Orange rind | Milk chocolate | Golden raisin | Mango | Papaya

Prune | Heavy barrel char | Vanilla extract | Dried fruit

Cola | Molasses | Dark chocolate | Barrel char | Black pepper

Lost Lantern’s latest batch of releases dubbed, “Summer of Bourbon” includes eight whiskeys in total ranging from the Blend Series (blends of whiskeys from multiple distilleries), the Single Distillery Series (blends of multiple casks from a single distillery), and the Single Cask Series (whiskeys from a single barrel from a single distillery). To learn more about these releases, check out the company’s press release for more information.

Distilled in a custom Scottish copper pot still, Boulder Spirits Straight Bourbon utilizes a non-traditional high malted barley mashbill. Reaching 6 years old marks some of the oldest bourbon from Boulder Spirits they’ve released outside of their home state of Colorado. Adding two additional years beyond when we first reviewed their Bottled in Bond Bourbon, a much more pronounced oak note is found throughout along with a heavy dose of cola and molasses which are now present. Coming in at a whopping 142.6 proof will turn a lot of eyes in its direction based on its proof alone, but it comes with a caveat. This is a case where the proof gets in the way of the whiskey’s unique characteristics - mainly, it drowns out its high malted barley note.

Thankfully, if you’re not offended by adding in a few drops of water and potentially stripping the bourbon of its HAZMAT status, you’re rewarded with a much more palatable and rich tasting bourbon. Though it may sound strange to get a richer tasting bourbon by diluting it, adding water helps this bourbon’s flavors open up as its proof is being tamed. I still feel the whiskey’s 44% malted barley isn’t being showcased as well as it deserves, but that will likely change as more 6+ year old whiskey is released by Boulder Spirits and potentially selected for future Lost Lantern releases.  

The barrel chosen for this release produced a total of 151 bottles.