Review #928 - Stranahan's 12 Year Mountain Angel
As the American single malt category matures, we're slowly seeing more well-aged releases from a variety of distilleries across the US. One of the distilleries participating in this trend is Colorado's Stranahan's - they've now released several single malts with double digit age statements. Here's one example, a 12 year old single malt named 'Mountain Angel.'
This whisky spent 12 years maturing in new American oak barrels before it was finished for an undisclosed amount of time in Port wine casks. That's quite a lengthy maturation for new oak; we're expecting a decent amount of maturity and spice, then, but it will be interesting to see if sweetness from those Port casks balances everything out.
This is bottled at a strength of 47.3% ABV (94.6 proof), and a total of 2,200 bottles were produced in this first batch of Port-finished Mountain Angel.
Stranahan's 12 Year Mountain Angel
USA - Single Malt
Price: USD 110 (2026)
Age Statement: 12 Years
Strength: 47.3% ABV
Cask Makeup: New American oak, finished in Port wine casks
Details: Batch no. 001; 2,200 bottles
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 2 times over 2 months; bottles at 100% and 80% fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a nosing glass each time, rested 15+ minutes
Nose: Rich wine influence - cherry, cranberry sauce, raspberry, blackberry, all sorts of berry fruits. There's a strong new oak influence as well, which brings leather and some brown sugar; a bit of malty chocolate and wood char linger in the background, but they're subdued.
Palate: The mouthfeel has a medium thickness, but it's a bit warming due to baking spices and oak. It's a flavor bomb; we get tart cranberry, strawberry, and then cherries and red wine. Barbecue notes are accented by tons of chocolate, as well as perfume, cardamom, and nutmeg. Strong oak notes, which become a bit more drying, and there's decent complexity here.
Finish: Malty, peppery, a decent amount of oak and tannins; then we get red wine, syrupy raisins, and some baking spices like nutmeg and cinnamon. It's a medium-long finish.
Final Note: Wow, this is a great American single malt - we weren't sure how the barley spirit, which we find tends to be more delicate that bourbon and rye, would stand up to 12 years in new American oak. There is a strong oak profile here, but the Port wine casks do a good job of adding sweet notes, especially red fruits and a bit of chocolate. Sometime sweet overall, sometimes spicy - this is a fun one to dig into, and it carries more flavor and depth than most whiskies do around the 47% ABV mark.
Because the score is quite good, value is good too - well above average. A price around $100 to $110 definitely puts this on the premium end of American single malts, but that's understandable given the relatively high age statement. Good stuff - we recommend this bottle if you like ASMs and can find it.
Our Rating: 7.9 / 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: 6.68
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 our other Stranahan’s reviews:
Review #583 - Stranahan's Single Barrel Cask Strength - Barrel 15-2146
