Actually, where Tincup American Whiskey literally comes from is Indiana. It’s made at MGP and then shipped to Colorado so that some finishing touches can be made and the drink can be bottled. The bottle is a sight to behold; it’s a thing of beauty. All glass (no label), the name Tincup is raised along the side, and the cap is an actual, honest-to-goodness, tin cup that can be used to drink your whiskey from and makes it an ideal bottle to share. How Is Tincup American Whiskey Made?

Today, Jess Graber is one of the most prominent figures in the Colorado whiskey scene, having founded Tincup and co-founded Stranahan’s, Colorado’s first legal whiskey distillery since Prohibition and one of the leaders in the American single malt category. But once upon a time, Graber was just a kid from Missouri, who had moved to Colorado in hopes of becoming a “mountain man.” These are some frequently asked questions about Tincup Whiskey. Many of these are covered in the article above. Is Tincup a Good Whiskey? The bottle makes no bones about the fact that the majority of this whiskey comes from MGP in Illinois, but there’s a twist here. 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 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. In 1998, Jess Graber (a volunteer firefighter) was trying to put out a fire in George Stranahan’s barn. The pair started talking whiskey and instantly formed a friendship; six years later, in 2004, they drew upon George’s experience with the alcohol industry (he was the owner of Flying Dog Brewery) and opened a distillery — the first legal distillery in the state of Colorado since prohibition. From there, they crafted and perfected Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey, now owned by parent company Proximo (further owned by the Mexican alcoholic beverage giant Becle who also owns Jose Cuervo and is the largest producer of tequila in the world). I’m so excited for TINCUP fans to try this new aged bourbon whiskey,” Graber said in a news release. “Not only does Fourteener’s name pay homage to the rugged peaks that dot its home state of Colorado, it truly embodies our spirit of adventure. If you’ve ever been on the top of a 14er, you know it’s truly something to celebrate.” The start of Graber’s career in whiskey came from an unlikely source — a fellow Missourian who went by the name of Larry the Missouri River Rat. Larry, as we’ll call him for brevity’s sake, had a copper still, which he used to make whiskey as a hobby. Larry came to Graber one day with an interesting offer: The Missouri River Rat was leaving Colorado and returning to his home state, and he couldn’t bring his still with him, so he offered to Graber, who was 21 years old at the time and didn’t know much of anything about whiskey.

The tasting, hosted in the scenic overlook room at Twin Owls, was led by Graber and Proximo whiskey educator Jason Levinson. We tasted Tincup American Whiskey — the brand’s original expression — then Tincup Rye Whiskey, and finally, the Fourteener. This cookie is set by Rubicon Project to control synchronization of user identification and exchange of user data between various ad services.

The Tincup Story: Jess Graber’s Whiskey-Making Origins

Like TX Whiskey, Tincup is a blended whiskey. It’s compromised of two whiskeys, high rye bourbon from Indiana and a small amount of Stranahan’s single malt whiskey. Now, I understand Colorado isn’t exactly known for it’s distilling, but a very large portion of it is sourced from the Midwest. The name “Tincup” comes from the mining town of Tincup, Colorado. Miners, the story goes, would bring whiskey in bottles to the mines during their workdays. In need of something to seal their bottles with, since the dry climate of Colorado would cause corks to shrivel and fall into the whiskey or off the bottle onto the ground. The miners solved this problem by using what they had available to them in the mines: tin. They heated the tin and melded it around the top of their bottles, creating a seal. It is for this reason that every Tincup bottle is topped by, well, a tin cup.

I’d put this somewhere halfway between the power of a dark & stormy (using spiced rum) and the sweeter and more subtle mule you get when using Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey as your base. It’s a good middle ground. Also cool is that there’s a literal tin cup on the top of the bottle. Stranahan’s does this as well, but theirs isn’t quite as nicely done. In this version, the cup actually screws onto the top of the bottle for easy storage and carrying. In this post we’re going to cover the basic history, tasting notes, and best ways to drink Tincup Whiskey. So, if you have Colorado roots or are just interested in trying Tincup, keep on reading, and we’ll give you all the information you need. Tincup Whiskey History 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.That grain bill doesn’t match any of MGP’s standard “white label” bourbons because it’s a proprietary mix of different hand selected strains. The bourbons are crafted and aged at MGP, blended together, and then shipped out to Colorado for finishing. More recently, Jess wanted to branch out and do something different. He wanted to create another product that focused on a high rye content bourbon that was accessible to the masses instead of the craft distilled Stranahan’s that they had built. Inspired by the mining town of Tincup, Colorado, he created a new brand under the Proximo umbrella to bring his idea to market. Product 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.

I tried some of this, since it is fairly inexpensive and I knew I would be using some for a bourbon-flavored recipe I was cooking that night, and it is pretty good for what it is. It is one of the sweetest bourbons I have ever had, that is for sure. Right after opening it, I had a pour and thought it was almost like a dessert drink. It isn’t all about taste. Much of what goes into our purchasing decisions revolves around price. Below, we are going to cover the average price of a bottle and handle of Tincup. As a note, prices may vary depending upon individual store and location. As we’ve said, Tincup American Whiskey is distilled in Lawrenceburg, Indiana. This process occurs at the MGP Ingredients factory, and the whiskey consists of 65 percent corn, 32 percent rye, and four percent malted barley. The distilling takes place in copper stills, and then – as bourbon is – this whiskey is aged in new charred oak barrels for between four and five years. First off let me say that Jess is a nice, up front guy. He started the call by letting me know that it was a sourced whiskey (which I already knew) and that in no way does he consider this to be a craft whiskey like Stranahan’s. He then went on to explain that one of the reasons for not wanting to call it a bourbon is because he didn’t want to compete head-to-head with all of the other bourbons in the market. He wanted to create a slightly different flavor than what’s already out there so he worked with MGP on a proprietary blend of bourbons which resulted in the mashbill listed below. Tincup American Whiskey comes from the mind of Jess Graber, a Colorado-based distiller who has plenty of other brands under his belt. He is, in fact, the man behind Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey, which has many, many fans and is considered a craft whiskey.This is the Tincup whiskey we’ve covered thus far. It is a blend of MGP high rye bourbon and Stranahan’s Single Malt. Aged at least four years in #3 charred oak barrels and bottled at 42% abv (84 proof). Tincup 10 While it’s a bit light for a bourbon, it’s significantly darker than Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey. It also smells much richer, with a heavy dose of brown sugar and vanilla coming off the glass. I think there’s a bit of caramel in there as well.