Founded in 2011 by a “scrappy pack” of like minded fellows in Lyons, Spirit Hound was born when Craig Englehorn was ready to move on from brewing beer. (You might have heard of the beer he brewed, a little Pale Ale known by the name of Dale’s from Oskar Blues Brewing.)
When Spirit Hound First opened, they had a couple of spirit offerings, namely working on a malted barley whisky, and a Gin with locally sourced botanicals and honey from a neighboring apiary, Spirit Hound has grown into a international name, winning awards all across the world, while still being a Colorado Company.
Craig said in an interview with Distilling Magazine that, coming from a brewing background and his love of Scotch, a malted barley whisky was the obvious choice for him. Even going so far as saying (with no offence to the bourbon world) that corn just doesn’t make a good beer. This led to the product I get to write about today, and honestly thank goodness that corn doesn’t make a good beer. As much as I love bourbon, the Single Barrel Single Malt from Spirit Hound is something truly special, and I would hate to live in a world that missed out on it.
In the Bottle:
(Bottle 81 from Barrel 329)
Mashbill:
100% Malted Barley (All Colorado Grown and Malted)
Age:
3 Years in New “Heavily Charred” American Oak Barrels
Proof:
90 Proof (45% ABV)
In the Glass:
Color:
A deep golden honey, clear but a little bit oily.
Without Water:
Nose:
Not what I expected from a single malt. It is floral or even herbal, with honey and vanilla cream. Extremely inviting, and almost even calming like you might expect from a stress relief candle.
Palate:
Right away notes of Honey, Caramel, and vanilla all come rushing in. A sweet bomb right up front but that transfers quickly and elegantly into a balanced mid palate. The middle is full of more of the herbal and floral notes, honeysuckle and some herbs. The mouthfeel is oily and creamy, and quite pleasant.
Finish:
The first thing that jumped out to me on the finish was a spicy note. Not overly spicy, but almost like a red pepper-like a cayenne pepper-that was wholly unexpected. This complimented a honey note, and the two flavors played together perfectly, lingering for a long time with that oily consistency.
With Water:
Nose:
The floral notes faded a bit, but the creamy vanilla and caramel stuck around. The nose with a little bit of water was reminiscent of cream soda, specifically reminding me of being a kid and getting the glass bottle cream soda.
Palate:
The notes all were there, but with less of the sugary sweetness and more of the caramel and honey flavors behind the sweetness coming out more. The floral notes really come out more, and the entire sip maintains its oily and creamy qualities.
Finish:
The finish is remarkably similar with water to what it was before water. There is still the unexpected but very welcome spicy cayenne pepper note that continues to pair beautifully with the sweet floral and honey notes. The water did not take away any of the time from the finish either, with the sip’s flavors remaining long after the sip has been consumed.
Final Thoughts:
Typically, when I think Malt whisky, I am thinking of a roasted malt or chocolate note, sometimes with some earthy qualities and flavors along with sweet vanilla or brown sugar from the barrel. This bottle completely subverted my expectations, coming in with flavors that I would not expect from a single malt. The spicy cayenne pepper note is possibly one of my favorite finishes on a whisky I have had. It isn’t spicy to the point of fire coming out of mouth, or even really hot at all, but just has a pleasant small heat that works so well with the honey that I find myself wanting an extra pour after a glass just to experience more of that finish.
Spirit Hound recently opened up a new tasting room in Denver, and if you are closer to that and haven’t had a chance to visit them yet, you should get on that. Better yet, head up to the Lyon’s location to see the original hand made still that is still in use today.
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