Todd Leopold looks over a fermenting Bourbon mash
It would take me at least ten pages to truly explain just how much of a distillation genius, whiskey savant, and overall booze geek that Todd Leopold is, so let me just say that the real work that we will come to know the Leopold Bros Distillery is only now coming to light.
For the last 10+ years we’ve been drinking their gin, their vodka, their various liqueurs and such, but the true craft of what Todd Leopold can do is finally here. And we’re just getting started. When the Three Chamber Still rye whiskey comes out in January, we’re all going to be on our knees, begging him for more, because that whiskey is just that good, but for now let’s break down the new 5 year old Bottled in Bond Bourbon.
WHY YOU WANT IT: This is real deal, grain-to-glass, pot-distilled farm Bourbon, aged for five years in the Leopold’s government-bonded warehouse, and it beautifully bridges the gap between the grainy, spice-laden flavors of small production whiskies and the richness and sweetness you expect from your favorite Kentucky Bourbon. It’s impeccably balanced and complex from front to back, finishing very soft and very smooth.
HOW IT’S MADE: Using 65% local corn, 21% in house-malted barley, and 15% heritage rye, the custom-mash creates a creamy, malty, and very distinct flavor profile, imparted with fruit from the open-top, native yeast, cold fermentation that coaxes out the flavors over 120 hours, more than twice the fermentation time of most other distillers. The Bourbon is also pot-distilled, rather than column distilled, so the whiskey truly tastes more like the mash itself than the new charred oak it was aged in.
WHAT/WHO MAKES IT: Todd and Scott Leopold originally built their distillery in Ann Arbor, Michigan, but soon moved to Denver, Colorado for better access to grains. Everything they make is from scratch. 100% of the grains used for their spirits are floor malted by hand, meaning rye, wheat, and barley. With the exception of their grape-based absinthe and maraska cherry liqueur, all of their base spirits are made in house. Todd Leopold is also a professional maltster, selling in-house malted grains to many of the nation’s top craft breweries.
We’ve got plenty in stock right now for the time being. I’ve got my bottle and I keep going back for more as I type this. It’s incredibly lithe for being 100 proof, so I need to be careful. There's so much to like about this: the way it's made, the people who made it, the way it tastes, the complexity of oak, rye, chocolate, malty grains, oatmeal cookie, etc.
Grab your bottle here:
Leopold Bros 5 Year Old Bottled in Bond Bourbon - $54.95
-David Driscoll