Orange zest | Clove | Malt-steeped tea | Hint of pipe tobacco

Cocoa nib | Mixed nuts | Caramel | Seasoned oak | Graham cracker

Dark chocolate | Pretzel bun | Leather | Lingering cocoa nib

Stranahan’s is based in Denver, Colorado, and has distilled whiskey since 2004, focusing 100% on American single malts. Stranahan’s Bottled in Bond American Single Malt Whiskey is a commemorative limited edition release honoring America’s 250th and Colorado’s 150th anniversaries. The whiskey used for this release was distilled in the spring distillation season of 2015 (which covers January-June) and bottled in fall 2026. The whiskey was aged in new American white oak with a level 3 char, and then cut to proof with Rocky Mountain water from Eldorado Springs. The total release size is not disclosed; however, each label includes the individual bottle number.

American single malts offer a wide range of flavor profiles, using different malts, barrels ranging from new uncharred to used to new charred, and varying curation techniques. Like its lower proof standard whiskey, Stranahan’s Bottled in Bond American Single Malt Whiskey was aged in new charred oak barrels and was not distilled from a wildly unique malt. While the standard Stranahan’s is now a mix of 6-9 year old barrels, Stranahan’s Bottled in Bond American Single Malt Whiskey is one of Stranahan’s oldest releases, allowing over a decade in new charred oak to let oak-driven flavors take hold. It’s then proofed down to 100 as required by the Bottled in Bond Act of 1897.

All that is to say Stranahan’s Bottled in Bond American Single Malt Whiskey stands out in today’s growing American single malt marketplace. It’s a grounded American single malt. It doesn’t push too hard into smoky, citrusy, malty, or other more extreme flavor areas American single malts are known for. The one exception is that it reveals quite a bit of chocolate, in the form of cocoa nibs and dark chocolate, that starts on the sip and lingers in the finish. However, the chocolate-inspired notes are backed by a range of other flavors: orange zest, clove, malt-steeped tea, and pipe tobacco on the nose; mixed nuts, caramel, seasoned oak, and graham cracker on the palate; and pretzel bun and leather in the finish. The whiskey is gentle yet flavorful, familiar yet unique, and distinctively American single malt without being overly eccentric. It’s not a revolutionary Stranahan’s American single malt, but rather an evolutionary one. This combination earns it quintessential American single malt status, taking the standard Stranahan’s whiskey to the next level and sparking the concept of what consumers may consider a classic American single malt flavor profile.

The American single malt in review is bottle number 3468.