It ’s 19 degrees Fahrenheit at 5 a.m.—a far outcry from the sub - zero temperatures of releases past , but still dusty enough to chill the hot coffee in our alloy gull in a matter of moment . I ’m one of several hundred people waiting in line out of doors of Stranahan ’s distillery in Denver , Colorado for a chance to buy two bottle of Snowflake , a limited release whiskey blended especially by Stranahan ’s Master Distiller Rob Dietrich .
The line begin on one side of the distillery , curve around the building , down an bowling alley , and continues down the respite of the cylinder block . Some the great unwashed are in tents , some are cocoon in sleep bags with only their noses visible , and some are merely stand in a perpetual crunch , huddle together for warmth . All to buy two bottles of whiskey .
On the nose , this year ’s Snowflake has notes of vanilla extract and dried cherries , sweet marchpane and woodiness . On the palate , it ’s fruit - forward with a honeyed sweetness , followed by cinnamon spice , nuttiness and woodwind before cease with a spicy cinnamon - citrus heat . There ’s a reason people line up for every release .
Sam Slaughter
The customers are n’t the only ones excited for each new bottling . “ Stranahan ’s Snowflake is my favourite labor because I get to colourize outdoors of the lines and experiment , ” Dietrich says . “ Each year it ’s a challenge to ‘ out - Snowflake ’ the last , and I believe this Crestone Peak spirit is unlike anything else out there right now . ”
Over the years , Stranahan has engendered a devoted pursuit . Many drove or fly across the country to get here , and the same group of the great unwashed can be spotted at the front of the line for every acquittance . In the case of this expiration , Russell Cowden , a Snowflake veteran , is heading up the billet , come after closely by another one of the usual suspects , Marcus Wulf . Cowden trip from Grand Junction , near the Utah border ( about a five - hour drive over the mountains ) , and get to the still Thursday afternoon . He ’s been look in crease since then .
But no time in line is too long , no temperature too cold for these “ Stranafans . ”
Sam Slaughter
“ This is an amazing whisky , ” Wulf enjoin . “ It ’s some of the rare whiskey in the cosmos . They pop out sales event by 8 a.m. and they terminate sales by 10 a.m.—that is something special . ”
In the years that Wulf has been come , he ’s spend over $ 2,000 on equipment specifically for the upshot . From coveralls to a high - quality tent to a propane heater , he ’s slowly added to his gear every yr . “ We ’re the hardest of the hardcore — that ’s what we call ourselves , ” he suppose . Cowden , too , has roll up quite the armoury of supplies .
“ I was the first one to convey a tent , a warmer , food to share with strangers . I invite the first 10 or so , or as many as can fit , into my tent to stay warm , ” Cowden enunciate . “ Because once I was out here for 18 hours in negative 18 degrees . It was the insensate and I set the record for the longest time lag — that was difficult . It ’s worth it , though . ”
Sam Slaughter
Dan Ryan , an aerospace locomotive engineer from Colorado who arrived at 1:30 in the sunup with a few of his coworkers , agrees . “ Plectrophenax nivalis is the best whisky in Colorado , if not this side of the Mississippi , ” he say . “ It ’s honest stuff , it really is . Every Snowflake is worth it . It ’s deserving it when we baby-sit around at one of our house . The eventual enjoyment is deserving the hours of utmost cold . ”
But some people in line might not even get to fuddle the spoils of their time spend shivering and waiting . Charles Wren is in melodic phrase to storm his brother with a feeding bottle for Christmas . “ My older brother in Chicago told me he would pay me if I hold off in cable for him next twelvemonth , ” he says . “ When I con it was this weekend , I packed up all my bivouacking stuff and come here as a major surprise . ”
This willingness to support in the cold for someone else is n’t so surprising when you view the other reason why people descend here to hold off and freeze , and wait and freeze : good , old - fashioned comradeship .
“ We make friend and we meet masses . Marcus and I met here , ” Cowden say . “ The top 20 is made up of the same faces , people who are passionate about this camping trip — and that ’s what I call it , a camping stumble . It is about more than just the merchandise in the bottle — which is fantastic — but this waiting for a day and a half to get the first bottles is really about the biotic community . ”
Finally , with tickets handed out , the instant is here . The room access open and people are ushered indoors . There ’s lively music and a sense of relief as finger return key to limb and finger . With whisky in hand , Cowden turns his attention to his post - Snowflake rite .
“ After every release I ’ve gotten household , photographed the bottles , try out it , then gone to sleep , ” he says .
Wulf ’s programme is similar : “ Typically my morning - after consists of getting the bottles secured , and then Eggs Benedict with a Bloody Mary — something to supply some hair’s-breadth of the wienerwurst — then going home and sleeping . ”
As people commence to file out , hazy - eyed , clutching promising yellow carryall with their signed bottles , the biggest question is , will they be back next year ? It scarcely takes a pulsation for either Cowden and Wulf to do . No matter the atmospheric condition , no matter how long the time lag , it does n’t weigh . They ’ll be back every year .
Every year , that is , Wulf state with a laugh , “ Until they tell us to will . ”
