Laws Whiskey – San Luis Valley Rye
Quick Stats:
Distiller: Law’s Whiskey House
Spirit: Straight Rye Whiskey
Aged: 3+ Years
Price: Around $54.99
Proof: 95
About The Distillery
“We always have and always will distil every drop we bottle. While our whiskey aged, we didn’t sell any whiskey for our first three years. Time is as critical of an ingredient as our heirloom grains. Every mash bill gets its own optimal distillation process, and we deploy time-intensive sour mash fermentation. We are the first Colorado distiller to bottle bonded whiskeys. For us, these steps are not extra, they’re mandatory to creating Laws Whiskey.
At Laws, no person has the title ‘Master Distiller.’ We believe it takes the talents, smarts, quirks and obsessive passion of every Laws co-worker, aka The Village, to make our whiskey. In the Laws Village, you are part of something so much greater than self.”
About The Bottle
“8,000 feet above sea level, in Colorado’s San Luis Valley, the Cody family has been cultivating this low yield, semi-wild rye grain since the 1930s. We fell in love with how it ferments and distills into a terroir-driven, unapologetic whiskey.”
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Nose
(4)
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Palate
(3.5)
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Finish
(3.5)
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Proof vs Heat
(4)
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Value
(4)
Notes & Review
Nose: One of the more unique aromas we’ve nosed. The nose has a thick yet sharp note of earthy sweet-malted rye that cuts through, but is balanced by the earlier and more delicate floral and citrus essential oil tones and an underlying sweetness of creamed caramel candy.
Palate: If you’re a fan of bold rye flavors, you’re in luck here. There’s a lot of rye to unpack. There’s a nice botanical note to it with a bit of sweet mint oil, earl grey tea, and sweet rye. It then turns towards a more earthy and spiced rye profile. It’s in the middle of the palate that I get a nice candied orange peel and red peppercorn.
Finish: The pour finishes with full flavors of dried winter fruits, cinnamon, clove, roasted caramel, and toasted oak.
Review: Listen, the fact that this rye is only 3+ years old is a little baffling to me.
Usually, rye whiskey takes a while aging in the barrel to unpack its flavor and develop a truly complex character. So, the fact that Laws has been able to do it in such a short time is incredible.
There are temperature swings in Denver, and there’s the pressure shifts from the elevation that we need to consider, both play an important roll into how the whiskey ages and at what rate it pushes and pulls through the wood. Maybe it has to do with that, or maybe it has to do with the care they take in selecting their grain.
Either way, color us impressed.
The pour takes you by the hand and walks you through various rye profiles, each with their supporting cast of more delicate notes. It takes full advantage of the lack of heat from the 95 proof while also remaining bold in flavor.
Either way, we’re glad we have one on the shelf, but can’t wait to try the Bonded expression with some more proof and years on the back end to really drive the dram home.
