Stranahan’s returns to its roots with Aspen Whiskey Lodge
Stranahan’s/Courtesy photo
After months of anticipation, followed by a soft opening, Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey celebrated its 20th anniversary by officially opening Stranahan’s Whiskey Lodge at 307 South Mill Street, in the space that formerly housed Aspen Pie Shop. The Lodge marks Stranahan’s return to Aspen.
The story goes that, over 20 years ago, a barn fire brought together two locals: Jess Graber, a volunteer firefighter, and George Stranahan, the founder of Woody Creek Tavern, longtime brewery owner, and whiskey connoisseur. This encounter and ensuing friendship would develop into the creation of one of the nation’s first single malt whiskeys.
The Aspen Lodge aims to celebrate those roots while ushering in a new era as the American Single Malt category waits for official whiskey designation.
“We’re coming back to Aspen, where I began the American Single Malt journey two decades ago. Opening the doors to our Stranahan’s Whiskey Lodge is a thank you to our friends, family, and fans who helped us get here, but it is also a long-awaited return home,” said Graber in a prepared statement.
It’s not just Stranahan’s who has come back home to the Roaring Fork Valley. General manager of the Lodge, Max Ben-Hamoo, is also happy to have returned to his home-town, with a company and brand that has been a parallel thread running through his life.
“I left for a while, but that only deepened the love that I have for this place, the mountains, the outdoors, and the community,” he said. “I even knew the Stranahan family growing up. I heard my parents talk about this local guy they were friends with, Jess Graber, making whiskey with George Stranahan. I graduated and moved to Denver for college. In college, Stranahan’s was the first distillery tour I ever went on. My friends and I volunteered in their bottle labeling program, and I watched the brand grow up as I grew up. When I wanted to return home to Aspen, Stranahan’s contacted me about their Aspen Whiskey Lodge. We both wanted to come back home. It all feels serendipitous and right and exciting.”
One of the things visitors to the Aspen Whiskey Lodge will have exclusive access to is the newly launched Calvados Cask – an ultra-rare, six-cask blend of Stranahan’s American Single Malt whiskeys that matured over eight years, two to four years of which were finished in barrels that formerly held Calvados, the apple brandy only made in Normandy.
The primary Mile-High aging in American oak is balanced with the spiciness inherent in European oak and the subtle contribution of Normandy Calvados.
A portion of proceeds from Calvados Cask will be donated to the Aspen Fire Protection District to honor its role in Stranahan’s founding.
“Stranahan’s Whiskey Lodge in Aspen is first and foremost a whiskey lodge,” Ben-Hamoo said. “Our creative cocktails and handcrafted Alpine-inspired bites highlight and complement our whiskey.”
Guests can also enjoy crafted classic cocktails like the Old Fashioned and the Sazerac or Lodge-first newcomers like Chili Chai Ball (Stranahan’s Blue Peak, chai syrup, lemon juice, smoked chili bitters, ginger beer) and Honey, Get Well Soon (Stranahan’s Original, spiced tea liqueur, lemon oil, absinthe).
Keeping in mind that the whiskey is the foundation for everything at the Lodge, this location offers a menu of complementary Alpine-inspired bites, that focus on locally-sourced ingredients, built by head Chef Nick Ragazzo, a 24-year veteran of James Beard-nominated restaurants.
“I started with a few principles. First, the idea of elevated comfort food as our true north — approachable, mostly shareable items that wink at you with a little something new or unexpected and that take things up a notch,” he said. “Our pretzel hot pocket, filled with brisket smoked with Stranahan’s whiskey, is such a good example. It comes to the table with a house-made single malt mustard, and the pretzel that forms the hot pocket is made from 100% malted barley, just like Stranahan’s whiskey. I’m originally from Philly, where everything was stuffed into an Amish soft pretzel — from cheesesteak to hot dogs — so this one came right from the comfort food I grew up with.”
Other menu highlights include, Colorado Lamb Flatbread (with roast tomatoes, feta buttermilk dressing, mint hot honey), whiskey smoked wagyu brisket (with bacon, onion, mushroom, BBQ jus), pork schnitzel meatballs (pumpernickel crust, sauerkraut slaw), and Rocky Mountain game and cheese boards.
“Supporting Colorado’s agricultural and culinary communities is very important to Stranahan’s as a Colorado whiskey, and to me personally because I love it here and deeply respect the immense commitment it takes to get things right,” Ragazzo said. “We’re currently sourcing some amazing Colorado cheeses and wild game, which star on our Rocky Mountain Game & Cheese Board. For example, the soft cheeses are from a fabulous place in Fort Collins called MouCo that follows old Bavarian principles, and the meats come from Dale’s Wild West from Basalt, right around here. We want to delight everyone who makes Aspen shine, from giving visitors kicking back after a day on the slopes a taste of Colorado, to people who live and work here year-round.”
Stranahan’s will be open year-round, every day from noon-10 p.m., for walk-in service and available for private events. For more information, including upcoming cocktail classes, collaborations with local Aspen purveyors, and more, visit stranahans.com/aspen-whiskey-lodge.
