Latest news with #Stranahan's
Time Out
6 days ago
- Business
- Time Out
Why 26,000 whiskey fans are desperate to join this Colorado distillery's bottling day
Every month, Stranahan's Colorado Whiskey invites its fans to join in the labor-intensive but one-of-a-kind and honestly, pretty fun process of bottling this award-winning whiskey by hand. You'll work side-by-side with its professional distillers in the final step to bring the beloved whiskey to life. And, as a reward, you even get your own bottle of Stranahan's Original, a couple of taster glasses, and a well-earned lunch to enjoy after a day of hard work. But it's no easy feat to become one of the 'chosen few.' To ensure fairness, names are randomly selected from the list, and emails are sent to the lucky few who have been chosen to bottle. In fact, you'll be up against 26,000 other people on this list that's always growing in a lottery to get the chance to join this coveted experience. To some, it truly feels like winning the lottery if they're picked (or even better). I had the chance to go behind-the-scenes on a recent bottling day and get the scoop on this process and the ins and outs of this coveted experience and its home business. This is what a kid in a candy store must feel like As soon as we arrived at the warehouse headquarters where Stranahan's distills and bottles their liquor, and all the magic happens, my husband (and bottling line partner for the day) exclaimed, 'This feels like I'm in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory!' Admittedly, it was not nearly as child-friendly as Charlie's golden ticket winnings, boasting bottles of whiskey and barrels lining the walls around us, but perhaps even better for a spirits fan. We meet up as a group in the room where tastings and events such as their 'cheese and whiskey pairings' are typically hosted and we sign our waivers of liability. There is just as much of an air of excitement in the space since everyone in the space is grateful to be here. We chat with the other whiskey lovers and lucky lottery winners around us, and it feels like an organized sort of casual and enthusiastic chaos. It's as if we're on the precipice of competing as a team on a reality TV show. And, while we're here, they are filming for the TV show American Made, which adds more of an electric atmosphere among the workers and us volunteers. The list of bottling lottery volunteers has existed and has been growing for 13 years. Rachel, one of the employees who checks us into the facility, says she's been on the list for six years herself and has never been picked. Some people raise their hands and say they've been on the list for more than 10 and this is their first opportunity to join the experience. Some people (to others, chuckles or glaring stares, say this is not their first time on the line). The list of bottling lottery volunteers has existed and has been growing for 13 years. I ask the team how often this volunteer bottling process happens, and I am told it's typically two days a month for two shifts a day. But it's also on an 'as needed' basis, depending on when the whiskey is ready to bottle—so it's not even a consistent thing folks can count on to try to win every certain amount of time.& The Stranahan's team, who call itself a Strana 'fam,' is made up of less than 50 people, total. And from the volunteer side, I've learned that we're typically made up of mostly locals, but some folks have flown in from as far as New York and Kansas to join the team for the day. Our bottling happens from noon to 4pm on a Thursday, so it makes sense that not everyone can make it if they don't have time off work, or can't make the trip on a month to a few weeks' notice. But I'm told that people do drive hours to join the team for just those four hours—and I feel lucky I live less than 20 minutes from the Stranahan's warehouse and headquarters. Whiskey business We start the experience with a tour by team members Johnny and Wally, where we learn the history of Stranahan's. It's one of the first two distilleries to start making single malt whiskey and one of the most decorated single malt makers in the world—and its accolades. I learn that all the water used to make the whiskey is from Colorado, which is actually rated No. 1 nationally, but 'water sommeliers' (I guess that's a thing?), so even before it becomes whiskey, it's a high-quality liquid, apparently. And speaking of quality, I asked how many bottles volunteers typically make in a shift, and it's measured by pallets—two of which we filled throughout the course of our shift. That means we're making roughly 1,200 bottles per four-hour shift. But we're told quality over quantity is always valued first, because these bottles really do go to market. Then, we're taken into the bottling facility, where I'm told whatever we'll be bottling that day is between 5 to 9 years old. This detail strikes me because the liquor we're bottling is potentially equal in age to an American fourth grader. We're told that a 'good chunk' of the bottles on the market you'll find in a liquor store are made by volunteers, just like us. We're given insight into each element of the bottling and labeling process which includes everything from taking the naked bottles out of their boxes, cleaning them off, filling them with whiskey (no doubt the most 'Instagrammable' part of the line), corking, labeling, decorating, double checking, and packaging them back into the boxes they came in as empty glass—this time ready to be shipped off to somewhere potentially nationwide. And it's then that our four-hour shift begins. Upbeat music plays from the boombox in this big warehouse room and rotates positions every 20 minutes or so. Wally comes in donning half shots of 'OG whiskey' every once in a while for those who want to imbibe and keep the 'spirits' up, so to speak. Some of the folks on the line with us are taking their jobs very seriously. These volunteers pay meticulous attention to detail, and no speck of dust or drop of liquid is spared on their watch in their position. Some of us—or rather, the majority of us—are just here for fun and enthralled with the concept of this rare experience that we beat out literally 26,000 other folks for the opportunity to have. It takes about 45 minutes and perhaps a shot of whiskey (or two) to get into a solid rhythm, but soon there's an air of camaraderie and a sort of smoothness to our line. We get into a good flow, putting out, I figure out I'm very good at some of the jobs (emptying boxes and filling bottles) and not so great at others (labeling and taping). It's an interesting test of patience, fortitude and teamwork. And seemingly as soon as the experience begins, it ends, with all the bottles we need to make for the day filled and the boxes on the pallets getting ready to be shipped off to their final destination. We end the day with a cheer and exit the bottling room into the adjacent distillery area, where giant boxes of pizza greet us as a thank you for our service. We're each given a bottle of label-less 'OG' and told that, since we're labeling experts now, we can label it ourselves with anything we want on the bottle to commemorate our time with the team. It's better than any sort of monetary compensation, from my perspective. The experience brings together lovers of spirits and expert whiskey makers in a jovial environment that rings as a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Some of us even exchange phone numbers to keep in touch. And as I'm leaving the facility, I can't help but wonder if I'll see a bottle we helped make ourselves, at some point, somewhere, on a shelf. It's a cool closing thought.
