Laws Whiskey House: "The Colorado River" Headwater Series Four-Grain Bourbon Review & Tasting Notes

 

Just outside of downtown Denver is a fairly nondescript building. It looks like many of the other warehouses in the neighborhood. You could drive right by it and never know that inside one is Laws Whiskey House.

 

Laws Whiskey House (previously known as A.D. Laws) is not a newcomer to the whiskey scene. They've been doing this since 2011. Al Laws, with mentor Bill Friel (formally of Barton and a member of the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame), share a philosophy of using local grains to create unique whiskeys. They source all the grains from two family-owned farms:  Colorado Malting Company in Alamosa and the Ohnmacht's in Eastern Colorado. They're using only heirloom lower-yield grains, making mass production difficult. However, mass production isn't a goal.

 

Aside from being spiritually obsessed with whiskey, The Village (Laws believes it takes the entire team, which it calls The Village)  is all about giving back. Its newest way of doing that is through its new Headwaters Series of whiskeys.

 

“The Headwaters Series Whiskey release is a commitment to raising awareness about the importance of water sustainability and supporting efforts to conserve Colorado’s vital rivers. Through our philanthropic initiatives and dedication to adopting sustainable practices, we aim to contribute positively to the conservation of water resources for future generations, one drop at a time.” – Laws Whiskey House

 

The inaugural whiskey in this series is called The Colorado River. It is named for the most endangered river in the United States. Laws Whiskey House used purified water from just outside Rocky Mountain National Park at the river’s headwaters.

 

It is a four-grain Bourbon with a mashbill of 60% corn, 20% heirloom wheat, 10% heirloom rye, and 10% heirloom malted barley. After resting in 53-gallon, new charred oak barrels for four to seven years, it was packaged at 50% ABV (100°). The Colorado River is a limited-edition offering with a suggested price of $84.99 for a 750ml.

 

Before I do the #DrinkCurious thing, I must take a moment and thank Laws Whiskey House for providing me with a sample in exchange for my no-strings-attached, honest review.

 

Appearance: I poured this Bourbon into my glass to sip neat. The liquid possessed a burnt orange appearance. It had a medium-thin rim with wide, syrupy tears.

 

Nose: I smelled orange zest, honeysuckle, musty oak, candy corn, and pecans. When I inhaled the vapor through my lips, I found malt.

 

Palate: This Bourbon had a viscous mouthfeel and a decent Kentucky hug. I tasted sweet corn, orange zest, and sweet tobacco on the front of my palate. The middle included black tea, cream, and cinnamon. The back featured custard with ginger and oak spices.

 

Finish: The Colorado River’s arid finish started mild and then started to build. At its culmination, flavors of ginger spice, cinnamon, orange zest, tobacco, and black tea were easy to identify. Then, suddenly, it fell flat. I timed it at 1:28, which translates to a long duration.

 

Bottle, Bar, or Bust: Sometimes, fundraising whiskeys are either gimmicky or lacking (or both). In the case of The Colorado River, those descriptions are irrelevant. This Bourbon was full of flavor and held my interest. I was captivated by the back-and-forth of sweet versus spicy as it moved across my palate.

 

Regarding price, I’m pretty forgiving when the excess monies go to a good cause. The $85.00 is more than I’d pay for a similar whiskey on the shelf, yet it isn’t obnoxiously high. The Colorado River helps raise money to save its namesake and is a lovely-tasting Bourbon. I believe it is worth the investment, and I am happy to assign it my 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 to do so responsibly.