Laws Whiskey House 6-Year Bonded Four Grain Bourbon Review

I wasn’t the biggest fan of the Laws Bonded Wheat whiskey because it came across on the young and raw side. But when the distillery reached out and offered to let me try their new 6-year BiB, Laws Whiskey House 6-Year Bonded Four Grain Bourbon, I jumped at the opportunity. I was curious to see how much 2 years play in maturation up there.

Laws Whiskey House 6-Year Bonded Four Grain Bourbon

True it’s a totally different product, but even at 6 years there is a youthfulness about it. Over the years I’ve been seeing a correlation between whiskey taking longer to mature the further it gets from Kentucky, Tennessee and Indiana; I’m sure elevation plays into it too.

It seems like a 6-year-old from places like Colorado, Virginia, Wyoming or Pennsylvania is equal to about a 3-year-old from the more traditional bourbon-making areas. Which makes sense. One of the reasons Scotch takes so long to mature is because it’s cold in Scotland so there’s less expansion and contraction of the barrels. Thus it takes longer to get that mature profile we all look for in good whiskey.

Laws Whiskey House 6-Year Bonded Four Grain Bourbon Review: Details and Tasting Notes

In Laws Whiskey House’s Words:

The 4-year bonded Four Grain Bourbon has been a personal favorite of mine, but with the release of the 6-year expression, we’re raising the bar and shifting the bonded Four Grain to an older profile,” said Al Laws, founder of Laws Whiskey House. “This version produces smoother vanilla and caramel notes and an enhanced black cherry flavor that you don’t get from the 4-year version.

Details (price, mash bill, cask type, ABV, etc.)

Region: Colorado, USA

Distiller: Laws Whiskey House
Mash Bill: 60% Corn, 20% Colorado-grown Wheat, 10% Colorado-grown Rye, 10% Colorado-grown Barley
Cask: New Charred Oak
Age: 6 Years
ABV: 50%

Price: $70*

Tasting Notes

EYE
Ruddy caramel

NOSE
Roasted grain, caramel, oak, dark fruit, baking spice, oily nuts and earth.

PALATE
Wood, raw grain, caramel, dark fruit, baking spice, oily nuts and earth.

FINISH
Long -> Cocoa, Dark fruit, wood, spice and grain.

BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Good balance, medium-full body and a soft feel that fades a bit chalky.

Not bad, especially for a craft distiller. It has a nice richness to it that kept me coming back till the sample was gone. Nice.

Laws Whiskey House 6-Year Bonded Four Grain Bourbon Review: Overall and Score

Rather pleasant. The Aroma comes through as a nice heavy bourbon with a unique spice profile I’m really enjoying; Palate turns toward a more traditional craft profile with a bit more rawness to it; Finish is a pleasant dark fade.

Laws Whiskey House 6-Year Bonded Four Grain Bourbon is only the third whiskey I’ve had from LAWS, but it’s definitely the best. It seems like they need to hit least 6 years to get a good amount of maturity to it, but it could also be part of an emerging style. Whiskey coming out of places like Colorado, Wyoming and Virginia – to name a few – have a different, more crisp style in contrast to the softer and heavier styles that come from TN, IN or KY.

It’s a differentiator that’s beginning to emerge now that we’re seeing older craft whiskeys hit the market, but I think it’s too soon to fully lay down that stake. It seems like the different weather and environment are producing a different style of bourbon. Though it could also just be that it’s going to take these distilleries longer (6-8 years vs 4) to have something approaching the profile we’re accustomed to. It’s going to be exciting to see how this all evolves over the next 10 years or so.

SCORE: 3.5/5