It’s the middle of Winter. You’ve just spent all day, maybe even 2 days up on the slopes of Copper Mountain, or Keystone, maybe Winter Park. You’re coming back into Denver on a Sunday Evening with all your gear, and decide you would like a dram or a cocktail with a local bourbon, but you also want to get your skis or snowboard tuned up. Meridiem spirits will soon have a one stop shop for just that! Moving into a new location over the summer of 2024 from their old location in Elizabeth, Meridiem is building and preparing for what promises to be an extremely exciting expansion.
We were invited out to see the new location, and take a look at the plan and roughed in idea for how the distillery will look. In addition to expanding on what they were able to produce, they will also have a custom ski and snowboard shop that you will be able to watch as you sit at the bar and enjoy your drink. It is still in very early stages right now, but easy to see the vision as Daniel walked us around the building and pointed out the plans he had.
While the location is something I can’t wait to see finished, I was equally excited to sample their whiskey. I was given two bottles to try, the Bourbon and the Bourbon finished in Rum Casks. this review is all on the Bourbon, labeled Bn as it is a key element for a terrific cocktail.
Please Note: This bottle was provided to us at no charge by Meridiem distillery to be reviewed on the site. 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:
High Rye Mash
75% Corn
21% Rye
4% Malted Barley
Age:
Label listed as Minimum 4 years, however this barrel was 5 years in New American Oak.
Proof:
99 Proof (44.5% ABV)
In the Glass:
Color:
Brown and Golden. A little oily, and while mostly clear you can definitely see it is unfiltered.
Without Water:
Nose:
Lots of vanilla and brown sugar, toasted oak right off the bat. Inviting, not overly sweet with small bits of baking spices and even a peppery note. It’s soft and inviting.
Palate:
Soft and sweet right away, the front of the palate is full of brown sugar, but immediately made me think of sugar cookies – fresh out of the oven. The mid palate has more of a spice note, spicy baked goods, ginger maybe, and even a bit of cracked pepper. Oily but not too thick of a mouth feel.
Finish:
Dry oak and tannic, and reminiscent of a pie crust. It somehow is almost flaky, really hammering home the baked dessert notes but still with just a bit of spicy flavor as well. Lingering, definitely warm but not harsh.
With Water:
Nose:
Soft and easy still, losing a bit of the pepper notes but still full of vanilla and brown sugar. Absolutely is like smelling a bakery that is mostly dessert focused but with just a little more in there as well.
Palate:
While still mostly sweet, it’s a little bit drier right up front. The Brown sugar and sugar cookie quality fades a little, though still present, and it takes on more of a semi-sweet pie crust, with some allspice notes, and again just a little ginger maybe. The mouth feel remains about the same.
Finish:
Where the front and mid palate became less sweet, the finish took up those notes. Still a flaky, fresh homemade pie crust quality, there is almost a sweetened cocoa note that tags along. Still long, and loses a touch of the heat that it had neat.
Final Thoughts:
I wasn’t totally sure what I was expecting. Meridiem Spirits decided to make a straightforward, high rye bourbon, and honestly knocked it out of the park. I think the oak notes took front and center, giving a lot of the sweetness along with the corn. However, the higher Rye Content is not just for the label. While the spicy rye notes never take front and center, they consistently show up in the background adding a nice depth. I think making a label as one of the Elements from the periodic table and putting this as a perfect element for your cocktails is brilliant, and I can see this working well in cocktails that are typically bourbon based.
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