Review #667 - Tincup American Whiskey
Tincup's standard 'American Whiskey' or 'Mountain Whiskey' is a reasonably priced blended whisky bottled in Colorado. It's a combination of two components: a high-rye bourbon distilled in Indiana, as well as a single malt distilled in Colorado.
This whisky is aged in new oak barrels, specifically barrels with a level #3 char; there's no age statement, and this is bottled at a lower strength of 42% ABV (84 proof).
Tincup American Whiskey
USA - Blend
Price: USD 28 (2025)
Age Statement: NAS
Strength: 42% ABV
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 3 times over 9 months; bottles at 90%, 80%, and 70% fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a nosing glass each time, rested 15+ minutes
Nose: Light and mild, with some oak and a bit of a nutty character. Soft butterscotch or caramel, a bit of clove, and some burnt sugar arrive; we also find occasional notes of orange peel orange peel or grapefruit. At times, there's a sour malt note as well.
Palate: The mouthfeel is medium-thin; butterscotch, hints of nuts, and some soft vanilla greet us. There's a little hint of sour malt again, as well as some dry, semi-sour oak; it's also a bit young, with grainy notes. Cinnamon and brown sugar arrive, but overall, the flavors are quite mild, a bit thin.
Finish: Brown sugar oatmeal, soft grains, and a bit of cream; it's mild and inoffensive, but borderline bland. Vanilla extract lingers in the aftertaste, and the oak influence is quite soft; it's a medium length finish.
Final Note: This blended whisky isn't particularly offensive in any way, but there just isn't much to it - the strength is too low, making the flavors quite mild and reducing the complexity that comes at higher strength. You can definitely taste both the bourbon and malt components, which is interesting, but the flavors are very mainstream - basic baking spices, very mild oak. It's all just a bit too watered down and simple for us.
Value here is mediocre; the price is quite reasonable, but there isn't a ton of flavor backing that up. There are quite a few other American whisky options in the $20 to $30 range that we would take over this.
Our Average Rating: 4.5 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 5.88
About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.
Check out other reviews of reasonably priced American blends:
