About the Producer
10th Mountain Spirits was founded in 2014 in Gypsum, CO. The distillery is named after the 10th Mountain Division which in 1943 was constituted and trained at Camp Hale, about 40mi from the distillery.
I couldn’t find many details on the distillery itself or the process but it looks like they mostly focus on whiskey with a straight bourbon, rye and malt whiskeys. In addition to the whiskeys, they made this brandy that I’m reviewing today as what looks like a one-off. I’m always willing to try a brandy from a small distillery, so lets see if it’s any good.
Details
- Fermented and distilled 100% from Pinot Noir grapes
- Grapes from Smith Family Wines in Monterey, CA.
- Batch distilled in 3/2019.
- Aged for 2yrs in first fill ex-bourbon barrels from 10th Mountain.
- 47.5% abv
Nose
Caramel and grape jelly. Very fruity, very sweet. Traces of spice. Brash, bold but not complex.
Palate
Very sweet with caramel and butterscotch; clear ex-bourbon barrel influence. More grape jelly and gummy bears. Fully bodied and good viscosity. Texture is very oily, which I’m hear for. No spice or oak. Tasty but unrefined and youthful.
Finish
Medium. Sweet and fruity.
Rating: 5
Overall
Bold brash and tasty but unrefined and a little immature. A good effort but I think it would good be great with a full 4years in the bourbon barrels.
1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out.
2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice.
3 | Bad | Multiple flaws.
4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but many things I’d rather have.
5 | Good | Good
6 | Very Good | A cut above.
7 | Great | Well above average
8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional.
9 | Incredible | An all time favorite
10 | Perfect | Perfect
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