Smoky | Malty | Heavy peat | Punchy heat | Bold & unique

Dark chocolate | Charred oak | Malty | Smoky | Peaty | Touch of dark coffee | Potent with plenty of heat

Heat crescendos | Baking chocolate | Molasses | Malty-peaty-smokiness lingers

Continuing their exploration into relatively unfamiliar territory, Lost Lantern’s fall 2022 Boulder Spirits cask highlights an American single malt that combines a smoky peat-heavy flavor profile with a surprisingly high proof point. Boulder Spirits by Vapor Distillery is located in Boulder, Colorado, and the company’s founder and owner, Alastair Brogan, is originally from Scotland. To that end, the company is making a name for itself in the world of distilling by using a traditional Scottish copper pot still Brogan brought over when he moved from Scotland over 10 years ago.

Entering HAZMAT territory and then some, this particular cask finds itself edging towards more typical peated Scotch territory. However, it's quite a bit higher proof and quite a bit richer than Scotch tends to be. This is most likely due to climate differences and cask type - Scotland is more temperate than most areas in the United States and Scotch is typically aged in ex-bourbon casks, compared to the new char 3 Kelvin Cooperage cask used and presumably the more extreme aging conditions it underwent. Notably, the distillate was entered into the barrel at 123 proof, so it gained quite a bit of proof in just 5 years. The result is a bold whiskey that shares a level of gripping intensity with historically higher proof editions of Buffalo Trace's George T. Stagg (a relevant comparison because it's a trait George T. Stagg, in particular, is known for), but also one that will be quite polarizing for typical bourbon drinkers given its smoky-peaty flavor profile. If this sounds like it's in your wheelhouse of flavor preference, this whiskey certainly won't disappoint.

The cask chosen for this release produced a total of 164 bottles.