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Fireside Old Fashioned
About Fireside Old Fashioned
As much as I love mixing up a tasty drink, every once in a while it’s nice to take the easy road and grab a pre-made cocktail. This summer, Mile High Spirits was kind enough to send us this bottle of Fireside Old Fashioned as well as a bottle of their flagship Fireside Bourbon. Since we’re always looking for good craft distillery products, we were excited and intrigued to taste these out for ourselves and see if they’re any good.
Fireside Old Fashioned is a bottled, pre-made Old Fashioned cocktail produced by Mile High Spirits – a Denver-based craft distillery that makes a variety of spirits such as whiskey, gin, vodka, and more. This cocktail is created with a base of their Fireside Bourbon, which is made using local corn, rye, and barley. It’s distilled in a copper still before being aged for a minimum of 2 years. To make the Old Fashioned, it is then flavored with natural cherry, fresh orange peels, and angostura bitters.
Bottle Specs
❖ ABV: 40%
❖ Distillery: Mile High Spirits
❖ Aging: 2 years (base bourbon)
❖ Price Point: lower moderate price
Tasting Notes
Palate:
❖ cherry
❖ orange
❖ caramel
❖ roasted coffee
❖ brown sugar
My Tasting notes
The nose notes of this cocktail are just like a freshly made old fashioned. The familiar smell combination of whiskey and angostura bitter spices played nicely against my fresh orange peel and Luxardo cherry garnish. After a few sniffs, I could also smell a hint of the added cherry and citrus.
I took my first sip, and there was plenty of heat in the front, but without too much of a burn. There was a vague nuttiness in the finish that was quite nice. The sweetness started to emerge after several sips, with the bitter citrus notes resting in my throat. Overall, I found this Old Fashioned cocktail to be very mellow, as someone who is sensitive to the flavor of strong alcohol. Once my mouth acclimated to the alcohol heat, I found there to be a nice lightness to the flavor. It was very relaxing to sip.
Bottom Line
RATING: 4/5
Overall, I really enjoyed sipping this bottle of Fireside Old Fashioned. As someone who is sensitive to alcohol heat, the classic Old Fashioned is not usually my go-to drink, however, I found this pre-made version to be nicely balanced and pleasant to sip. I can see myself sipping many more glasses of this throughout the summer.
Because the Old Fashioned cocktail has so few mixers, I can also see myself mixing with this in place of a regular or flavored whiskey. Although it’s not the intended purpose of the bottle, I appreciate the versatility as someone who enjoys experimenting with cocktails.
I also like the convenience of storing 1 large bottle – as opposed to the approach of some other brands that come in several single-serve bottles or cans, which take up more space. When comparing prices, keep in mind that many pre-made cocktails offer a small bottle that is typically 375ml or lower. Although you might be handing over a few extra dollars, Fireside Old Fashioned is a good value at 750ml, which will allow you to make many cocktails. Personally, I only needed about 2oz of the drink to fill my rocks glass after putting the ice in. Your glass size and tolerance may vary!
If you’re a fan of pre-made cocktails, I definitely recommend picking up a bottle of Fireside Old Fashioned. It’s a fun, mellow sip, and is handy for days that you’re not in the mood to mix something up. Don’t forget to stock up on garnish to get the full experience!
As always, drink responsibly.
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