Stranahan’s Single Barrel Cask Strength

Single Malt Whiskey

(Surdyk’s Private Barrel)

American single malt whiskey is still in the wild and wooly stage. It was only last summer that the TTB (the federal agency responsible for regulating distilled spirits) put out a proposal to officially define the category. But Stranahan’s has been at the forefront of single malt whiskey production since its founding in 2004, when it became Colorado’s first legal distillery since Prohibition. Like their Scottish counterparts, Stranahan’s makes all of their whiskey with 100% malted barley (and Rocky Mountain spring water). Then, like many of their American whiskey brethren, they age their whiskey in charred new oak barrels. While I’m a big fan of Stranahan’s original single malt whiskey, Surdyk’s private barrel of their cask strength version dials the rich maple and toffee flavors up to 11. Bottled at a robust 109 proof, this is a decadently delicious dram that should appeal to Scotch and bourbon drinkers alike.

Amaras Cupreata Mezcal

It wasn’t all that long ago that you were lucky to find one brand of mezcal on liquor store shelves in this country—and that one had a worm in it. (It still does.) In recent years, the mezcal category has grown by leaps and bounds. Now there are not just dozens of choices of classic mezcals made from the espadin agave in the Mexican state of Oaxaca, but there are also mezcals made from different kinds of agave, and in different parts of Mexico. Among these more exotic bottlings, one of my favorites is Amarás’s joven (unaged) mezcal made in the state of Guerrero from the cupreata agave. (And apparently I’m not the only one who thinks it’s fantastic—it won Best in Show for all unaged spirits at last year’s prestigious San Francisco World Spirits Competition.) Appealingly herbaceous, with just enough smoke to add another layer of complexity to its array of floral and vegetal flavors, it makes a great Old Fashioned as well as a sensational straight sipper.