Review: Stranahan’s Distiller’s Experimental Series: Batch No. 005 (Gin Finish)

Founded in 2004, Stranahan’s in Denver, Colorado is the state’s first legal whiskey distillery since Prohibition. Stranahan’s is producing American single malts from grain to glass using only four ingredients: 100% malted barley, yeast, Rocky Mountain water, and time in the barrel.

During a trip to Colorado over the summer of 2022, I visited Stranahan’s with my cousin Jayson for a guided whiskey tasting. Over the course of one hour, we learned about the history of Stranahan’s and sampled four of their American single malts paired with an assortment of snacks. At the conclusion of the tasting, we decided to purchase a bottle from the distillery shop to take back to our Airbnb and enjoy over the remainder of our vacation. Two unconventional expressions stood out, both distillery exclusives: one was a Stranahan’s single malt finished in a Tequila cask, the other a Stranahan’s single malt finished in an American gin cask that formerly held a single malt Scotch whisky. We opted for the latter.

Stranahan’s Distiller’s Experimental Series: Batch No. 005 (Gin Finish) has been aged for 6 years and 2 months, with at least 4 of those years initially spent in new American oak prior to be transferred to the gin cask for finishing. Stranahan’s is not disclosing the exact length of the gin cask finish – when I reached out, I was told that they’ve “chosen to keep this information an industry secret for this particular release.”

Stranahan’s Distiller’s Experimental Series: Batch No. 005 (Gin Finish) Specifications:

• Spirit: American Whiskey.
• Classification: Single Malt.
• Region: Colorado.
• Age: 6 Years 2 Months.
• ABV: 51.5% (103 Proof).
• Cask Type: Matured in new American oak and finished in an American gin cask that formerly held a single malt Scotch whisky.
• Other: Natural Color, NCF (Non-Chill Filtered).
• Price Paid: $49.99 for 375 mL.

Tasting Notes:

• Color: Amber.
• Nose: Orange zest and a hint of lemon zest. Rose water, butterscotch, juniper, pine, and a hint of lavender. Irish Spring soap.
• Palate: Creamy, slightly oily mouthfeel. Orange zest, lemon, green apple, apricot, black cherries, juniper, fennel, cardamom, coriander, clove, tobacco, black pepper, leather, rose water, lavender, butterscotch, caramel, and honey.
• Finish: Medium length. The citrus, orchard fruit, stone fruit, botanical, and floral notes from the palate continue through the finish, fading slowly. There’s a lingering sweetness of butterscotch and honey, as well as herbs (tobacco) and spices (clove).

This was a pleasant surprise. I was worried the gin cask finish would overpower the whiskey, but it was more subtle than expected and contributed a light botanical character that was well balanced with the other flavors of the whiskey.

Stranahan’s Distiller’s Experimental Series: Batch No. 005 was the product of a single cask yielding just 480 half bottles. This specific release isn’t listed on the Distillery Exclusives page of the Stranahan’s website, so I suspect it’s now sold out. If it somehow happens to still be available at the distillery shop, I recommend purchasing a bottle. If not? Take one of their other Distiller’s Experimental Series exclusives for a spin, and keep an eye out for future gin cask finished releases.

Rating: B (83-86%).

• American Whiskey
• Single Malt
• Stranahan's
• Stranahan's Distiller's Experimental Series