Fort
Collins, Colorado's 73 year history as a dry town,
inspired Curt and Nancy Richardson to launch and name their
craft distillery, Old Elk. That inspiration didn't stop there
either; they recently launched Dry Town Vodka and Dry Town
Gin and Nooku Bourbon Cream.
To
top it all off, they have accomplished all this since 2013.
But don't get them wrong, they're not rushing to get things
done. They've been quietly developing their recipes for nearly
three years.
They
use 4 times more malted barley in their Old Elk bourbon than
conventional recipes along with the rye and corn. They use
a slow cut proofing technique that enhances the bourbon's
flavor and whereas traditional proofing takes 24-48 hours
- theirs takes significantly longer. On top of all that, they
just recently won the 2016-2017 Colorado Distillery of the
Year award from the New York International Spirits Competition.
With
no age statement on the label other than "Straight Bourbon,"
we can safely assume that this spirit has been aged for at
least two years in the barrel. This Bourbon comes in a clear
bottle that has that wild, wild, west look that very nicely
shows off the amber colored spirit inside. The nose is sweet
with hints of vanilla, oak, ripe figs and butter and virtually
no alcohol vapors to get in the way. The palate is spicy and
sweet with touches of maple, chocolate and oak. The finish
is also pleasantly spicy and sweet, oaky and buttery and lasts
a medium amount of time. A couple of rocks thrown into the
mix really bring out the whiskey taste, rye and sweetness
in this bourbon.
Who'd
'a ever thunk it? Rocky Mountain bourbon making a splash against
all that Kentucky bourbon. Maybe it's the altitude or quite
possibly a team of distillers with decades of experience,
but whatever it is this bourbon is really quite pleasant,
has a whole lot of flavor going for it and is easy on the
throat. Unfortunately, it is in relatively limited distribution
today, but tomorrow holds out a lot of promise as these people
have big expansion plans. In the mean time if you're lucky
enough to find yourself in Fort Collins, (just a bit north
of Denver) and can find the time, definitely pick up a bottle
of Old Elk.
Old
Elk Straight Bourbon Whiskey is just a little tough
to find because production started up not too long ago and
distribution is expanding as fast as possible. Old Elk sells
for around $48.99 per 750ML bottle and is 88 proof or 44%
ABV.
By George Brozowski
For
more Rants & Raves click
here.
https://www.oldelk.com/
