The Quest for TINCUP

By Cat Stelzer

My quest to try TINCUP whiskey started when I saw a picture of the bottle come across my Zite newsfeed. The bottle design was sleek and caught my eye, and when I went on to read that TINCUP was a new whiskey bottled in Colorado, I knew I had to try it. Some of my favorite whiskeys hail from Colorado. I consider my bottle of Stranahan’s a special treat, for which I only drink on special occasions. Another favorite of mine is Breckenridge Bourbon, which I happened upon when visiting their tasting room on a trip to Breckenridge last year.

TINCUP was founded by Jess Graber, who also happened to be a co-founder of Stranahan’s! Now, I was really excited to taste what they describe as “a whiskey with a bourbon style profile, but with a more powerful and spicy flavor.” TINCUP is made with a high rye mash, corn, and malt, aged in white oak casks and cut with the pure water of the Rocky Mountains. TINCUP is being marketed as an affordable whiskey for under $30.

Lets just say my only disappointment with TINCUP is that it is currently not distributed in Oregon. The nose fills your senses, with a spicy and slightly sweet aroma. TINCUP hits the mouth with a bold peppery flavor, but is nicely finished with oak, vanilla, and caramel notes as it goes down. The spice is robust, yet not overpowering, and overall it is a very easy drinking whiskey (maybe too easy drinking) with a smooth finish.

Lucky for you, Proximo Spirits is sampling TINCUP this weekend at WhiskeyFest NorthWest. You can find TINCUP at table 19, and maybe we can lobby Proximo Spirits to bring TINCUP to Oregon. In the meantime, you can cross the bridge to Washington, as TINCUP is currently distributed to Colorado, Arizona, California, Illinois, New York, Texas, and Washington.