Forbes
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
This Whiskey Just Cleaned Up At The 2025 San Francisco World Spirits Competition
DENVER, CO -FEBRUARY 18: Whisky being poured into a shoot glass at Stranahan's Colorado whisky, in ... More Denver Colorado, on February 23, 2017. (Photo by Amy Brothers /The Denver Post via Getty Images) If there's one thing Stranahan's knows how to do—besides distill award-winning American single malt—it's keep whiskey nerds lining up in tents at high altitude every winter like it's the Great American Barrel Migration. Their ultra-limited Snowflake release has long been the stuff of cultish devotion. This year? The devotion paid off. At the 2025 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, Stranahan's raked in seven Gold and Double Gold medals, including top honors for Snowflake Redcloud Peak, which was named a Best of Class finalist in the American Single Malt category. Not to be outdone, Mountain Angel 12-Year also earned a Double Gold and finalist status. Basically: if this were whiskey summer camp, Stranahan's just won all the merit badges. 'We stand in elite single malt territory, with a floor of Gold at SFWSC,' said Head Blender Justin Aden, who's been quietly blending up a storm inside a former Denver theater-turned-barrel room called Rackhouse 215. 'It's all a testament to our 21 years of toil, perfecting one recipe and one recipe only.' Let's pause there. One recipe. Twenty-one years. Multiple awards. And an entire rickhouse dedicated to barrels finished in everything from Sauternes to mezcal. No big deal. Red Cloud Peak Stranahan's Snowflake is an annual release that hardcore fans camp out for, sometimes days in advance, with lawn chairs, whiskey-fueled optimism, and a collective tolerance for Colorado winter. Redcloud Peak, this year's edition, is a high-wire blend of sherry, port, Sauternes, and other fortified wines that—somehow—doesn't tip into sticky sweetness. During a tasting when the whiskey was released, Aden described the process of creating Snowflake sort of like a whiskey séance. 'It starts to reveal itself to you,' he says. 'Some barrels you think you'll use for sure don't make the cut. Others surprise you.' He tasted through hundreds of barrels to build the final blend, composed of about a dozen casks. Stranahans Aden, who joined Stranahan's in May 2022, dove headfirst into the distillery's extensive barrel inventory to shape Red Cloud Peak. 'You have all year to work on it. You keep sampling and sampling and trying things mixed together, and it starts to reveal itself to you,' Aden explained during a tasting of the components that went into the whiskey. Unlike the previous year's Snowflake, which leaned heavily into smoky, mezcal-cask influences, Aden knew he wanted this year's blend to steer clear of peat and smoke. Instead, he focused on fruit-forward barrels and an array of fortified wine finishes, including Sherry, Sauternes, and Madera. 'All I knew for certain was there'd be no smoke, no peat in this year's version,' Aden said. 'But other than that, you come in completely unencumbered.' Stranahan's Snowflake releases are built from what Aden calls 'miniature blends' — smaller coupes that each showcase a specific flavor style. Red Cloud Peak's final composition includes: 'Building the blend is like building a house — you start with a cornerstone,' Aden said. 'Sometimes you think you're going one way, and the barrels lead you somewhere completely different.' The process is painstaking. Aden and his team tasted hundreds of barrels over the course of the year (tough work, I know), narrowing them down to about 12 to 16 for the final blend — a manageable number that allows the character of each cask to still be felt. Stranahan's Stranahan's Colorado location gives its whiskey a distinctive aging profile. Unlike the humid rickhouses of Kentucky, Denver's dry climate pulls more water than alcohol from the barrels, gradually concentrating the proof over time. 'We fill our barrels at 110 proof, which is a big departure from the industry standard,' Aden explained. 'It enables the fact that our whiskey proof goes up as it ages to be very gradual.' This slow and steady evaporation results in spirits that maintain bright fruit and vibrant structure — characteristics that shine through in Red Cloud Peak's lush, layered palate. Barrels at Stranahan's Snowflake isn't just about rare barrels and special finishes. For Aden, it's also about carrying forward a pioneering craft whiskey legacy. 'Twenty years ago, if you didn't have a little nepotism in Kentucky or Tennessee, you just weren't breaking in. Craft distilling changed that,' Aden said. 