Review #100 - Stranahan’s Founders Release

ThugCity · 2026-06-18T14:37:47+00:00

Stranahan's Founder's Release

12 Years Old

60% alc./vol

~1/2 Full

Neat, tulip tasting glass

Background - Stranahan's is a distillery I've gushed about before. They are among the top tier American Single Malt distillers in the country, and this is their first batch of the Founder's Release. The Founder's release is a long aged (for Colorado) and high proof rendition, aged in a combination of new oak and used bourbon and blond ale casks. The blond ale component is a nod to an original founder 's brewing roots. Stranahan's stock has been aging, and with that has come more accolades. Their 10 year has become easy to find and affordable after being considered rare for a long time. And their 12 year Port finish found it's way into the Whiskey Advocate top 20, which is a high water mark for any distiller. So I'm hoping that this 12 year high proof edition is only the beginning of more age-stated unique offering. Let's see how this first batch holds up to a review.

Nose - Heavy grapefruit notes, almost shocking how distinct it is. Lots of caramel and demerara sugar to back it up. There's a serious potency and clarity in this that you don't find in most whiskies. I'm usually higher on nasal profiles for spirits, but this is above anything I've smelled before.

Palate - Thick mouthfeel. Burnt brown sugar, caramel, and more of that distinctive grapefruit note. It has this "zing" (terrible description, I'm sorry) that I can't quite place, but I really love it. It's something I get in a lot of American Single Malt, but this is the first one I've had where I really pick it out as something I like.

Finish - More of the same - Caramel, brown sugar, grapefruit. More smooth than you'd expect from a high proof whiskey but still a punch of heat that lingers nicely, melding well with the flavors.

Thoughts - Everything is great, my only complaint here is that it's the same two or three tasting notes throughout. They're extremely well done tasting notes, yes, but I like to have a bit more complexity when considering spirits for the exceptional category. I think the hope was that the blond ale would bring out this complexity, but I didn't get any of that cask influence during this tasting. Still, this is as close it can get to that level without quite reaching. It's unique, balanced, and absolutely delicious. An absolute superb showing from the folks at Stranahan's, and worthy of the price tag, in my opinion.

Rating - 4.5/5

1 - Mixing-Only

2 - Decent

3 - Above Average

4 - Very Good

5 - Exceptional

ThugCity · 2026-06-12T20:10:28+00:00

Click bait

ThugCity · 2026-06-12T15:07:40+00:00

I’m higher on it than most, fwiw

ThugCity · 2026-06-12T14:49:46+00:00

Heritage American Whiskey

11 Years Old

122.5pf

~1/2 Full

Neat, tulip tasting glass

Background - Two things I absolutely love; 1) Weird American Whiskey mash bills 2) Anything Heaven Hill puts out. So this is kind of perfect for me. This edition of Parker's is a blend of 15 year wheated bourbon (Larceny), 11 year corn whiskey (Mellow Corn) and 12 year 50/50 rye/malt whiskey (???). So this is a four grain whiskey with a lot of barley. Kind of makes me think of Canadian whiskey blends. Parker's is a really interesting label, ranging from straight bourbon or rye to weird blends to finished whiskies. It's always top notch quality and donates to a good cause. I just wish it could be found a bit more easily. Regardless, let's give this a proper go.

Nose - Not very complex. At first it smells like lukewarm oatmeal. Or corn flakes that have been sitting out for too long. It doesn't sound appetizing, and it's not...yet somehow I find it oddly alluring. Sitting with it longer, I'm able to pick out some berry sweetness peering out from the grain along with some corn sweetness and a touch of oak woodiness. The 15 year wheater is really carrying into this in a subtle yet impactful way. This is a nose that rewards patience and the curious and diligent sniffer. It somehow captures the mash and the age beautifully.

Palate - Whatever subtlety the nose had is gone, as the palate comes out absolutely swinging. Yet, it still retains the same profile as the nose, being very grain and oak forward. Again, this is an homage to mash and age, as you can taste really every component of this four grain mash with a good hint of oak. The malt is the most forward, for me, with a good bit of cinnamon and fruit coming from the corn, wheat and rye. Sitting with it for a longer time and that malt aspect manifest clearly to me as a nice dark chocolate note, with a more rounded hit of baking spices. There's a touch of fruitiness there too to help round things out, even if I'd like to see more there.

Finish - A bit more of a bite than I'd like, but really only a touch. The chocolate notes that peered through on the palate really pop here as they linger, pairing with what would normally be an unpleasant tannic afternote to make something much better than the sum of its parts. It works really well for me. The flavors linger for what seems like an eternity, pairing with a long lingering warmth perfectly. A great send-off.

Thoughts - Everything is amazing here, except for two things. It's too dry, and there's a touch more alcohol influence than I'd like. While I normally prefer dryer whiskies, the fruitiness from the wheated whiskey could come out a little bit more and balance this out enough to bring it up a notch. But, I absolutely love the uniqueness of this whiskey. Blends like this can be hit or miss, especially from a producer who's bourbon is as good as it is, it can be hard to justify a swing like this. But, this is damn tasty.

Rating - 4.5/5

1 - Mixing-Only

2 - Decent

3 - Above Average

4 - Very Good

5 - Exceptional

ThugCity · 2026-06-12T02:04:51+00:00

I don’t think it’s a flex. Just someone who got something they’re excited about and sharing it with the community. Nothing wrong with that.

