Produced in Denver, Colorado, Laws Whiskey House Four Grain Cognac Cask Finished Bourbon features a mashbill of 60% corn, 20% heirloom wheat, 10% heirloom rye and 10% heirloom malted barley. After initial aging of over four years in various-sized French oak casks, it undergoes finishing in a 50-year-old, 1,600-gallon Cognac foeder. This process uses a solera-style method, where a portion of the whiskey is harvested each year, and the foeder is topped up with new Four Grain Bourbon finished in Cognac casks. It is bottled at 95 proof.
A hint of bay leaf on the finish adds an herbal punch before the dark/dried fruit character comes rolling back into focus. It’s the finish where this whiskey shines the brightest, though I invariably wished for more of that fruit on the nose.
The flavor follows up on that very closely, delivering a warm, sticky caramel apple rolled in raisins and on a toasted stick of oak. That rolls into a finish that is a touch woody and a touch ashy.
his is a complex bourbon with a lot of subtle notes that progress quickly. Overall the palate is quite dry with hints of vanilla, caramel, cinnamon, oak, black pepper, banana, and walnut all hitting the palate for short periods.
