Review by: dustbunna
Santa Fe Spirits of New Mexico produces Colkegan single malt American whiskey— the distillery was an early ASM advocate and has always used a 100% malted barley mashbill (30% of which is currently mesquite-smoked.) They house their casks in a high-desert warehouse 7,000 ft above sea level with no humidity.
Colkegan uses new and used American white oak barrels to age their standard release, which comes out in batches of around 15 barrels, vatted and proofed down to 46% ABV without chill filtration or added coloring. I bought this in summer of 2022, though I’ve not been able to tell when exactly it was bottled.
Distillery: Santa Fe Spirits.
Bottler: Distillery bottling.
Region: New Mexico.
ABV: 46%.
Age: NAS. Batch 17.
Cask type: Vatted new charred American oak and refill ex-Colkegan barrels.
Price: $65 USD.
Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.
Bottle open across approx. 4 months, notes taken leisurely across that period. Bold notes taken beneath the shoulder (consistent through the entire bottle.)
Nose: dry and spicy smoke, bergamot, green melon, green apple.
Palate: medium-thin body ~ clay, hint of lime, faint caramel and chocolate, wood spice pokes through.
Finish: medium length ~ all on a dry desert fire, more of the dry smoke from the nose, sagebrush, minerals, dust.
Conclusion: This really tastes of its place, and having visited Santa Fe it keeps me coming back by evoking memories of the landscape. It’s a touch thin in its presentation, and I wish it had the mouthfeel and finish to really build upon some of the more complex notes, but it’s a delicious drinker and really engaging.
Final Score: 84.
Scoring Legend:
- 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
- 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
- 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
- 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
- 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
- 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
- 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
- 50-59: Save it for mixing.
- 0-49: Blech.
Malt Runners 