Stranahan’s® Colorado Whiskey, the leading American single malt, is proud to introduce Mountain Angel 10 Year Old – the brand’s oldest, rarest release to date and the first and only American single malt aged 10 years in new charred American oak casks. With this ultra-premium spirit, the pioneering Denver distillery pushes the boundaries of American single malt, showcasing the category’s ability to compete against popular, rare Bourbons and Scotches.
Mountain Angel 10 Year Old is comprised of 100% Rocky Mountain barley and Colorado spring water, made in small batches before aging for 10 years in new American oak barrels with a #3 char. Global single malts are traditionally aged in ex-Bourbon barrels to allow for extended aging; however, the flavor profile of these single malts are influenced during maturation by the former Bourbon that filed the casks and is saturated in the oak. By using new American oak barrels, Stranahan’s is able to balance the flavors of Mountain Angel 10 Year Old’s malt distillate and oak barrels, without outside influences.
As a result of Denver’s high altitude and dry climate, Mountain Angel 10 Year Old saw a unique angel’s share loss, with several of the 10-year barrels experiencing a loss of up to 80%. This extreme amount of evaporation imparted the remaining whiskey with a heavily concentrated oak flavor profile and silky mouthfeel. Only a handful of these volume-reduced barrels made it to a decade of maturation, and as a result Mountain Angel 10 Year Old is available in very limited quantities with less than 500 bottles hitting the market this year.
In launching Mountain Angel 10 Year Old, Stranahan’s raises the profile of the American single malt category with this rare, aged expression.
“Stranahan’s has produced single malt whiskeys for almost 20 years, allowing us to hold back casks for extended maturation to see how they evolve, but aging whiskey in Denver comes with certain challenges,” said Owen Martin, Head Distiller at Stranahan’s. “Water evaporates from our casks more quickly in the mountains than at sea level, which leaves limited supply and little margin for error. After a decade of maturation, the Mountain Angel 10 Year Old casks saw an average angel’s share loss on par with a Scotch over twice its age, resulting in a liquid with a stunning concentration of flavor.”
The craft and quality of Mountain Angel 10 Year Old has been recognized by the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, winning a Double Gold medal, and ranking the aged American single malt among the finest whiskey products in the world.
