiskey into my Glencairn glass to sip neat. The bronze liquid formed a bold rim, which shed syrupy tears.

 

Nose: When I brought my glass to my nostrils, I smelled apples, lemons, nutmeg, cinnamon, and butterscotch. When I inhaled the air through my lips, I encountered more apples.

 

Palate: Blue Peak possessed an oily texture and a medium-weighted body. On the front of my palate, I tasted bananas, chocolate, and malt. As it moved to the middle, there were flavors of vanilla cream, golden raisins, and dried apples. The back offered dry oak, black pepper, and nutmeg.  

 

Finish: Blue Peak’s finish gently rolled down a hill. It started big and spicy, then gradually tamed before falling off. It featured dry oak, bananas, nutmeg, malt, and black pepper.

 

Bottle, Bar, or Bust: Blue Peak is an interesting whiskey. I initially thought it was a shame to bottle this at a low-proof. However, tasting Blue Peak changed my mind. It is proofed right where it should be – at 88°. It was soft, fruity, and sweet, lulling me into believing it was similar to a Speyside Scotch. That was until the spicy and oaky notes woke me up. I enjoyed that contradiction.

 

For $43.00, you get an American Single Malt with plenty of depth and character that I found pleasing, and I believe you will also. Blue Peak has earned my Bottle rating; grab one when you see it. 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 to do so responsibly.