Review of Locke + Co's Big Catch Bourbon, Big Blaze Bourbon & Aspen Aged Rye

 

Rick Talley and Owen Locke were high school buddies and lacrosse teammates. At 15, Owen was already tinkering with homebrewing, and his family had a long history of moonshining. Rick became interested in the West’s history and whiskey’s impact. Both went on to college and later pursued their MBAs at the University of Denver’s Daniel’s College of Business. They reconnected, graduated, and then worked as sales agents at Beam Suntory.

 

On a whim, they placed a charred aspen disc in a jar of whiskey and let it get plenty of sun. It turned out to be delicious, and in 2010, the duo purchased a 23-gallon still and began distilling in a garage to see what they could accomplish by aging rye whiskey in smaller barrels.

 

That led to the founding of Lock + Co Distilling in Colorado Springs, Colorado:

 

“After years focused on business development, management and client service, as well as giving back […] both established successful careers. However, the alchemy of creating something new through careful selection helped both distill down their busy working lives. They extracted out one common element: celebrating the best of what life in Colorado has afforded.

 

This guiding principle, of sharing that experience, hit them while hand-cutting the aging discs from mature stands of aspen on family land flanking Central Colorado’s Mosquito Range. All the best days added up. The days spent camping, hiking, biking, fishing, snowboarding and skiing: that sunset toast after an unending day fly-fishing the Yampa, the warm nip from a flask on a cold chairlift, the laughter over a late-summer backyard game of cornhole. The unapologetic last howl at the moon.” – Locke + Co Distilling

 

Today, we’ll explore three of Locke + Co’s expressions: Big Catch Bourbon, Aspen Aged Rye, and Big Blaze Bourbon.

 

I reviewed Big Catch Bourbon and Aspen Aged Rye back in 2024. I enjoyed the Bourbon while the Rye had some faults that needed to be addressed. When I spoke to Owen a few days ago, he indicated that the two samples I just received are a little older and from different batches than those from 2024.

 

Big Catch Bourbon is distilled from high-rye and high-wheat mashbills, aged in new, 53-gallon charred Missouri oak barrels, then finished with hand-charred aspen discs. It carries a 2-year age statement and is packaged at 47.5% ABV (95°). A 750mL can be purchased from their website for $51.99.

 

Aspen Aged Rye is made from an undisclosed rye mashbill and aged at least 3 years in new, 30-gallon Minnesota oak barrels, with char levels 2, 3, 4, and 5. Bottled at 45% ABV (90°), a 750mL is available for $64.99. It underwent a similar finishing process to Big Catch Bourbon.

 

The new-to-me release, Big Blaze Bourbon, was over 5 years in new 53-gallon American oak barrels from an undisclosed mashbill. The aspen discs used were harvested from trees affected by the East Troublesome Fire in Grand County in 2020. In the spirit of giving back, 10% of the sales proceeds go to Fire Assessment & Mitigation Programs in Grand County. Proofed at 47.5% ABV (95°), a 750mL is listed on their website for $56.99.

 

Will I like Big Catch as much as I did in 2024? Did Aspen Aged Rye improve? Will Big Blaze’s smokiness be too strong? To answer these questions, we’ll #DrinkCurious. Thankfully, Locke + Co. provided me with samples of each whiskey in exchange for my no-strings-attached, honest review.

 

For the record, I used a fresh Glencairn glass for each tasting and let each whiskey rest for 15 minutes before nosing.

 

Big Catch Bourbon (2026)

 

• Whiskey Type: Bourbon
• Distiller: Undisclosed
• Age: At least 2 years
• Mashbill: A blend of high-rye and high-wheat mashbills
• Cooperage: New, 53-gallon charred Missouri oak barrels, then finished with hand-charred aspen discs
• Alcohol Content: 47.5% ABV (95°)
• Price per 750mL: $51.99

 

Appearance: The Bourbon had a rich, topaz color, and the liquid formed a thin rim with wide, randomly spaced, crazed tears. Some heavy droplets were left behind.

 

Nose: My olfactory sense plucked maple syrup, caramel, cinnamon, oak, and a damp, earthy quality. When I took the vapor into my mouth, I noticed a lot of wood, which I attribute to the aspen discs.

