Deerhammer out of the mountain town of Buena Vista opened in 2010, with a Single Malt aged at a crazy altitude, looking to make a mark on the Colorado Whiskey Landscape that hadn’t yet blossomed into the scene we enjoy today.
That didn’t slow down Deerhammer from blossoming into a large player in the Colorado Distilling scene. Starting from one single, custom still that produced 1 barrel of whiskey a month, they have grown to producing 1 barrel a day that is aged at least 4 years. They don’t just craft Single Malt Whiskey though. In addition to that, Deerhammer has multiple other offerings and series to try. If you listen to A Colorado Craft Podcast, well the Progeny series embodies that idea in each bottle – a fully Colorado Craft Partnership that sees local whiskey finished in unique ways through with other crafters in the Centennial State, including non-beverage crafters. Series 4 sees the mountain whiskey partner with Colorado Winery Carboy to create an extremely unique flavor profile that could only come from Colorado.
This series release features the 4 year Single Malt Whiskey that is finished in different Carboy barrels (Albariño wine casks, Cider Casks from 10 Mile Cider Line, and Gewurztraminer Brandy Casks). This is a blend of each of the finishing barrels, instead of all of the whiskey spending time each barrel. The final result showcases the beauty of Colorado Craft by taking a chance with some interesting wine choices. Albariño is not a wine I would immediately associate with Single Malt Whiskey, and while brandy is certainly something that whiskey lovers typically enjoy, a Gewürztraminer brandy piqued my interest as well. Throw in a curveball of cider casks, and you get Vino Verso, the 4th release in the Progeny Series from Deerhammer.
In the Bottle:
Mashbill:
100% Malted Barley
Broken Down:
85% Pale Malt Barley
5% Chocolate Malt
5% C40 Malt
5% C120 Malt
Age:
3 Years in a Charred New American Oak Barrel, then spread between 3 barrels for an additional 2 years.
65% Albariño
25% Gewürztraminer Brandy
10% 10 Mile Cider
Proof:
106 Proof (53% ABV)
In the Glass:
Color:
A Clean, clear golden brown, a little lighter than expected for being 5 years old. A lot of oily legs left on the walls of the glass.
Without Water:
Nose:
Bright apples, green fruits, and chocolate. Reminded me of an apple pie baked with more green apples and covered in a chocolate sauce. Some hints of Vanilla and cinnamon complete that nose profile.
Palate:
Dark, jammy fruits right up front. Sweet but not overly so, and juicy. Lots of carmelized peach and more brown sugar and vanilla. Some baked pie crust in there, and a medium thick mouth feel, very oily.
Finish:
Chocolate, roasted malt notes all come through, but lots of green apple as well. It is crisp and dry, with some oaky tannins and lingers for a long time.
With Water:
Nose:
Some of the red and jammy fruit comes out on the nose, but still lots of apple pie, especially the crust with a baked goods note and plenty of cinnamon. The chocolate fades a bit.
Palate:
More lighter colored fruits, still jammy and juicy. There is more of the baked pie crust coming through, some baking spices and plenty of brown sugar and cinnamon as well. Again, sweet but not overpoweringly so. The mouthfeel does lose of the thicker notes.
Finish:
Still getting mostly chocolate and roasted malt notes. The baked goods comes through more, and lots of the crisp apple notes. There’s a sweeter note that came through with a couple drops of water, like honey, and it still lingered for a long time.
Final Thoughts:
One of the best parts of Colorado is collaboration. I am seeing so many good things come from folks working together. I believe this is one thing that helps Colorado Distilleries, breweries, and wineries stand out in the vast landscape. This bottle is another phenomenal example of what these folks can accomplish.
Carboy Winery has been helping shape the state of Colorado Wines since 2016, and has helped to grow the wine industry in a state known for Beer and, recently, distilling. This lends itself well to working with Deerhammer – both companies are taking a small but growing Colorado Industry and helping put a big time name on it. The Progeny series is a beautiful marriage of barrels I would not have expected to see age a Single Malt Whiskey finished in. I will say, not only did this bottle live up to my expectations of the first Progeny Series I sampled (Cultura Chocolate from series 1) but it absolutely made me feel the need to revisit Carboy, and start appreciating more Colorado wines.
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