Whiskey and the Mile High City — The Distillery Making Single Malt in the Rocky Mountains
On a given Friday in Denver—especially in neighborhoods like Baker, RiNo, or the historic LoDo—you’re likely to find a mix of students and young professionals, road-tripping tourists and outdoorsy locals, all mingling among the city’s mix of dives, brewery taprooms, and cocktail lounges. But as compelling as the people-watching can be, it’s got nothing on the Rocky Mountain backdrop, on Denver’s ineffable sense of place.
Bartender Skylar Dorman describes Denver as a “big city [with a] little-town feel,” one that’s known for its elevated drinks and dining options while still retaining a cozy, local feel. “We are able to get the best products, do really cool things, and change people’s expectations or ideas of us being still a cow town,” he says. “Don’t get me wrong—Denver still has plenty of ‘Cheers’-style bars, with everyday regulars. However, we have grown up, and have bars and bartenders that are competing nationally and internationally.”
Dorman discovered his love of bartending, and of cocktail development, while working at The Kitchen Denver. “Our leader at that time, Dustin Lawlor, had such a passion for spirits and what each one brought individually. Training under him was one of the greatest experiences I could ask for, and I learned so much. He ignited a passion [in me] for the history and art of spirits.” This same spark is common among the many talented bartenders in Denver, he says. “I love all the creativity there is around the city. It’s such a small and close community that truly supports and drives each other to try new things and continue to better ourselves.”
Still, most outsiders would be forgiven for not associating the Mile High City with cocktails. Denver is home to an array of breweries—around 150—and hosts the Great American Beer Festival every autumn; its long-established craft beer scene is one of the city’s calling cards. But for some local distilleries, that isn’t so much a reason to worry as a point of inspiration.
“I don’t think Stranahan’s would be here without the craft beer culture that’s sprung up in Denver,” says Stranahan’s master distiller, Owen Martin. “So, even our base ingredients kind of touch on that culture here, because we use all these specialty malts to basically brew a Porter here, and that’s what we distill. As a single malt producer, I usually say you can trace our roots—100% malted barley, so we’re like Scotch; new charred barrel, so we’re like bourbon in that respect; but I think craft beer is our third big influence, and that is specifically tied to Denver.”
UNEXPECTED MEETINGS
Stranahan’s was officially founded in 2004, but the idea to start a single-malt whiskey distillery in the Rocky Mountains took root much earlier. On April 2, 1998, the future co-founder of Stranahan’s and founder of Tincup Whiskey, Jess Graber, remembers the unexpected meeting that changed the course of his career. “I was a volunteer firefighter at the time, and responded to a neighbor’s barn fire down the road. That barn belonged to George Stranahan—he was a philanthropist, rancher, and microbrew owner. We became friends following the event and discovered we had a shared passion for the Colorado outdoors and fine whiskey.”
I was a volunteer firefighter at the time and responded to a neighbor’s barn fire down the road. That barn belonged to George Stranahan—he was a philanthropist, rancher, and microbrew owner. We became friends following the event and discovered we had a shared passion for the Colorado outdoors and fine whiskey.
Barn fires aren’t typically how business partners come together, but the connection stuck, and the idea started to take shape. The late George Stranahan owned a brewery in Denver, and the nascent whiskey distillery moved in next door. It went on to become Colorado’s first new legal whiskey distillery since Prohibition. “We knew whiskey-making and craft brewing share a number of similarities,” Graber says, noting that there wasn’t much of a leap between the two businesses. “In both cases, a mash is made from a recipe of grains and yeast, then transferred to a fermentation vessel.”
The duo began by using George Stranahan’s facilities to brew the base for their first expression, the aptly named Original. The inaugural whiskey was released in 2006, and Stranahan’s was officially open for business. “This was a new Colorado whiskey different from anything east or west of the Rockies, and the rest is, as they say, history,” Graber says. “We built Stranahan’s to create a Colorado whiskey, finding a style to best utilize pristine, Colorado-sourced ingredients.”
In another moment of beer-adjacent serendipity, Owen Martin, now Stranahan’s head distiller, initially planned to become a brewer. During the craft beer boom of the early 2010s, he looked into attending brewing school, but he soon hit a roadblock: All the programs he could find domestically had year-long waiting lists. As a result, he sought schooling abroad, and ultimately decided on Scotland’s Heriot-Watt University in 2013.
“I’d say I was introduced to good whiskey while I was over there,” Martin says. “I had previously done an undergrad, so I was familiar with drinking very bad whiskey, but [Scotland] was the first time I really had a quality single malt.” The first dram he remembers appreciating was a 12-year-old single malt whisky produced by Balvenie.
“I shot it back and as soon as I shot it, I realized, ‘Oh, shit, this isn’t Fireball,’” Martin laughs. So, he went right back up to the bar, bought the same dram, and then proceeded to sit there “very nice, slowly, and respectfully after that.” By the time he graduated with a master’s degree in brewing and distilling and came back to the States, he had changed course and decided to tap into the whiskey industry.
Upon his return, Martin took on the role of lead distiller for the Little Rock, Arkansas-based Rock Town Distillery in 2014. He crafted bourbon and rye whiskey for the distillery for a couple of years before pursuing his calling: single malt whiskey. “Bourbon and rye weren’t really my passion, but it was good to kind of jump into the industry,” Martin says. “Having lived in Scotland and really got an appreciation for barley and single malt … I’d been looking at that point, and Stranahan’s had a job posting. I knew that was one of my places I really wanted to work. So, I immediately jumped on that.”
