Distillery: 10th Mountain Distillery
Proof: 92
Age: 1 Year
Mashbill: Undisclosed (75% Corn)
BACKGROUND: 10th Mountain Spirits is based out of Vail, CO and was launched in 2014. They are named after the historic US Army 10th Mountain Division which is stationed in Fort Drum, NY. The connection between Vail and 10th Mountain is that In 1943-44, the 10th Mountain Division trained for alpine combat at Camp Hale which was near Pando, CO; present day Vail. After WWII, 10th Mountain veterans returned home and some of their veterans founded Vail and Aspen resorts. After getting the opportunity to speak with Chris and Ryan, the founders of 10th Mountain Spirits, it was clear to me that they are dedicated to continuously honoring the legacy of the 10th Mountain Division. 10th Mountain spirits has a full spirit portfolio including an non-aged corn whiskey, potato vodka, bourbon, rye, and apple sage cordial. They also will be releasing a brandy and single malt whiskey soon. On their bourbon, 10th mountain uses a #4 char barrel to age their bourbon which is made of Colorado sweet corn with Rocky Mountain snowmelt.
NOSE: The nose starts off with notes of sweet corn as to be expected from the high corn mash bill along with notes of young oak. However, as you let the whiskey aerate, it opens up to notes of ripe citrus zest, peanuts, fresh mint, and a scotch like note that I can't quite nail down. It has a smooth and sprite scent profile. (21/25)
PALATE: Up front there are notes of sweet creamed corn, roasted nuts, ripe cantaloupe, and honey. Although the flavors are expectedly light, given the age, they form an enjoyable creamy and sweet flavor profile. It is very easy to sip on and very smooth. (30/40)
FINISH: The finish is medium in length and is made up of young oak and a bitter copper note. (20/25)
VALUE: 10th Mountain Bourbon has an SRP of $58. Although this is on the pricier side it is still very enjoyable. (6/10)
Overall: 77/100
FINAL THOUGHTS: 10th Mountain Bourbon is a smooth, easy sipping, and sweet bourbon whiskey. It has a very enjoyable flavor profile and we recommend this to anyone who enjoys lighter and sweeter bourbons. This whiskey also made an incredible Manhattan. If you want to purchase your own bottle you can click here to purchase one.
Similar & Slightly Better Whiskey: 1792 Bottled-in-Bond
Similar & Equal Whiskey: Jefferson's Reserve
Similar & Slightly Worse Whiskey: Basil Hayden's
Tell us what you think and give us some feedback!
Scoring Legend:
96-100: The perfect dram, juice of the gods
90-95: Near perfect, truly incredible whiskey
85-89: Amazing whiskey, will always try to keep a backup bottle of this
80-84: Very good, some minor flaws here or there
75-79: Good, quite enjoyable to drink, Will try and keep a bottle on the shelf
70-74: Solid, wouldn’t go out of my way to get this
60-69: Decent, would offer this up to non whiskey drinkers
50-59: Not my cup of tea
Below 50: Give away
