Local Colorado Whiskey, finished in Local Colorado Brewery Barrels, and labeled by Local Colorado Artists.
Bear Creek not only partnered with a Colorado Brewery for this Collaboration, but choose a local artist to help create the label. The Artist selected also DJ’s at their events, and is a friend of the distillery. Looking to do something a bit different, and to stand out while doing it, Bear Creek had this label designed by Patrick Hansen to be completely different from their standard label – and he absolutely crushed it. The Artist Series literally breaks through and onto the scene much like the bear tearing it’s way through the front of the label.
The whiskey is a blend of Bourbon and Wheat Whiskey and Bourbon, finished in a Breakfast Stout barrel from Berkeley Alley Beer Co in Denver. A wonderful mix of flavors are imparted from this Limited release, and I was extremely happy to be able to secure a bottle for myself.
Please Note: This bottle was provided to us at no charge by Bear Creek Distillery – without the intention as a review. As laid out in our about us page, this does not influence our final tasting notes or opinions of the bottle.
In the Bottle:
Mashbill:
A Blend of 2 Whiskies:
Bourbon – Corn, Rye, Barley (No percentages listed)
Wheat Whiskey – 100% Wheat
Age:
2 and a half years: 2 Years aged then 6 months in Berkeley Alley Breakfast Stout Barrel.
Proof:
90 Proof (45% ABV)
In the Glass:
Color:
A Deep Golden Hued brown, maple syrup-y almost. It is oily and just a little bit cloudy.
Without Water:
Nose:
Sweet pancakes, like walking into a room where the pancakes have all finished cooking but they are still sitting on the table. Some maple syrup and bits of other fresh baked goods and cinnamon.
Palate:
Softer right up front, leaning right into that pancake flavor that dominated the nose, however it is not as sweet as the nose suggests. There are some baking spices and plenty of maple syrup – like real from the heart of Vermont Maple Syrup. A thicker mouth feel, and almost gives the impression of having the just slightly burnt or lightly crispy outside edges of a flapjack.
Finish:
Surprisingly dry – that’s not to say that it is a dry finish because it has plenty of sweet notes, but again much less sweet than the rest of the palate and the nose would have had me believe. The barrel is heavily noticeable here – some vanilla and tannins, and more of the cinnamon and maybe cardamom.
With Water:
Nose:
A bit more sweet vanilla, but overall very similar to the nose before water – a room full of ready to eat pancakes covered in syrup.
Palate:
The little bit of water made the sweetness come out significantly, like a wave of warmed maple syrup and vanilla cakes. The baking spices that were present on the mid palate before fade – but don’t worry, they return on the finish. It is still a nice thick mouthfeel and wonderful real syrup flavor.
Finish:
This is where all the baking spices went – bits of rye influenced white pepper come out with the cinnamon and nutmeg/allspice/cardamom. It shortens a bit, but the dry baking spices still linger for a while with just a little bit of barrel tannins while it also never lets you forget that sweet syrup that is still present in the background.
Final Thoughts:
Taking a step of the ordinary in both the label and whiskey really paid off for BCD in this release. The bear looks intimidating on the bottle, but when you open it up it is cozy and a perfect reminder of a cool winter weekend morning with cast iron griddle fried pancakes.
It’s no secret that I love collaborations, and I love Colorado. Bear Creek has taken the Colorado Collab and added a new dimension – local artists helping to design the label. Add in the fact that Patrick DJ’s for them as well, and this bottle screams as being for everything I love to promote: a true top to bottom Colorado focus. This is the first edition of what will forever be known as the BCD Artists Series, and I have a feeling that even with the tall task of living up to this amazing release, Bear Creek will be up to challenge.
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