Stranahan's Mountain Angel 10 Year 750ML is a 10-year-aged Colorado single malt whiskey bottled at 47% ABV (94.6 proof) from 100% malted barley. This annual release earned a Platinum Medal from the Beverage Testing Institute and 96 points from Tastings.com, along with Double Gold medals at both the ADI International Spirits Competition and the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

Quick Facts: ABV: 47% (94.6 proof)  |  Origin: Denver, Colorado, USA  |  Age: 10 Years  |  Distillery: Stranahan's Colorado Whiskey

Production & Heritage

Stranahan's holds the distinction of being Colorado's first legal distillery since Prohibition. Mountain Angel 10 Year is distilled from a mashbill of 100% malted barley using Rocky Mountain water, then matured for a full decade in new charred American oak barrels at Denver's mile-high elevation. That altitude plays a critical role: the thin, dry mountain air accelerates the angel's share — the portion of whiskey lost to evaporation during aging — concentrating flavors and producing a depth of character that the distillery compares to Scotch whiskies aged more than twice as long. Each annual batch is bottled in Denver, and proof may vary slightly between releases.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: The nose opens with sweet vanilla cream and honeyed malt, then moves into fragrant mountain pine and spiced toasty oak. Deeper inhalation reveals pipe smoke, brown sugar, and a hint of sweet lemon.

Taste: The palate entry is rich and velvety, leading with spiced toffee and caramel before dark cherry and malted chocolate emerge at mid-palate. The peak brings layers of sticky molasses, glazed cherries, and cinnamon with firm but integrated charred oak structure throughout.

Finish: Long and warming, with lingering tobacco leaf, maple sweetness, and toasted oak. The finish stays dry and spiced, carrying the chocolate and cherry notes well past the final sip.

How to Drink Mountain Angel 10 Year

This whiskey is best served neat or with a few drops of water to open the concentrated malt character; a single large ice cube also works without drowning the oak-driven complexity. For cocktails, Mountain Angel 10 Year brings unusual depth to an Old Fashioned, where its toffee and cherry notes stand up to bitters without added sweetness. It anchors a Rob Roy beautifully, its malt backbone complementing sweet vermouth in ways grain whiskeys rarely achieve. A Blood and Sand benefits from the dark fruit and smoke qualities that replace the expected Scotch component with a distinctly American profile.

Best For

• Gifting a whisky enthusiast who appreciates American single malt innovation
• Marking a milestone anniversary or career achievement with a 10-year-aged pour
• Side-by-side tastings comparing American and Scottish single malts
• Building a collection of award-winning craft American whiskeys

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Mountain Angel 10 Year taste like? Mountain Angel 10 Year delivers a rich, layered profile dominated by spiced toffee, dark cherry, malted chocolate, and charred oak, with underlying sweetness from caramel and molasses. The texture is notably velvety, and the finish lingers with tobacco, maple, and warm baking spice.

How does Mountain Angel 10 Year compare to Balcones Texas Single Malt? Both are American single malts distilled from 100% malted barley, but Mountain Angel 10 Year carries a decade of age in new charred American oak at high altitude, resulting in deeper oak integration and concentrated dark fruit notes. Balcones Texas Single Malt typically carries a younger age profile and leans heavier on roasted grain and biscuit character owing to the intense Texas climate.

Is Mountain Angel 10 Year good for sipping neat? Absolutely — the 10 years of maturation in new American oak produce a well-integrated, smooth whiskey with enough complexity to reward slow, contemplative neat pours. A few drops of water can further reveal its aromatic layers.

Where is Mountain Angel 10 Year made? Mountain Angel 10 Year is distilled and bottled at Stranahan's Colorado Whiskey Distillery in Denver, Colorado, at an elevation exceeding one mile above sea level. Denver's high-altitude climate directly influences the whiskey's maturation and flavor concentration.

What foods pair well with Mountain Angel 10 Year? Dark chocolate truffles complement the malted chocolate and cherry notes. Smoked brisket or barbecue ribs echo the charred oak and tobacco character. Aged cheddar or Gruyère cheese mirrors the caramel and toffee sweetness. Pecan pie amplifies the maple and brown sugar finish. Blue cheese with honeycomb provides a savory-sweet contrast to the malt backbone.

What sizes does Mountain Angel 10 Year come in? Mountain Angel 10 Year is available in the standard 750ml bottle.

Is Mountain Angel 10 Year worth the price? Mountain Angel 10 Year positions as a premium American single malt, and its 10-year age statement, Platinum Medal from the Beverage Testing Institute, and 96-point Tastings.com rating place it among the most critically recognized domestic single malts in its price tier.

Why Mountain Angel 10 Year?

What separates this expression from the broader Stranahan's lineup — and from most American single malts — is genuine decade-long maturation at altitude. Denver's thin, dry air pushes the angel's share higher than sea-level distilleries experience, concentrating the remaining liquid into something measurably richer and more layered. The Platinum Medal from BTI and Double Gold recognition at both the ADI and San Francisco competitions confirm that this concentrated character translates into critical acclaim, not just marketing narrative. For anyone exploring the emerging American single malt category, Mountain Angel 10 Year represents one of its most accomplished and thoroughly aged benchmarks.