Santa Fe Spirits’ Colkegan Single Malt Whiskey
46% ABV
$55-$75
Website
What the Distillery Says
In order for a spirit to be called Scotch Whiskey it must be a product of Scotland. Although Santa Fe Spirits’ Colkegan Single Malt Whiskey is proud to pay homage to its heritage, this whiskey is much more than just another peat-smoked whiskey from across the pond and wouldn’t want to be called Scotch even if it could be.
Like its Scottish single malt cousins, Santa Fe Spirits’ Colkegan Single Malt Whiskey is made entirely from malted barley, carefully distilled, and aged and finished in various oak casks to enhance the complex flavors inherent to true single malt whiskey. But there are key differences that set this remarkable spirit apart from its Scottish relatives.
While peat-smoked malt has always been a key ingredient in many well known Scotch whiskies, Santa Fe Spirits’ Colkegan Single Malt Whiskey’s wonderfully complex flavor profile benefits from a very different type of smoked malt utilized by no other distillery in the world. The result is a smooth, mellow, mysteriously balanced hint of smoky complexity unique to Santa Fe Spirits.
Santa Fe Spirits’ Colkegan Single Malt Whiskey’s unique barrel aging process also separates it from its low-altitude relatives. Santa Fe Spirits is located 7,000 feet above sea level in the high desert and utilizes a climate-controlled barrel warehouse with temperatures ranging from freezing cold to swelteringly hot, and humidities ranging from bone dry to unbelievably damp. A strict regimen of climate changes yields a spirit with amazing complexity unrivaled by more temperate warehouses.
Santa Fe Spirits’ Colkegan Single Malt Whiskey is the deliciously unique result of an Englishman moving to the desert of the Southwest, building a distillery, and hybridizing time-honored Scottish distilling techniques with the unique flavors and climate of his new home.
What Gary Says
Nose: Smokey, barley malt with smoked bacon, earthy, mesquite BBQ potato chips.
Palate: Sweet with chocolate, vanilla, black currants, cherries, honey, a bit of barbecue sauce and ash.
Finish: Moderately long, drying with pepper, barbecue and an ashy note.
Comments: Quite different from the others in this flight – the mesquite smoke is definitely unique, which is what I do like about these American single malts. My beef with a lot of ‘craft whiskey’ is when they try to put out products that are made very well at scale by others, and charge multiples for the experience (which often isn’t as good in my opinion). Unchartered waters like these is where I don’t mind paying for a unique experience. Hopefully we’ll see some with some age, and higher proof down the road.