Almond paste | Fresh oak | Sassafras tea concentrate | Nougat | Root beer hard candy | Distinctive

Root beer | Oak | Green peppercorn | Baking spices | Melted caramel | Touch of syrup

Chocolate malt | Baking spices | Green peppercorn spice | Light chewy oak | Brownie | Lingering light chocolate powder

Mile High Spirits is a Denver based distillery that has been producing spirits for a number of years. The company is known for combining their passion for whiskey with their passion for live entertainment. It’s a unique distillery experience that merges a whiskey distillery with a music venue and bar. Part of the company’s 14 Year Anniversary release series, Fireside Straight Malt Whiskey is a more traditional American single malt versus their past peated American single malt releases.

The whiskey opens with an incredibly distinctive aroma that focuses on notes of almond paste and nougat along with sassafras tea concentrate and root beer hard candy. A fresh oak note is the odd man out, but it doesn’t hurt the experience. A blend of sweet and spice notes is present midway through the sip, with a more well-rounded oak note adding balance. The whiskey comes alive in the finish with a nice balance of chocolate, spice, and light oak.

Looking at the mashbill, you’d assume that Mile High Spirits took the kitchen sink approach in creating this American single malt. Using six different malts in your mashbill can be tricky, but the company pulls it off with good results. The sip is distinctive yet pleasing, and the flavors blend well together. I’d like to see a bit more age on it to see how the flavors develop, but this is a good offering from Mile High Spirits and complements their lineup nicely.