'Stranahan's deserves to be recognized at the top of that list.' As craft distilling in America boomed from just a handful of operations to more than 2,000 today, Stranahan's stayed the course: refusing to source whiskey, focusing exclusively on American single malt, and pushing creative boundaries year after year. Snowflake's continued success — and the dedicated fans who camp out to get a bottle — are proof that Stranahan's spirit of innovation and adventure is alive and well under Aden's leadership. 'We have people who haven't missed one in ten years,' Aden said. 'That kind of loyalty — that's rare. That's something you have to earn every single time.' Stranahan's Lineup Snowflake may get the Instagram buzz, but Stranahan's other bottles are no slackers. Here's how the rest of the lineup performed: 'It's easy for me to wax about this part of the job,' Aden says. 'To take the culmination of so much hard work, put it together, and have it sing—there's nothing like it.' He's talking about blending, of course—but it's also a fair way to describe what Stranahan's is up to more broadly. In a still-emerging category, the distillery isn't chasing trends so much as quietly refining its voice – and winning some awards in the process.
Forbes
15-05-2025
- General
- Forbes
This Brewer's Cask Single Malt Doesn't Let Beer Overpower The Whiskey
Stranahan's Diamond Peak Brewer's Cask Colorado-based Stranahan's celebrated their 20th anniversary in 2024, and today, the Denver distillery is one of the oldest producers of American Single Malt. (A category of spirit that was recognized by the federal government this past January.) While the distillery is known for a wide variety of specialty releases and cask finishes, one of its latest bottles pays homage to its origins and Colorado's storied brewing culture. Fortunately for whiskey drinkers, this is one collaboration where the beer enhances the drinking experience instead of overpowering it. All Stranahan's single malt initially ages in new charred American oak barrels. After an initial aging period, often between four and six years, some of that whiskey is transferred to a variety of other casks for extended finishing. As someone who has seen their operation up close, the distillery's deep stocks feature a dizzying array of finishing casks, including barrels that previously held a broad diversity of wines, as well as spirits including mezcal, rum, peated Scotch, and more. To focus in on a single type of secondary barrel aging, Diamond Peak is Stranahan's annual, nationwide bottling that highlights 'one specific variety of speciality cask-finished whiskies.' The 2025 version of Diamond Peak—the fourth edition overall—is titled 'Local Brewer's Cask.' To create the expression, Stranahan's lent their used American single malt casks to four Denver-area breweries. Local beer was aged in those barrels, after which they were dumped and returned to Stranahan's (or 'boomeranged' according an evocatively worded press release). Those barrels were then refilled with Stranahan's single malt, which aged for an additional period of between one and one-and-a-half years, depending on the barrel. The liquid in those final barrels was blended to create this year's Diamond Peak release. Previous versions of Diamond Peak featured whiskey that underwent additional aging in casks that once held Bushmills, extra añejo tequila, and Caribbean rum. (Bushmills and Stranahan's are both owned by Proximo Spirits.) But this latest, beer-influenced Diamond Peak gets extra points due to the nostalgia factor. In fact, the first version of what would become Stranahan's single malt was distilled from beer mash made by Colorado's Flying Dog Brewery. Stranahan's has long maintained relationships and collaborated with local breweries on a variety of projects. But the proof is ultimately in the taste. So how does this latest Diamond Peak stack up? The nose starts off with some classic scents familiar to longtime Stranahan's drinkers: dried orange peel, candied ginger, rum raisin ice cream, fresh drip coffee, and heavily spiced fruitcake. At least based on aroma, it's a little funkier and more intensely spiced than some other recent expressions from the distillery—but it's certainly not overpoweringly hoppy or otherwise tilted more toward beer than the base whiskey. (A trough some beer barrel-finished American whiskeys can easily fall into, for better or for worse.) The palate leads with some light tropical fruit—fresh pineapple, ripe papaya—with some tannins in the realm of cigar box and fermented tea leaves. Birch and cedar build mildly at the midpalate, along with mulberries and a touch of hard apple cider. The flavor is quite pronounced for 90 proof (frankly a bit more than I was expecting), which leads to a balanced finish that once again leans into a variety of fruits with enough oak to cut through the sweetness. This latest iteration of Stranahan's Diamond Peak is now available at the distillery for $79.99 and at select retailers (where prices may vary).
