There are so many whiskey brands out there these days that it can be difficult to figure out what's new and actually worth checking out. But Lasso Motel is worth checking out.
The new whiskey brand is out the door this month with a surprisingly wide and diverse range of expressions (13, to be exact); It ranged from rye whiskey to Kentucky bourbon, many of which were barrel-lined. The company's 18-year-old American straight whiskey recently won top honors in a spirits competition.
The brand was founded by Dallas native Devin Odell as part of his Dynasty Spirits company, and the whiskey comes in colorful, modern bottles that are quite eye-catching.
The core product line includes nine different barrel finishes produced at Dynasty Spirits Distillery in Dallas: Le Stave, Sherry, Rose, Port Cask, Tokaji, Naranja, Cognac, Mizunara and Amburana.
The last one in particular is kind of a thorn in my side. There are those who swear by it, but to me, any whiskey complemented with amburana, a tree species native to Brazil, tastes like drinking liquid potpourri. This is the case here too, but if you swish some of the whiskey in your mouth and spit it out, your breath will smell like cinnamon.
The rest of these barrel finishes are pretty good; each serves a specific purpose and transforms whiskey in different ways. For example, the sherry cask adds nuttiness and dried fruit aromas to the bourbon, the cognac cask adds some spice and tannin, and the port brings dark fruit and oak notes.
Unfinished expressions include a four-year Kentucky dry bourbon, an 8-year bourbon, a 10-year single-barrel rye whiskey, and, perhaps most unusual, an 18-year straight American whiskey.
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As previously mentioned, this whiskey took home the best-in-show award at the New York World Spirits Competition in September (full disclosure, I was a judge at this competition, but every tasting is blind). This whiskey was distilled at MGP in Indiana from a mash bill of 99 percent corn and 1 percent malted barley and aged in used bourbon barrels; This means that despite its mash bill, it cannot be called bourbon, which must be aged in new barrels. It is bottled in a strong 121 proof bottle and despite its strength it is a truly delicate and delicious sip.
At MGP, rye whiskey is made from 95 percent rye and 5 percent malted barley mash, and is bottled in barrels.
All bourbons are bottled in 100-proof bottles and distilled at Green River Distilling in Kentucky from a mash composed of 70 percent corn, 21 percent rye, and 9 percent malted barley. The only exception is eight-year-old bourbon, distilled in Barton (also in Kentucky) from a mash composed of 75 percent corn, 21 percent rye, and 4 percent malted barley.
It's a good thing that Lasso Motel is transparent about where its whiskey comes from, and it's something whiskey fans will appreciate when considering a new and unconventional brand. There will be more barrel-finished expressions next year as well as wheat whiskey, so keep an eye out for those. In the meantime, you can shop the entire Lasso Motel series online and in stores.
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