Axe and The Oak Bourbon

Another distillery out of Colorado Springs, Axe and The Oak started with five friends sipping bourbon around a campfire, and wondering if they could make a whiskey worth sharing. Made with grains sourced in Colorado, they are very focused on being a Colorado company through and through. The Label is really well done, a clean look with a great logo. The juice inside is much more important the packaging though.

Color: Lighter brown, toffee colored

Nose: Toffee again, definitely comes through with a bit of alcohol vapor to it as well. There are some notes of butterscotch, charred oak, and hints of hard sarsaparilla candy.

Palate: It is definitely on the lighter side, sweet up front and moves into a malty, molasses and roasted mid palate. Pleasantly surprising after the nose, really a lot more complex than smell alone would have suggested. Spicy and sweet notes compliment each other well.

Finish: Lingers for a while with a lot more sweet than heat. Almost finishes like a Werther’s candy.

With Water:

Nose: The alcohol goes away with water, and a earthy, hay smell comes out a little bit. A little bit more sweet, but not quite as much depth to the nose.

Palate: Sweeter and spicier with a couple drops of water added to it, with bit a of earthy black pepper. A little less complexity, but definitely very enjoyable.

Finish: Vanilla and toffee, really nice but definitely shorter.

Ratings:
Angela: 89/100
Zach: 85/100
Overall: 87/100

Overall, this is a very enjoyable pour. The earthy and spice notes balance and compliment the sweet flavors excellently. It is a bit lighter than some others, that does it make easy drinking though which is certainly a positive.