291 Distillery Colorado Bourbon Review
By Richard Thomas
Rating: C+
(Credit: 291 Distillery)
Founded in 2011 in Colorado Springs by the curiously named Michael Meyers, 291 Distillery brings three twists to it’s production process. Going where other distillers, great and small, aren’t is the name of the game for craft whiskey, but it would be fair to say 291 Distillery’s approaches are, at present, either unique or nearly so.
First is what it calls the “El Paso County Process,” (Meyers grew up on a farm near George Dickel’s Cascade Hollow, hence the nod to the Lincoln County Process), which is to add stillage from an IPA to the whiskey mash. The other is to use stave inserts made from aspen for finishing the whiskey.
Third is their reliance on malted rye. The distillery uses malted rye not only for their rye whiskey (where, while not typical, would still be unremarkable nowadays), but also in their bourbon (where it is remarkable indeed). The mash bill is high corn (another Tennessee inspiration) at 80%, with 19% malted rye and 1% malted barley. The whiskey is bottled at 100 proof.
The Bourbon
This bright red amber bourbon leaves a thin coat on the glass, and a curtain of skinny, short legs along with it. The scent carries crisp cedar and pine on the top with a sizable helping of caramel and a more modest note of blackberry underneath. A sip reveals the liquid has a light mouthfeel to it, as well as a lighter flavor than the nose suggested. It’s a little peppery and a little fruity, with just a hint of vanilla. The peppery spice continues into the finish, which turns a touch hot in the end.
The Price
