Boulder Bourbon Batch 1 Colorado Bourbon Whiskey Vapor Distillery 42%

Boulder sits right up against the Rocky Mountains, where the air is dry and the weather can turn three times before lunch. A copper still forged in Scotland stands here, and it's the one that put a new Bourbon on the shelf. The label carries a single number. Batch No. 1.

Expert's Description

Boulder Bourbon Batch 1 is a Colorado Bourbon Whiskey matured in new oak casks and bottled at 42%.

This is the very first batch of Boulder Bourbon from Vapor Distillery, which makes it a bottle for collectors and for anyone who likes owning the start of a story. The label calls the place a micro-distillery, says the bottle was filled by hand in Boulder, and carries a stamp on the side declaring it handcrafted.

Vapor Distillery's story runs through Alastair Brogan, a Scot who moved to Colorado in 2011 with a 1,000 gallon copper still from Forsyths. At the time it was the biggest pot still in the state. Plenty of American stills are built to pull out alcohol as fast as possible, and Brogan wanted to get away from exactly that.

According to the label, the Bourbon is made from corn and rye, distilled in a handmade copper pot still and matured in new oak casks. New oak is the rule for Bourbon and tends to hand over vanilla and caramel, and here it's joined by a dry mountain climate with big swings in the weather, something the distillery points to itself.

This is a collector's bottle, and the tasting notes below are based on Boulder Bourbon as it's known from the distillery's later releases. How this particular bottle tastes today may differ.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Caramel and vanilla open things up, with ripe fruit and a touch of apple butter behind.

Palate

Soft and round on the tongue. Caramel and honey arrive first, then lightly spiced oak, a little cinnamon and a hint of popcorn, as if the corn wanted to say hello.

Finish

Medium in length and warm, faintly sweet, with spiced wood right at the end.

Specifications

Name: Boulder Bourbon Batch 1 Colorado Bourbon Whiskey 75 cl 42%
Distillery: Vapor Distillery
Region/Country: Colorado, USA
Type: Colorado Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 42%
Size: 75 CL
Cask type: New oak casks
Distillation method: Handmade copper pot still
Edition: Batch 1
EAN No.: 0748252083562

Flavour Profile

Soft · Sweet · Fruity · Lightly spiced

Did You Know?

The name Boulder Bourbon is trademarked, so there is officially no other Bourbon in the world carrying it.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Boulder Bourbon Batch 1

Why is Boulder Bourbon Batch 1 a collector's bottle?

Because it's the very first batch of Boulder Bourbon, and the label says so: Batch No. 1. It's the bottle you bring out when you want to tell how Vapor Distillery's Bourbon began.

How does Boulder Bourbon taste?

Soft and approachable, with caramel, vanilla and honey, and a little cinnamon and apple butter in the background. At 42% it's easy to sip neat. This description is based on Boulder Bourbon as it's sold today, so an older bottle may sit a little differently.

Should Boulder Bourbon be drunk neat or in a cocktail?

Try it neat first, or with a few drops of room-temperature water. In a cocktail it works well in an Old Fashioned with sugar, bitters and a strip of orange peel. A tulip-shaped glass gathers the aroma best, and you'll find them in our range of whisky glasses.

How should I store a collector's bottle like Boulder Bourbon Batch 1?

Upright, cool and dark, away from sunlight and heat. Unopened it keeps well, but once opened it's best finished within about a year.

What's the difference between Boulder Bourbon and Boulder Spirits?

Boulder Spirits is the brand, and Boulder Bourbon is the Bourbon in the range. Both come from Vapor Distillery in Boulder, which also makes Boulder Vodka, Boulder Gin and the aged Boulder Ginskey.

What kind of place is Vapor Distillery?

Vapor Distillery is in Boulder, Colorado, and is Boulder County's oldest distillery. It started in 2008 as Roundhouse Spirits and became Vapor in 2015, because the name Roundhouse was already taken by others. Today it makes Bourbon, American Single Malt Whiskey, Gin and Vodka.