The Most Coveted American Whiskeys Are Ultra-Strong, but Are They Drinkable?

Robb Report | Jason O’bryan | february 4, 2024

[Excerpt]

If you’ve found yourself anywhere near a glass of whiskey in the past five years, you may have noticed a burning sensation rising in your nose and throat. This, we’re told, is a good thing: Across the whiskey world but particularly at American distillers, high-alcohol, high-intensity spirits have taken over.

These high-proof bourbons and ryes—often called cask strength or barrel proof—were once just a peripheral curiosity, but in recent years they’ve captured the attention of industry critics, writers, and connoisseurs. The 2023 list of 100 top American whiskeys from influential critic Fred Minnick is emblematic of the trend: Of 100 spirits listed, 87 are 100 proof and up, 49 are 110 or higher, and 18 are at or above 120—which, because “proof” is twice the amount of alcohol-by-volume, means a whopping 60 percent alcohol. By comparison, the standard strength in the U.S. is between 80 and 90 proof (40 to 45 percent alcohol). 

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Colorado’s Old Elk Distillery, for example, produces both standard- and high-proof whiskeys. When diluting, the makers not only employ reverse osmosis and UV filtration on their mountain water, they also blend it in gradually. “When you add water to a high-proof spirit, you’re going to lose some flavors in there,” says production manager Melinda Maddox. She cites a chemical reaction that raises the temperature of the whiskey, changing the flavor, as the reason Old Elk dilutes it via a “slow cut” process that can take weeks. She suspects the same thing can happen in the glass: “More than likely, you’re going to see rougher edges in the one that you’ve proofed down fast versus the one you’ve proofed down slow,” she says. “All I can say is that we know our whiskey tastes better when we let it have this time. There’s such a difference when you let it rest.”

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