Caramel apple | Honey | Straw | Grapefruit | Fresh bread | Light smoke

Light vanilla | Toffee | Toasted oak | Fresh cut apple | Light smoke

Mesquite smoke | Burnt caramel | Toasted cashews | Hotter than expected | Short with lingering smoky aftertaste

Santa Fe Spirits was founded by Colin Keegan in 2010 in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Keeping with the region’s spirit, the company’s core expression, Original Mesquite, is made with one-third mesquite-smoked barley (the remaining two-thirds are standard malted barley), then aged in new and used casks. They released their first batch of Original Mesquite in 2013 and have maintained a 3+ years age range. This is largely due to the distillery’s location 7,000 feet above sea level in the high desert environment, where humidity is low and temperatures can reach triple digits during the summer months but quickly drop during the night and winter months. Their brand portfolio includes silver whiskey, barrel-aged apple brandy, and unsmoked American single malt.

Many Southwest single malts have maintained common characteristics, often different from those of Northwest or East Coast single malts. Smoked barley is a nearly universal aspect among them, which typically gives their whiskeys a smoky complexity. This aspect is true for The Original Sante Fe Whiskey Original Mesquite.

The aroma features light scents of caramel apple, honey, straw, grapefruit, and bread that work well together. The palate brings light notes of vanilla, toffee, and toasted oak. The whiskey finishes with layers of mesquite smoke, burnt caramel, and toasted cashews.

The Original Sante Fe Whiskey Original Mesquite is dominated by its smoky notes, which is to be expected, but they also aren’t overpowering. Despite the other flavors being surprisingly gentle, much like in a Northwestern American single malt, they still come through and work well together. The finish is on the short side and noticeably gets hotter as the sip goes down. This has less to do with the whiskey's age than the environment in which it was aged. Southwestern single malts tend to drink hot, and that can be part of their appeal, along with their polarizing smokiness. Smokey whiskeys aren’t for everyone, but the extra complexity they bring to the table is welcomed if you have a taste for it.