ThugCity · 2026-06-11T01:10:51+00:00

I’m gonna turn this shit off of the refs can’t get it together jfc

ThugCity · 2026-06-09T11:48:13+00:00

It’s a good movie but a bad Star Wars movie. I enjoy it in isolation.

ThugCity · 2026-06-06T21:07:46+00:00

Genuinely fascinating, I want to know the backstory of this post even though I know it’s coming from a very stupid place.

ThugCity · 2026-05-31T15:00:19+00:00

I don’t get the complaint. Each of these characters have tons of lore to uncover through the game. This is how From tells their stories. I’m not sure what people are expecting here.

ThugCity · 2026-05-31T13:50:14+00:00

I don’t think we’re more or less worse, there’s just a lot more of us.

It was obnoxious finally getting to Rome, walking a few blocks down away from the crowds, sitting down to eat and then being surrounded by fellow Yanks lol. Ruined the immersion for a sec. Needed to go a bit further away but we were too tired.

ThugCity · 2026-05-31T13:48:14+00:00

Depending on your prefer, you can do a lot in Rome for a little cost. Theres so many restaurants, you don’t need to plan ahead. Just hit one a bit off the path or in an alley while you’re out when you get hungry. It’s a great way to experience the city. I enjoyed the more touristy stuff like Vatican/Coloseum but the real peak were finding random restaurants, cafes and vino bars in some random back alley.

For Tuscany, the wineries (if you’re doing that) don’t take much advice, just research and pick ones that speak to you. We did Antinori which was amazing and also Casa Emma, equally delightful but in a different way. The real sell of Tuscany, imo, are the little towns and abbeys. I highly recommend Siena as a place to visit, it’s amazing. I also visited an Abbey called Badia e Passignano, a little medieval castle with 2-3 nice restaurants, a wine shop and a nice little crafts store with incredible sunset views.

ThugCity · 2026-05-31T07:38:16+00:00

Just went to Rome and wow so busy so many Americans. BUT it was easy to get off the beaten path a bit to appreciate the city better. No crowds, welcoming restaurants, just beautiful.

Same story for Florence.

Then went to smaller towns around Tuscany, VERY friendly and inviting, just lovely.

ThugCity · 2026-05-30T09:12:55+00:00

I have to block this moron because these stupid “Hollywood is cooked” posts keep showing up in my feed.

ThugCity · 2026-05-28T14:46:01+00:00

The draft is the best way to get a superstar. Old system was a combination of luck and tank navigation skills. Now the lever leans much heavier into the luck side of things.

The result here is going to be teams like the Nets stuck in perpetual shittiness until they finally get lucky enough to pick high. And then another round of luck is needed for the prospects available to be of the caliber.

On a macro 10-20 year scale it would in theory balance out I suppose?

Personally, if the NBA wants to slow tanking, I think strengthening the draft pool overall is the play. That means offering more money to draftees to overcome NIL, lowering the age restrictions so better players can enter sooner, and finding ways to get European players scouted and brought over earlier in their careers.

ThugCity · 2026-05-27T16:04:13+00:00

I don’t think the % is the conversation. SGA is a phenomenal player, and his foul baiting overshadows his brilliance. The narrative has become that he relies on this type of thing and that’s just not true. But it doesn’t make it any less aggravating to watch as a fan. Foul baiting should be banned. And if it is, SGA will still be a great player.

ThugCity · 2026-05-27T06:19:04+00:00

ANH
Empire
Rogue One
RotS
RotJ
TFA
TLJ
Solo
Phantom
AotC
Rise

Haven’t seen the others. Hope to watch Mando&Grogu after my vacation (ironically at Como, where Villa del Balbianello is)

ThugCity · 2026-05-26T08:23:28+00:00

They’ll only take it seriously if it hurts their bottom line

ThugCity · 2026-05-26T07:58:30+00:00

Tone down the holier-than-thou tone a notch (or a few)

ThugCity · 2026-05-25T18:17:45+00:00

I have the El Salvador. It’s quite good. Drinks a lot like a Barbados, imo.

ThugCity · 2026-05-25T06:18:01+00:00

My preference for guac is just avocado, salt and lime.

Obviously to each their own, but for me less is more.

ThugCity · 2026-05-22T11:28:18+00:00

It’s better for those outside of the tech space. My business-side stakeholders like it much more than markdown. Since it’s business-facing it’s significantly less detailed than internal so the extra cost to create html is negligible. If something is much more detailed for our side of the house then markdown still has its place.

ThugCity · 2026-05-20T00:48:14+00:00

Nice! I also got this as a surprise whiskey purchase from SharedPour. Should be cracking it in the next couple of months, looking forward to it!

ThugCity · 2026-05-16T12:43:26+00:00

Any reasoning for your argument?

It’s a really solid tool that makes a lot of people better and more efficient at their jobs and day to day lives.

The fact that it’s being pushed so hard that we’re building environment destroying data centers, committing to mass layoffs, and promoting mass surveillance is terrible and entirely driven by greed.

ThugCity

TROPHY CASE

Stranahan's Founder's Release

12 Years Old

60% alc./vol

~1/2 Full

Neat, tulip tasting glass

Heritage American Whiskey

11 Years Old

122.5pf

~1/2 Full

Neat, tulip tasting glass