Whisky: Stranahan's Cask 15-0987 for Parker Payless Liquors

Country/Region: United States/Colorado

ABV: 55.36%

Cask: Oak

Nose: Brown sugar, vanilla, and oak. A plank of lacquered wood with a smattering of oaky spice: vanilla, brown sugar, cinnamon, cherry pits, and ginger. Malty sugars hid something lactic, almost medicinal, that appeared between hints of ginger molasses cookies, yeasty dough, and spirited heat.

Palate: Medium-bodied and fairly tannic with oak, brown sugar, and fruit notes. Apple sauce and apple chutney came to mind with pickled mango and black cherry, while a tannic grip reached across the tongue. Drying notes of oaky spice with vanilla, brown sugar, and almond. Sour cherry pits pushed to center stage with a vigorous youthful spirit and an oaky dark chocolate bitterness.

Finish: Lingering astringency with dry almond, cherry, and apple notes.

Score: 4

Mental Image: Cherry Cinchona Cola

Notes: I had been on the lookout to try a Stranahan’s for quite a while. I almost picked up a bottle a few years back when a local store had a two-year single cask from the Colorado-based distillery. However, a store employee gave me the secret signal that he did not like the bottle and recommended I steer clear. I have since heard that it was not bad, so lesson learned, maybe. Conceivably I should not take whisky advice from the guy I turn to for sake takes.

There were some intriguing notes here, especially the initial fruit and the dry chocolate or almond near the end. Yet, the experience felt dominated by the cask’s influence. I assume Stranahan’s matured this in virgin oak based on the strength of the tannins, especially on the finish. I am curious how this malt would do in a less aggressive refill cask— a sentiment I have shared with other American single malts. I do not care for malts that imitate bourbon’s aggressive oaky flavors. I want the malt on center stage, not the oak.

Overall, this was intriguing, though I have no idea if it was representative of Stranahan’s or just the preferences of the store that selected the cask. Perhaps they were the ones looking for something more familiar for bourbon drinkers. I appreciated how distinctive this felt from Balcones, Westland, or Westward, and I am always excited to try more American single malts as the category grows and matures.