Review by: Raygun
A single malt from Santa Fe Spirits. 100% malted barley, apparently with a percentage mesquite-smoked, which is new to me. They use American white oak barrels, with a mix of new and used casks. I’m assuming this is a vatted release, since it doesn’t state it’s a single cask. Reviewed from a sample. Notes from initial blind tasting, with additions in italics a couple of days later after reveal. Rested about 15 minutes. Thanks to dustbunna for this one.
Distillery: Santa Fe Spirits
Bottler: Santa Fe Spirits
Region/style: American single malt whiskey
ABV: 59%.
Age: NAS but I hear around 3 years.
Cask type: Unsure. Seems to be at least partly refill barrels.
Color: [0.9 amontillado(https://maltrunners.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/cil8ins.jpeg). Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.
Price: Unknown
Nose: Smells nice and malty. Graham crackers, cereal, and honey. Not getting any peat. Caramel apple, plum, and just a little swimming pool, which is an odd one. Sugar cookies *with some cinnamon.*
Palate: Nose suggested a bourbon cask malt and the palate mostly backs that up. Cereal and caramel apples. There’s a touch of dark fruit, plums and maybe dates, that make me think there might be some sherry going on. Water amps up the caramel and adds something like gingerbread. *Notice the spice much more this time. Cinnamon and something odd. It’s a little intrusive.*
Finish: Nice level of sweetness. Not much heat. Malt-forward again. Apples and some stewed pear. A little dried date here, too. Caramel again, like creme caramel. A touch of ginger. Moderate level of wood. *Again, there’s a strange spice character. Like barbecue potato chips. The mesquite, maybe?*
Guess: Tough one. Scotch, not peated, reasonably sure about that. Don’t think it’s a single cask. Could be a refill sherry cask, but seems more like a vatting of mostly bourbon casks with a little sherry. But also seems closer to 50% ABV or a little higher, which suggests an OB is not very likely though possible. Around 15 years.
Conclusion: Not rocking my world, but it’s pleasant and drinkable. The gingery flavor is a nice addition to what is otherwise fairly straightforward. Feels like a fall dram to me, a pour for a nice cool evening. Not too heavy. The second time around I noticed what I take to be the mesquite influence more, with a flavor like barbecue chips. Which I like, but not sure how I feel about it in malt.
Post-reveal thoughts: Certainly wouldn’t have guessed American malt. At least I was in the ballpark somewhere. Doesn’t come across as too young, which is impressive in itself. I wish they were more transparent, because I’d like to know the cask makeup. I do sometimes get sherry-like influence from virgin oak and that might be the case here. I still think it’s mostly used, whether ex-bourbon barrels or possibly reused Colkegan barrels. I noticed the flavor I attribute to the mesquite more the second time, and I’m not sure that’s my thing. But that’s what I once thought about peat, too.
Buy a bottle? I like to see American malt moving away from relying on virgin oak. This is pretty good, but not to where I need a bottle.
Score: 78
Scoring Legend:
- 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky. (Convalmore 36)
- 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category. (Bruichladdich Black Art 4.1)
- 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram. (Ledaig 13 Amontillado)
- 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff. (Tomatin 18)
- 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting. (Glen Scotia 15)
- 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better. (Aultmore 12)
- 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink. (Glenmorangie 10)
- 50-59: Save it for mixing. (Old Pulteney 12)
- 0-49: Blech. (Muirhead’s Silver Seal 16)
Malt Runners 
