If you’re into mountains, there’s no better place to be than Colorado. Meanwhile, growing up in Flint, MI, the highest nearby peak was a whopping 1,330 feet, the front half of which was ski slopes and the back an active mine. All that to say, I’ll gladly toast to the Rocky Mountains by drinking Tincup Fourteener.
For the 2nd year in a row, the Colorado-based Tincup has released Fourteener, an annual limited-edition series of 14-year-old whiskey, as a tribute to Colorado’s peaks that rise above 14,000 feet. Last year it celebrated Long’s Peak, and this year sees Quandary Peak adorn the bottle. As part of the release, they also throw $14,000 to the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative, an organization that works to preserve and restore trails among other things.
All that’s well and good, but is the whiskey? I’m happy to say it absolutely is. Tincup Fourteener is a stellar whiskey of which I’ll immediately buy a backup bottle. Even at the low proof, it packs a ton of great oak and dark fruit flavor and a great spiciness. It’s a high-rye bourbon (36% rye) sourced from MGP in Indiana, so if you like Smoke Wagon or Redemption High Rye, you’ll dig this one.
The bourbon is brought down to 84% ABV with water from Eldorado Spring, just outside Boulder, CO. Every brand is happy to tell you their water is the secret ingredient, but that carries about as much weight as vodka bragging about being distilled seven times instead of six. That said, Eldorado Spring was voted the 2nd best tasting water in the world, and 1st in the US, so do with that what you will.
Tasting notes
Nose: Vanilla, Sugar Cookie
Palate: Caramel, Syrup, Vanilla
Finish: Medium long finish with butterscotch
Tincup Fourteener – $70
