Initial Thoughts
First off for those of you that haven’t tried the original Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey head over to our review and read that! I think you’ll be thoroughly impressed with what it has to offer. To continue off of that story I’m beyond excited to try this new release from Stranahan’s their Sherry Cask Finish. The Sherry Cask finish seems to be on the rage these days in the distilling world or I’m just getting lucky and hearing about them now. If you remember a couple of weeks ago we reviewed the new Papa’s Pilar Rum in Sherry Cask finish as well! Being more of a whiskey guy than a rum guy I’m super geeked about this release.
The story behind this particular whiskey is that the master distiller Rob Dietrich began experimenting using different barrels to finish his 4 year old yellow label Stranahan’s. He decided to try filling a 500L Oloroso Sherry Cask from the Andalusia region of Spain, known for some of the best Sherry wines in the world. As he began experimenting he loved what the casks were adding in terms of flavor to his already stellar single malt whiskey. These barrels have aged wine for over 40 years and leave behind some incredible flavors soaking in the wood. So Rob wanted to grab onto those flavors and infuse them into his whiskey to create a magical blend. After reading all of that info about this product in the press release I knew I had to get my hands on a bottle. Luckily the folks were kind of enough to send me a nice sized sample bottle and I’ve even had a chance to do a cigar pairing with it. We’ll talk more about that later. Let’s dive into the review.
Looks
What I love about this Stranahan’s Sherry Cask finish is the simplicity of the packaging. It’s not much of a detour from their original packaging but they had to make it stand out just a bit. The band across the bottle is a dark maroon with similar labeling as their ‘yellow-label’ and the silver cup that you find on the top of every Stranahan’s bottle is the same maroon color. It’s a beautifully simple packaging that can certainly catch your eyes on the liquor stores shelves. Assuming you can find a bottle! Time to pour a dram or 2 and find out what sort of flavors this single malt has to offer!
Flavor
I’m using my trusty NEAT glass to review this Stranahan’s Sherry Cask finish. I want to make sure and get all the aromas and flavors out of it. Especially with the limited amount that I have, I really want to savor it. First off I pick up a ripened fruit similar to a dark cherry note. Then I pick up what I’m labeling as apricots. You get a little bit of raisins in there which I absolutely love!
On the palate I pick up a good dose of honey. It’s just thick and sweet. Some notes of fig which is very exciting and something that I don’t usually pick up, but I’m loving it in this blend. Finally on the finish I get a nice long mouth feel that coats my tongue and lingers around with those sweet notes of honey and caramel. It’s absolutely delicious. This is definitely different from their yellow label but man is it tasty. I can see myself sitting around all winter sipping on this Stranahan’s Sherry Cask finish, it’s that good!
Conclusion
Clearly, the folks at Stranahan’s have picked a winner with this release. I have yet to have their Diamond Peak or annual Snowflake release but man, it’s going to be tough to top this whiskey. There is so much going on in terms of flavor. Yet none of the flavors are overpowering. There’s some thick sweetness that just oozes throughout each sip. It has paired incredibly well with the spicy cigar that I’m smoking. It’s a great combination of the sweet and spice that compliment each other. Right now they’re pricing a 750ml bottle at $79 in retail. I have no problem saying I would go pick up one right now. It’s certainly a special occasion whiskey and I couldn’t drink it everyday, well I could, but then my daughter might not be going to college. So grab a bottle if you find one and pour glass and just sip back and relax. I think you’ll appreciate it as much as I have! Cheers.
