Heavy peat | Campfire | Fresh hay | Some spice

Peat | Smoky undertone | Steeped black tea | Cigar box | Rich

Allspice | Leather | Lingering smoke

Mile High Spirits gets their name from the fact that they are based out of the mile-high city, Denver, Colorado. It’s a distillery that revels in being unique and having fun, which permeates through experiencing the distillery first-hand, into their marketing, and most importantly into their whiskeys.

Each label features a subtle piece of unique art on the front, the Colorado state flag on the bottleneck, and a description of the whiskey on the back. Peated Fireside Single Malt was created with the intent of being intentionally “Scotch-ish” according to the label. Mile High imported Scottish grains for this release, and then crafted the whiskey in Denver using what they describe as using similar techniques.

The similar techniques translate to a peated single malt whiskey that tastes uniquely American, specifically a peated Scotch-like sip that’s more bold by comparison. Peat emanates throughout this whiskey, but thankfully, it never reaches Laphroaig levels. Fireside’s higher proof likely contributes to its boldness, but the peat-driven flavors are dialed up a notch compared to typical lower proof peated scotches by comparison. A nice smoky flavor also develops, which starts off more like campfire on the nose but then morphs into a complementary smoky undertone that lasts throughout the rest of the sip. Notes of black tea, cigar box, allspice, and leather add further depth. Overall, this is a fun whiskey from Mile High Spirits that requires the drinker to enjoy peated malt flavors in order to appreciate it.

The whiskey in review comes from barrel 18j11.1c2.