The latest limited releases from Spirit Hound Distillers’ available to gift and add to your collection
Nov. 24, 2020 - Lyons, Colo. — Bring the festivities indoors this upcoming holiday season with two special at-home cocktail recipes from Colorado-based Spirit Hound Distillers. The distillery’s Honey Whisky complements the Map Room cocktail recipe, and Spirit Hound’s latest release, a Three Year Bourbon, pairs with the Gimme S’more Crinkle Cocktail recipe. Also available this winter season are to-go cocktails, gift bags and merchandise.
The below winter-themed cocktail creations are imagined by Amanda Engelhorn, Spirit Hound’s tasting room manager and resident mixologist. Limited quantities of these hand-crafted whiskies, as well as to-go cocktails, are available at the Spirit Hound tasting room in Lyons, Colo. Online ordering and the current to-go cocktail menu are available online at SpiritHounds.com.
Holiday Stay at Home Cocktail Recipes:
Gimme S’more Crinkle Cocktail
Gimme S’more Crinkle Cocktail
1.5 oz Spirit Hound Three Year Bourbon
1 oz Creme de Cacao (chocolate liqueur)
0.5 oz Spiced Turkish coffee (recommended: Boocha Products based in Longmont, Colo.)
1/2 oz almond milk
Dash of honey syrup
Toasted marshmallow (garnish)
For this delicious campfire-reminiscent warmer, mix all ingredients except garnish in a tumbler over ice. Toast a marshmallow and place on top. Enjoy!
Map Room Cocktail
Map Room Cocktail
2 oz Spirit Hound Colorado Honey Whisky
3/4 oz turbinado or demerara simple syrup
3/4 oz lemon juice
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
Large dash orange peel bitters
1 drop bergamot oil
Fresh cinnamon (optional as garnish)
All ingredients are added to a shaker with ice and double strained (through a mesh sieve) into a martini glass to strain out the ginger bits. Grate fresh cinnamon over the top.
Available bottles
Both of the distillery’s latest releases, a Straight Malt Whisky Barrel #1 and Spirit Hound’s first Bourbon release, were distilled the Spirit Hound-way on two hand-built-from-scratch stills designed by owner and head distiller Craig Engelhorn.
Straight Malt Whisky Barrel #1
Barrel #1 survived the 2013 Colorado floods, which reached the main level of the distillery and threatened the original six whisky barrels only a year after Spirit Hound opened. Then, being released in 2020, Spirit Hound hosted a virtual tasting event during the release weekend to promote safer and socially distanced experiences for fans.
The all-malt recipe is made with Colorado-grown malted barley and a dash of peat-smoked malt barley, all grown and malted in small batches by the Colorado Malting Company in Alamosa, Colorado. Aged more than two years in new, fully charred American oak barrels before being bottled in an unblended “single-barrel” fashion, Spirit Hound’s Straight Malt Whisky features aromas of oak, toffee, caramel, turbinado sugar, light smoke, and a silky body.
Three-Year Bourbon
The first-ever Spirit Hound Bourbon has been aged for more than 3 years in new, fully charred American oak barrels. With a grain bill made up of 60 percent corn, 20 percent Colorado-sourced malted barley, and 20 percent rye, this is a high-rye bourbon with strong notes of black cherry and stone fruit.
“We used our same hand-crafted process and copper stills for the Three-Year Bourbon, but I’ve been experimenting with high-rye recipes,” says co-owner and distiller Craig Engelhorn. “As our first bourbon release, we are excited to see such unique flavors. Using 20 percent rye in our recipe made this a flavorful and delicious, fruity bourbon.”
This release also served as a fundraiser for the Lyon’s Fire Protection District. Raising $4,500 during a two-day release event and a silent auction, Spirit Hound supported the LFPD’s efforts in Northern Colorado during the devastating fires that took place this year.
Honey Whisky
Spirit Hound and Bee Squared Apiaries collaborated in 2019 to create a unique process where raw honey is aged in spent whisky barrels for 100 days. Each honey-filled barrel was rotated daily, by hand, to maximize absorption of whisky and oak essence, producing a very limited release Whisky Barrel Aged Honey. The emptied honey barrel then returned to Spirit Hound, where it was filled with a finished (2 year old) whisky and aged for three additional months. Each unique barrel is individually bottled with a delightfully balanced, rich, not-too-sweet whisky that showcases the true depth of this Colorado collaboration.
Gift Sets
Skip the mall and stop by the Spirit Hound tasting room for your holiday shopping this year. The distillery has gift sets for all taste profiles, pairing your choice of whisky, gin, and more quality to-go cocktails, recipes, gift cards, and speciality merchandise from Spirit Hound and local retailers.
Spirit Hound’s Honey Whisky, for example, is available as a gift set. It has been paired with Bee Squared honey and other locally sourced honey products for a uniquely Coloradan experience.
# # #
About Spirit Hound Distillers
Resonating from the gritty small town of Lyons, situated in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, comes Spirit Hound Distillers and unique crafted spirits years in the making. Founded in 2012 by friends and business partners—Craig Engelhorn, Wayne Anderson, Matt Rooney and Neil Sullivan—Spirit Hound’s reputation originates in a hands-on approach to the craft of distilling. The Spirit Hound team takes traditional and classic recipes that come to life with local, hand-selected ingredients distilled through hand-built-from-scratch stills and distillation equipment in search of one-of-a-kind processes and flavors. Spirit Hound offerings include: an acclaimed Straight Malt Whisky (93 rating, Jump Murray’s Whisky Bible / Double Gold, 2018 “The Fifty Best” American Malt Whiskies), Honey Whisky (Double Gold, 2019 Breckenridge Spirits Festival), Spirit Hound Gin (Silver, 88 rating, 2015 Beverage Testing Institute), Mountain Bum Rum, Sambuca (Best Herbal Liqueur, American Distilling Institute) and an un-aged version of its whisky called White Dog Moonshine.
Currently, Spirit Hound products are available in Colorado and Nebraska. The tasting room is located on the St. Vrain River at 4196 Ute Highway/US Route 36 Lyons, CO 80540 and is a popular destination for lovers of distilled spirits and handcrafted cocktails.
For additional details please visit www.spirithounds.com or call (303) 823-5696.
# # #
RESULTS EXAMPLE:
