“The beginning of the ‘Origins’ series was to highlight where Laws Whiskey House began, and then to explore the whiskey we have made over the years in unique and interesting ways,” Al Laws tells Maxim about the genesis of his Colorado distillery’s historical series. “Extended aging was the first foray—taking our Four Grain Bourbon recipe to 10-12 years. Next were the vertical marriages from about 4 years to 12 years for both Bourbon (‘2022 Intention’) and the San Luis Valley Rye (‘2023 Cornerstone’). “Super Wheater broadened [the concept] to include cross marrying whiskey types and exploring all things wheat in our whiskey.”
Laws Whiskey House’s newest entry into their Origin series, Super Wheater, is precisely what its name implies: an exercise in wheat’s influence in whiskey. So they vertically blended barrels of their Flagship Four Grain Bourbon (60 percent corn / 20 percent wheat / 10 percent rye / 10 percent barley) aged from 5 to 12 years and did the same separately with their 100 percent Centennial Wheat Whiskey. They then took these two whiskey blends and married them together, resulting in a collective mash bill which Laws estimates to being roughly about 45 percent wheat.
“The layers of flavor is what I like the most about Super Wheater,” the ambitious founder reveals of his favorite aspect of the new blend. “It evolves from a rich bourbon backbone to the more fruity—orange and apple—and grain-centric wheat whiskey. Ending with bold dark caramel, oaky and sarsaparilla notes that come together best on a large ice cube.” Overall, he lauds “cross-marrying the two distinct mash bills into something entirely different, creating a rich and unique flavor experience.”
Al and his wife Marianne filled their first barrel in their Denver facility on July 4, 2011. Mashing heirloom wheat, corn, barley and rye grown by two local family farms and distilling only in copper pot stills, the Laws duo aimed to create a truly handcrafted whiskey that reflected the unique terroir of their home state.
There’s something about Colorado that compels whiskey-makers to lean on this strong sense of terroir—one need look at other neighboring distilleries like Stranahan’s and Distillery 291 in their quest of expressing authentic “Colorado Whiskey.”
“Colorado is an inspirational place in the country—the mountains, the soil, the water, the bright blue skies and over three hundred days of sunshine all contribute to the high quality heirloom grains we use, and the whiskey we make and age here,” Laws replies when asked what it is specifically about his state’s unique aspects that inspire this level of expression. He notes how atmospheric elements like high altitudes and arid desert conditions couple with the erratic barometric pressure swings of the Rocky Mountains, allowing these Colorado whiskeys to pull plenty of oak influence from the barrels. He also notes how grains grown on sustainably run family farms offer distinctive flavors due to growing conditions not present in industrial farms.
“We always tell folks: Try our whiskey versus just describing them to you,” Law recommends. “But for Laws Whiskey, the dark caramel, black tea, orange and apple notes are very pronounced, finishing with a pleasant nuttiness. In short, they taste like Colorado.” Only 1,000 bottles of Laws Whiskey House’s Super Wheater Origins Series are available for its $135 SRP.
Follow Deputy Editor on Instagram at @nickstecher and @boozeoftheday.
