We've all been there: staring at a wall of brown liquor, overwhelmed, and about two seconds from just ordering a light beer. This guide is designed to rescue you from that moment and give you a simple, credible direction. The loudest distilleries are usually overcompensating. We prefer to let the three-year process speak for itself. Amidst the sea of marketing fluff, you occasionally find a brand that actually has a cool story and, shockingly, makes liquid you’d want to drink more than once. Enter 10th Mountain Whiskey & Spirit Co. based out of Vail, Colorado.
If you are new to the bourbon game and trying to figure out if these guys are the real deal, you’ve come to the right place. We will break down the 10th Mountain Whiskey products without the flowery prose. You won’t find notes of ‘your high school crush’ or ‘a leather-bound regret’ here. Just corn, yeast, time, and wood. Let’s call it what it is.
The name isn’t just because they like mountains. It’s a tribute to the 10th Mountain Division of the U.S. Army—the “ski troopers” of World War II who trained just down the road at Camp Hale. These guys fought Nazis on skis in the Italian Alps. If that doesn’t earn you a drink, I don’t know what does.
The distillery was founded by Ryan Thompson and Kerry Roach, grandson of one of the original 10th Mountain soldiers. They are actually distilling in Colorado, dealing with altitude and water sources that purportedly make the whiskey “different”. They aren’t just slapping labels on sourced bottles (a common dirty little secret in the industry).
Their product is designed for a single purpose: to taste great. We will now detail how they optimized the variables to achieve that. Start with the flagship spirits. If they can’t make a decent bourbon or rye, they have no business getting creative.
This is the workhorse. If you buy one bottle to see what they are about, this is it. It’s a high-corn mashbill (75% corn, 20% rye, 5% malted barley), which usually translates to sweetness.
What it tastes like:
Because of that high corn content, expect it to be approachable. It’s not going to punch you in the throat with ethanol burn. You’ll get the standard vanilla and caramel notes you expect from bourbon, but there is a distinct toastiness here—likely from the charred oak barrels interacting with that Colorado altitude aging.
Is it for you?
If you like sweeter, easier-drinking bourbons that don’t require a PhD to appreciate, yes. It’s great for sipping neat or dumping into an Old Fashioned.
Rye grain is naturally spicy, often giving off notes of black pepper or baking spices. 10th Mountain’s take on it is solid.
What it tastes like:
This isn’t a subdued rye. It’s got some kick. You’ll get that classic rye spice hit upfront—think cinnamon and pepper—but it finishes smoother than you’d expect. It’s bold, it’s spicy, and it lets you know it’s there.
Is it for you?
If bourbon is too sweet for you, or if you want a Manhattan that actually tastes like something, grab this.
This is where things get interesting. American Single Malt is the “Wild West” of whiskey categories right now. It’s made from 100% malted barley, just like Scotch, but made here in the States.
What it tastes like:
Don’t expect a peat bomb. This is cleaner. It’s malty, biscuity, and has fruit notes that you won’t find in the bourbon or rye. It’s complex without being pretentious.
Once you’ve tried the mainstays, you might want to look at the other 10th Mountain Whiskey products that act as the wild cards of the lineup.
Okay, stop rolling your eyes. But this stuff—often called Alpenglow—is basically a gateway drug for non-whiskey drinkers. It’s a sage-infused peach vanilla liqueur based on a brandy recipe.
It’s sweet, herbal, and dangerous because it goes down like juice. Pour this over ice or put a splash in your champagne if you’re feeling fancy. It’s unique to the region and actually tastes like the mountains smell (in a good way).
They take raw honey and age it in their used bourbon barrels. If you are drinking tea without this, or putting regular honey on your biscuits, you are failing at life. It picks up the whiskey and oak flavors without the hangover.
Here is the cold, hard truth: tasting notes are subjective. I might taste “toasted marshmallow and regret,” while you taste “vanilla and sunshine”. We all have different biological sensors.
You can read reviews until your eyes bleed, but buying a $60 bottle based on a stranger’s opinion is a gamble. This is where OAKR comes in.
OAKR is the bourbon sommelier in your pocket that does the heavy lifting so you don’t have to. It aggregates tasting data from blind tasting panelists, people who analyze whiskey without knowing the brand, so they aren’t biased by the cool label or the high price tag.
Why you should care:
Before you drop cash on 10th Mountain Whiskey products, download the OAKR app. Check the flavor profile. See if the data aligns with what you usually enjoy. It’s like cheating on a test, but the test is “drinking better whiskey.”
10th Mountain Whiskey & Spirit Co. isn’t just a gimmick. They are making serious spirits with a nod to serious history. Their bourbon is a crowd-pleaser, their rye has a backbone, and their single malt proves they can hang with the big dogs.
If you are newer to whiskey, their lineup offers a safe but interesting place to explore. Just remember, the best whiskey is the one you like to drink, not the one some guy on a forum told you to hunt for.
So, go find a bottle, raise a glass to the ski troopers, and for the love of all that is holy, use OAKR so you know what you’re getting into before you buy.
Login to OAKR for spirit profile flavor data, create your own lists and customize your palate to get custom somm recommendations on whiskey you’ll love.