The full-circle moment occurred when the gentleman who bought Martin his first Balvenie dram in Scotland turned out to work for Stranahan’s, and vouched for Martin’s expertise and skill set. The recommendation worked in Martin’s favor: Colorado has no shortage of excellent brewers and distillers, and out-of-state hires can be uncommon. However, Stranahan’s made an exception, and Martin came on board in 2016.
THE ORIGINAL SETS THE STAGE
This year, Stranahan’s celebrated its 15th anniversary. “There’s not a whole lot of places with the history in the U.S. that Stranahan’s has,” Martin says. That’s particularly true given that the distillery is technically a couple of years older than that, since Stranahan’s decided not to release any whiskey until it had aged for at least two years.
“I feel like that’s pretty rare, especially nowadays—most distilleries that are starting up need money, as most businesses do, right?” says Martin. “You either have to make gin and vodka or something that you don’t have to age, or you have to buy whiskey from another distillery and repackage it.” As a forerunner in the American single malt category, Stranahan’s didn’t go down the gin or vodka routes; instead, it made a conscious decision not to release anything until the whiskey was ready, for fear of diluting its brand and mission.
The Stranahan’s portfolio is led by its flagship Original, as well as its Blue Peak, Sherry Cask, Snowflake, and others. All of its whiskeys are distilled, aged, and bottled on site at the Denver distillery, and are made using 100% malted barley and local water sources.
“[W]e believe that true American single malts can compete with the best Scotches and bourbons from around the world,” says Graber. “American single malt deserves its own category next to bourbon and Scotch because of the high-quality ingredients that go into it. Scotch has the purity of Speyside, and we have the high altitude and cleanliness of the Rocky Mountains in our water and barley.”
Colorado is famous for its elevation and mountains, and those regional characteristics have a distinct impact on the overall whiskey character as it matures. The state’s high altitude leads to a unique angel’s share loss, which is the amount of distilled spirit that evaporates out of the barrel over time. Stranahan’s loses more out of its casks than if it were aging at sea level, and the result is a higher-proof whiskey with a robust and complex flavor profile.
“I think we make whiskey that’s just as good, if not better than most bourbons and Scotches out there,” says Martin. “So, I think it’s really about—on an educational level—trying to get consumers aware of what a single malt even is, and what makes us different than the standard categories that people are aware of, and pushing their palates to show what we’re capable of. Being such a young category, one of the things that’s most fun for me is that we get to kind of push it and define it as we grow.”
As a single malt producer, I usually say you can trace our roots—100% malted barley, so we’re like Scotch; new charred barrel, so we’re like bourbon in that respect; but I think craft beer is our third big influence and that is specifically tied to Denver.
At first whiff, the Original offers a subtly sweet combination of caramel and maple notes. The creamy, flavorful palate slightly mirrors the aroma with hints of rich caramel, but this time married to brown sugar, with a delicate punch of oak. Blue Peak is just as approachable, but is matured a bit longer, at four years. The whiskey is marked by a golden apple and warm caramel aroma, graced with an inviting palate of butterscotch and candied nuts.
“Being from Colorado and in the industry, I remember the pride a lot of us felt having a single malt made right here at home,” says Dorman. “Even better was watching it grow and gain recognition around the States and now the world. [It’s] just a beautiful place making beautiful things.” Dorman appreciates the versatility of the whiskeys crafted by Stranahan’s. Though he enjoys a neat pour, he also mentions that the spirits are “the cornerstone of some of the best cocktails.” One he recommends is a riff on the New York Sour called the Summertime Sour. The drink consists of 1.5oz of Stranahan’s Sherry Cask, 0.75oz of lemon juice, 0.5oz of strawberry shrub, 0.25oz of simple syrup, and a float of rosé wine.
FORGING AHEAD
Though COVID-19 has stifled many of the in-person events historically held at the distillery, including the launches of limited-edition bottles in its Cask Thief series—exclusive, rare expressions from distinct barrels in the rack house—Stranahan’s has still been able to pivot and innovate.
Being from Colorado and in the industry, I remember the pride a lot of us felt having a single malt made right here at home. Even better was watching it grow and gain recognition around the States and now the world. [It’s] just a beautiful place making beautiful things.
“This year has been a big year of change for us—in a good way,” Martin says. Stranahan’s recently released a distillery-exclusive whiskey made in partnership with Bushmills. The Bushmills’ casks were filled four years ago in 2017, and the bulk of the blend is eight years old and consists of four-year-old Stranahan’s whiskey. Prior to the Bushmills partnership was the release of Mountain Angel, Stranahan’s oldest, rarest bottle to date, and its first 10-year-old American single malt. “I am super fortunate and super lucky to be able to play with all this older whiskey. So, being able to blend the first ever 10-year-old release was freaking amazing,” Martin says.
The Stranahan’s team continues to innovate within the category of American single malt, and that no doubt leaves an impression on the whiskey industry. “As a proud co-founder, [our] contribution to whiskey propelled the American single malt category through innovation, setting trends, and showcasing a refined craft spirit with creativity and a range of flavor,” says Graber, who describes it as a distinctive whiskey category that can play alongside Scotch, Japanese whisky, bourbon, rye, and Irish whiskey. “Stranahan’s defines the next generation of great whiskey making. It’s the true definition of an American single malt.”
Words by Gabrielle Pharms
Illustrations by Ryan Troy Ford