First, I love that pretty much the entire bottle is transparent. The whiskey is visible from top to bottom without obstruction, allowing you to see the beautiful amber color within. What’s even cooler is the bottle design itself: an almost Victorian style, with a hexagonal shape and the branding embossed onto the sides of the glass bottle itself. It’s different, but in a striking and beautiful way. It’s something that looks great on your shelf. Tincup was founded by Jess Graber in 2014. Originally, Jess and George Stranahan had founded Stranahan’s Whiskey in 2004 out of Denver, Colorado. However, in 2010, Stranahan’s was bought out by Proximo Spirits. Well, under the Proximo umbrella, Jess set out to create a high-rye bourbon which turned into Tincup Whiskey. It’s kind of a light whiskey al around and nothing stands out so in that regard it’s balanced. It has a thin light body and a bit of heat going down, but no more than an 84 proof whiskey should have. Graber had decided to make a bourbon, but Stranahan’s didn’t have the space to make its single malts and distill bourbon. So, Graber sourced whiskey from MGP in Indiana — a bourbon made of two-thirds corn and one-third rye — and blended it with a little bit of Stranahan’s single malt. And so, in 2008, the idea for Tincup was born. This is just the original Tincup that has been aged 10 years. The extra 6 years in oak casks add a bit more depth than the original has. Stronger flavors of oak and leather are prominent. I was a little disappointed that they didn’t bottle this at a higher abv. Tincup Rye

After the hike, we had a bit of downtime to freshen up and hang out until the main event — the whiskey tasting. Tasting Tincup FourteenerAs mentioned previously, Tincup was originally a mining town, and the miners would drink out of, and carry gold in, tin cups. For marketing purposes and to pay homage to the old, small town (now a ghost town), Jess names the whiskey Tincup. Tincup Whiskey at First Glance Sourced whiskies can certainly vary in their quality which is something that makes them both problematic and interesting. If you can find a good one, value for money isn’t a problem. Otherwise, it can be a big bite out of your bourbon budget. Understanding how something is going to taste is key to making this all-important purchasing decision. Smell

In October, Whiskey Raiders ventured to Estes Park, Colorado, to attend a media event hosted by Tincup Whiskey, which was celebrating its latest whiskey, Tincup Fourteener, the oldest in the Tincup portfolio, which was officially announced Tuesday. Initially it has a sweet graininess to it that gives way to cherries, rye, citrus and a bit of dill. That same nondescript spice from the nose moves effortlessly across the palate but instead of a sweetness, it’s accompanied by a soft minerality that rolls through at the end. This cookie is set by Rubicon Project to control synchronization of user identification and exchange of user data between various ad services.The grain bill for this whiskey is listed as 64% corn, 32% rye and 4% malted barley. It’s higher in rye content than the usual bourbons, but it nevertheless makes the cut to be labeled as such. That said, the word “bourbon” is missing from the bottle — a conscious design choice, not wanting to compete head-to-head with the flood of bourbons on the market. It’s meant to celebrate our coexistence with Colorado and symbolize that we want to keep innovating,” Graber said during a media tasting in Estes Park, Colorado.