Talnua Single Pot Still Whiskey Aged in Virgin White Oak Casks
Talnua Distillery in Arvada, Colorado, sits a full mile above sea level in the foothills of the Rockies. Founded by couple Patrick and Meagan Miller in 2017, Talnua has a singular focus: single pot still whiskey in the Irish style, made in America with American terroir while honoring and closely hewing to the Irish Technical File definition of the category.
As of 2023, they are the only distillery in the US solely dedicated to single pot still whiskies. A few others are putting down stock, such as O’Shaughnessy (Keeper’s Heart) and Ransom Distillery, but no other producer is making only single pot still whiskey.
The Millers found their love of single pot still during their honeymoon in 2011, when they got to taste the first Redbreast Cask Strength on the market in decades. Talnua’s whiskies align with the Irish Technical File (ITF) in every possible way: the only requirement not met is “made in Ireland with Irish water,” and though Meagan says bringing Irish water over would be a ridiculous expense, I sensed a tinge of whimsy, a question of “what if” in her voice.
Talnua is proud of both its Irish heritage and its local, American terroir. In the series of products I got to try, none exemplifies this better than the Talnua Distillery American Single Pot Still Aged in Virgin American White Oak. In other words, taking their identifiably Irish-style single pot still whiskey and age it in the American whiskey way, with brand new never-before-used white oak barrels. Local, Colorado barley (Moravian strain) distilled in a uniquely Irish process and aged how you would age a bourbon or rye.
Talnua calls this a “marriage of whiskey heritage,” and it’s hard to disagree. The marriage is clearly successful: the single pot still distillate and new oak pair beautifully, resulting in a remarkably fruity dram with a candy-shell mouthfeel. Talnua’s most identifiable note, a Granny Smith apple fresh but not too tart, comes out clearly while the typical pot still spice is tempered by new oak creaminess. The oak also adds extra body, leading to a mouthfeel far above 86º (listen to the upcoming podcast episode, live on 3/15, for a fun exchange between me and Patrick about proof preferences).
The green apple note is interesting for me: in a typical whiskey distillation, particularly for a corn-based mashbill, green apple (acetaldehyde, for you scientists out there) is one of the first aromatic compounds that denote the end of the heads and beginning of safe-to-drink spirit. In brewing, it’s a big no-no, an off-flavor that in greater amounts can turn into oxidized apples, cider-turned-bad, and band-aids. In the body, acetaldehyde is the first degradation of metabolized alcohol and is the compound that may do the most damage to the liver (sorry, whiskey drinkers, you can’t get rid of it - just be responsible).
Back to Talnua - I asked Patrick a question I hadn’t considered before: I’m used to that green apple note in new make, but that new make has been mostly corn-based distillate. Does it also happen when distilling barley? The answer is yes, but to a lesser extent, somewhere below corn but higher than rye. For Talnua, their green apple profile comes more from esterification in the cask than from the initial distillation.
Following a 110º entry proof into their barrels, Talnua sees somewhere between 7-11% angel’s share per year in their alpine desert environs. Brands like Stranahan’s have pulled off a 10-year-old whiskey only through climate-controlled warehouses; Talnua considered it, but decided that if they were to allow terroir throughout the rest of the process it wouldn’t make sense to counter it during maturation. They know that at that rate, by around 6-7 years old there will be little-to-no liquid in the casks, but it also means higher rates of esterification and oxidization for the aging whiskey (for what it’s worth, a dunnage-style warehouse isn’t out of the question in the future, but it won’t be the primary method).
Esterification, put simply, is when alcohol and an organic compound (in this case from the cask) react to form an ester, which in the whiskey-making process tends to create aromatic and desirable smells and tastes (or, if you prefer, organoleptics) that you want: caramel, baking spice, coconut, certain fruits, etc., and the esters you get are based on what spirit, what wood, and what volume of the liquid is water.
There’s books upon books that could be written on this, but the point is that Talnua knows exactly how it gets that house profile. I’ll go more into their process in subsequent reviews.
In short, this product is something new: a marriage of old and new, an Irish-style single pot still aged as you would an American whiskey, blending the best of both. It is a delicious dram that drinks above proof with fruity and bright flavors and is an excellent introduction to Talnua Distillery.
Thank you to Talnua Distillery for providing this sample free of editorial constraint.
Talnua Single Pot Still Whiskey Aged in Virgin White Oak Casks: Specs
Classification: Single Pot Still Whiskey
Origin: Talnua Distillery
Mashbill: 50% Malted Barley, 50% Unmalted Barley
Proof: 86 (43% ABV)
Age: 2+ Years Old
Location: Colorado, United States
Talnua Single Pot Still Whiskey Aged in Virgin White Oak Casks Price: $75
Talnua Single Pot Still Whiskey Aged in Virgin White Oak Casks: Tasting Notes
Eye: Orange-tinted honey. Medium rims hold strong, with slow legs and drops.
Nose: Wow - lots of pink grapefruit (pink grapefruit soda?), new charred oak flavor but not woodiness. Juicy Fruit gun, white grapes, dry white wine, toasted coconut, and Meyer lemon curd. Intensely fruity with tobacco on the back end.
Palate: Warmed and charred grapefruit on a wood flame grill, slightly bitter but also fruit and zesty sweet. Oak dryness on the mid-palate and pepper spice along the sides of my tongue. Reminders of New Zealand-style white wines, huge and bold with passionfruit and candied citrus slices. Mouthfeel is viscous and chewy, guava and dried papaya joining in. Coating for a moment before fading.
Finish: Longer in feeling than in flavor. The lemon-grapefruit-papaya party fades slowly to the back palate and down the throat while the oak astringency, while minimal, sits in the corners of my mouth.
Overall: An excellent introduction to the brand and style. The single pot still fruit and spice is there as is the new charred American oak. Remarkably fruity with a candy-shell mouthfeel that drinks above proof. The cask slightly masks the spicier aspects of the whiskey but not so much as to be distracting while adding body and classic toasted American whiskey flavors.
Final Rating: 7.4
10 | Insurpassable | Nothing Else Comes Close
9 | Incredible | Extraordinary
8 | Excellent | Exceptional
7 | Great | Well above average
6 | Very Good | Better than average
5 | Good | Good, solid, ordinary
4 | Has promise but needs work
1-3 | Let’s have a conversation
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