Great American Single Malts!

You can skip ahead, but you’ll miss a lot of great information along the way!
Shortcuts/Timecodes:
0:00 – Intro
5:20 – Stranahan’s Nosing
5:58 – Stranahan’s Tasting
8:40 – Westward Nosing
10:34 – Westward Tasting
14:20 – Balcones Nosing
15:40 – Balcones Tasting

Let me start this description by saying that I recorded this video two weeks prior to the release/news of Westward’s filing for chapter 11 bankruptcy earlier in the week (around April 7th 2025). Westward was founded in 2004, and after all these years of making solid whiskies, my hopes are that they’ll find a way to restructure to the point of sustainability in this tough whiskey market. That all said, today’s video was meant to showcase some of my favorite American Single Malts so let's get to it!

Stranahan’s Cask Strength (bottled for Noctis Wine & Spirits) Single Barrel #18-2051 was bottled at 115.86 proof for only $55! Stranahan’s was Colorado’s first legal whiskey distillery since Prohibition. This Rocky Mountain Single Malt is handcrafted from grain to glass in Denver, Colorado. Using only the finest resources, our whiskey is made from 4 ingredients: 100% malted barley, yeast, Rocky Mountain water, and time in the barrel. Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey was born in 2004 with the 1st release of their "Original" in 2006. Given the high quality of their standard “Original” batch bottling at 94 proof and this single barrel for the now defunct Norctis Wine & Spirits, my bet is that regardless of which store/group is doing a single barrel selection, it’s going to be worth your $50-$60.

Westward’s Single Barrel Selection (“For Jon, Love Miles” by Kitsap Whiskey Society) was bottled at 129.70 proof and was matured in a Hungarian Oak cask (which contributed some very unique barrel aged gin/rum flavors). Now I do own 6-8 other single barrels of theirs, and most of the time they’re matured in the standard newly charred American Oak barrels – which contribute a rich vanilla to their mash bill’s tropical profile. But the Kitsap group is in Washington, so they went to the distillery to do the selection and were able to secure this one aged in the unique Hungarian oak. So, while it’s highly unlikely that you’ll find one exactly like this, I’ll say that I’ve never had a single barrel of theirs that I was disappointed by – or felt that I overspent on it. So, like the Stranahan’s regardless of which store or group did the selection, it’ll be worth adding one of these high proofs to your collection for around $100-$125. Oh! I should add that if you don’t enjoy high proof spirits, their standard line and 90 proof single barrels have all the similar tropical flavors, without the impact. Westward is one distillery that even though they’re having to restructure right now, their motto of “Brewed like a craft ale. Distilled like a single malt. Aged like a bourbon” truly shows!

Balcones Texas Single Malt Whiskey that I’m reviewing is from their “Single Barrel Collection” (#20608) that I picked up at the distillery. The sticker on the side states, “Aged in a used Kentucky bourbon cask, married into a new American Oak barrel and then transferred into a used Kentucky bourbon cask for a total of 98 months (8.17 years). It was bottled at 62.4% (124.8 proof) and retailed in their gift shop for $75. Balcones began in 2008 with their first whiskey (Baby Blue) being released in 2009. Baby Blue was the first Texas whisky sold post-Prohibition, and it was made with Texas-grown and roasted blue corn. In 2011 their first single malt called “Texas 1” was released and it’s been a staple ever since. But if you get a chance to find a store/group single barrel selection of Balcones, I recommend giving it a go. For only $75ish, they always pack big, concentrated flavors and are a good change of pace to the more “traditional” single malt profiles of Scotland.

As of April 2025, my current bottle count is over 3,000. I am a Certified Specialist of Spirits and have also been accredited by the Tequila Regulatory Council (CRT). I've been actively collecting for 31 years and what started as a small basic home bar has transformed (with the help and understanding of my wonderful wife) into this collection and career. Speaking of my career, I’m super proud to announce that my “Saints Alley “Nobleman” Rye Whiskey was named “Best American Rye” at the 2024 World Whisky Awards! But don’t forget that our other Bourbons have also won multiple big awards and are on Total Wine shelves now! Our Flagship Port & Cognac received a Double Platinum at Fred Minnick's 2024 Ascot Awards, and "The Herald” - our Armagnac finished Bourbon - took Double Gold at the Whiskies of the World competition! Stay tuned for my 10 Year Saints Alley Herald Cigar Blend coming fall of 2025! Given my decades of consumer/reviewer experience, you know I’m working hard to continue bringing you great whiskeys that I'm proud of as a collector, reviewer & blender! Thank you for watching & please remember to drink responsibly. Cheers!