 

Palate: With the first sip, I encountered a smooth, creamy texture along with a big blast of aged leather. My second allowed toasted oak, toffee, and old leather to hit the front of my palate. The middle offered tobacco leaf, coffee, and earthy mushrooms, while flavors of clove, roasted almonds, and baker’s chocolate commanded the back.

 

Finish: Baker’s chocolate, roasted almonds, mushrooms, well-aged leather, black pepper, and toasted oak remained after the swallow. Toasted oak and black pepper kept grabbing for purchase. It was a short-to-medium finish, lasting only 46 seconds.   

 

Bottle, Bar, or Bust: I was taken aback by how dissimilar the 2024 and 2026 releases were. The former had a ton of classic, sweeter Bourbon notes, whereas the latter seemed far more savory.

 

I’ll assume most of that is due to longer exposure to the aspen discs. If you enjoy traditional Bourbon notes, you may find the 2026 release disappointing. I appreciated it for doing something completely different. I still believe this one is worth buying, and it earns my Bottle rating.  

 

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Aspen Aged Oak (2026)

 

• Whiskey Type: American Rye
• Distiller: Undisclosed
• Age: at least 3 years
• Mashbill: Undisclosed (at least 51% rye)
• Cooperage: New, 30-gallon Minnesota oak barrels subjected to char levels 2, 3, 4, and 5, then finished with hand-charred aspen discs
• Alcohol Content: 45% ABV (90°)
• Price per 750mL: $64.99

 

Appearance: Aspen Aged Rye possessed a muted, honey coloring. A thin rim shed thick, lightning-fast tears.

 

Nose: The first things I smelled were dill and smoked oak. Upon further examination, I also found Arborvitae trees (I’m very familiar with this aroma; I have three of these trees in my backyard). Anything else that might have been there was drowned out. When I pulled the vapor through my lips, I tasted toffee.

 

Palate: A thin yet velvety mouthfeel led to a palate-shocking hit of dill. Subsequent ones provided opportunities to experience rye spice, dill, and caramel on the front. The mid-palate included pine, tobacco leaf, and herbal tea, while the back featured clove, barrel char, and honey.

 

Finish: Honey, dill, pine, herbal tea, and barrel char created an unusual finish. There was a tangy quality to it that I couldn’t nail down, but it did cause my right eye to squint. After 1:26, everything fell away, making for a long duration.

 

Bottle, Bar, or Bust: I found this newer version of Aspen Aged Oak to be better than the 2024; however, it was still strange. Very few whiskeys come across this tangy, especially in the finish. While I typically applaud unusual pours, this one is too much so for me. You can taste the quality; it just isn’t my jam. My Bar rating stands.

 

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Big Blaze Bourbon

 

• Whiskey Type: Bourbon
• Distiller: Undisclosed
• Age: at least 5 years
• Mashbill: Undisclosed (at least 51% corn)
• Cooperage: New, 53-gallon charred American oak barrels, then finished with aspen discs subjected to 2020’s East Troublesome Fire
• Alcohol Content: 47.5% ABV (95°)
• Price per 750mL: $51.99

 

Appearance: I observed the Bourbon’s bright, orange amber color. A thicker rim produced slow, thick, tightly packed tears.

 

Nose: After patiently waiting, I was ready to begin the nosing experience. There was a strong presence of maple syrup, candied pecans, cherries, apricots, vanilla, and newer leather. Inside my mouth, the air tasted of pecans.

 

Palate: I encountered a soft, creamy texture with a bold candied-cherry sensation. My second sip revealed notes of pecan pralines, thick vanilla, and maple syrup on the front of my palate. Fresh leather, chocolate, and cherries came next, while the back unloaded flavors of cinnamon, clove, and oak.  

 

Finish: Toasted oak, cinnamon, chocolate, leather, pecan pralines, clove, and rye spice remained. The arid, Energizer Bunny duration ran a full 2:38 with toasted oak and clove dominating.  

 

Bottle, Bar, or Bust: I found Big Blaze Bourbon to have all of the great things people love about Bourbon. It was sweet, it had some spiciness, and that finish; oh, that finish, you don’t come across it often. There’s nothing not to like. It is well worth the cost of admission. It earns every little bit of my Bottle rating.

 

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Final Thoughts: Sometimes I have trouble rating a group of whiskeys from best to least enjoyable. Today, that was easy. Big Blaze Bourbon is the clear winner; I’d buy that all day long. Big Catch Bourbon comes next, with Aspen Aged Rye bringing up the rear. 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.