Stranahan's Upgrades Its Classic American Single Malt

Stranahan's classic bottle of small-batch American single is getting old. To celebrate the fifteen-year anniversary of the first bottling of Stranahan's, the distillery is releasing its original expression with new labels and an older spirit in the bottle. The new release will bear the word "Original" on the label, giving whiskey drinkers a chance to get a taste of the distillery's seventeen-year history.

"We decided it was a great time to elevate that original recipe, and we are now delivering this well-made,] aged whiskey that contains the same DNA of our past original and maintains the same profile that everyone knows," says Stranahan's head distiller, Owen Martin, who is launching the new product to commemorate the first bottles that were filled way back in 2006. "I think longtime fans will be happy, and those who haven't had Stranahan's in a long time, well, it's a reason to check it out again."

The new Original contains the same blend of whiskey as the previous classic, but instead of blending two-, three-, four- and five -year-old whiskey, the separate barrels have been aged four, five, six and seven years before being blended. And at $55.99 a bottle, the price point remains comparable. 
That's not the only thing rolling out of this Denver distillery. Over the past year, Stranahan's has released Mountain Angel, the ten-year-aged whiskey; Stranahan’s Bushmills Irish Single Malt Cask; and Blue Peak, which launched last fall. Soon, says Martin, there will be an experimental series that can only be purchased at the distillery and won't be made again. Those bottles, he says, are more for the die-hard fans and locals. Then, of course, there's Snowflake, which wasn't bottled last year; instead, the carefully crafted blend was put back in barrels to refine even more. Hopefully, says the distiller, it will be released at the end of this year or the beginning of 2022.

"Obliviously, we have fun with our super-limited, super-fan-based things, but we want any consumer to be able to try our stuff," says Martin, which is part of the reason the new classic Stranahan's American single malt will feature more refined whiskey. "My overall goal has been to elevate our whiskey and be viewed as a player in the bourbon and Scotch category." 
Stranahan's was first the distillery to open in Denver after Prohibition (some 85 years later), and the one that really pushed the idea of an American single-malt whiskey. Get a taste for yourself when the new bottles launch at the distillery (200 South Kalamath Street) on Saturday, April 10; to celebrate, there will also be giveaways and prizes on social media. If you can't make it to the distillery this weekend, the new whiskey will be available in liquor stores beginning Monday, April 12. Martin says the tasting room and tours will hopefully be opening again to the public on a regular basis, but for now tours are only available with an online reservation. Stranahan's general store is also open at the distillery from noon to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday and noon to 8 p.m. Friday through Sunday, so you can always stop in to see what's new.

Even as the distillery expands its offerings, some things haven't changed, adds Martin. The company still fills its barrels by hand, and real people are a big part of day-to-day production. Stranahan's is just growing up, and as it passes the fifteen-year mark since the first bottle was sold, the whiskey is maturing, too.