We are in a renaissance of whiskey right now in almost any country, sometimes on multiple levels at once. For an example of this, one need look no further than Cowboy Country Distilling. When Tim Trites began distilling in 2015 and opened to the public on Valentine’s Day 2018, he did so as someone who had already spent decades in the industry at a major spirits company, after obtaining a master’s in chemical engineering. Whiskey, the magic of mixing science and art. Cowboy Country is a second act of sorts for Tim, as he is able to specifically make exactly the kind of spirits and liqueurs he’s always wanted to using narrow cuts to get the exact expression he’s looking for. The Gold Spur is a corn whiskey with a mash bill of corn, oats and millet. Like all Cowboy Country spirits, all the ingredients are from Wyoming and it is gluten free.
Finding Cowboy Country was a happy accident, stumbled upon during a cross-country road trip. We’d never heard of anything whiskey-wise of note coming out of Wyoming, so our expectations were not high. We left more than two hours later, boxes in hand, converted by the products Cowboy Tim showed us. Other Scotchology members have since made the pilgrimage and been similarly impressed by both the creator and his spirits.
Distillery: Cowboy Country
Region: Foreign
Age: NAS
Strength: 43%
Price: $48.00
Maturation: 53 gallon white oak barrels
Location: Pinedale, Wyoming
Nose: Corn, bread, oat, floral, nut
Palate: Candy, corn, oatmeal
Finish: Corn, oatmeal
Comments: Water is not needed but letting the whiskey sit in your glass for a few minutes is helpful. Per a 2021 Wyoming Livestock Roundup article, the specific source of the grains are “[t]he oats come from Powell, millet from east of Cheyenne and the corn comes from Pine Bluffs.”
Adam – My first impression of the Gold Spur on the nose is that it is simple and pure, like a corn cob. But that’s not quite fair, because after going back for more, I notice what I thought was simple is actually a complex nose full of subtle grains and nuts, with an ascendancy of florals after a while that reach far back into the nose. I was not expecting florals on a corn whiskey, which makes me wonder if the millet and oats contribute. The palate is likewise corn sweetness on first blush, but without the spice your overt vanilla you can often get from the charred barrel of a bourbon. Corn qua corn whiskey, as it were. Some of those florals creep into the palate too adding a dash of extra sweetness and there something else grainy that takes over as the palate transitions extraordinarily seamlessly into the finish that I think is attributable to the oats. These are subtle flavors that require real introspection and investigation but I love that this can also be had swiftly and smoothly without arresting your attention. Remarkably flexible.
Kate – Corn, sweet oats, and nuttiness on the nose. I keep looking for more but this is all about the grain. Super syrupy sweet on the palate! Still all about the grain. It is smooth and super drinkable. Not hot at all. There isn’t much of a finish, sadly. This is like when you take a whole grain breakfast cereal and add whole milk, you get both a sweetness and slight sourness from it. This whiskey takes on a whole new meaning after meeting the distiller. I feel that Cowboy Tim wanted to create a whiskey that is all about the grain, specifically corn. The water is a vehicle and it isn’t about the barrel either. This whiskey is a testament to Cowboy Tim’s experience in the business and his skill. It is a true craft distilled whiskey unlike anything I’ve ever tasted before. It is definitely not geared towards everyone. In fact, I think this group is its target market, so I can understand why it is no longer made. He came, he saw, and he highlighted corn whiskey. Mic drop!
Bill – The nose kind of hits me funny, never minding what angle I try it, but the palate really works. I really like that. The Gold Spur is like Mellow Yellow without the mellow.
He came, he saw, and he highlighted corn whiskey. Mic drop!
Henry – Truly special, revealing a corn whiskey which reveals depths of flavor and complexity not usually found in this mash bill. Corn sugar, roasted corn, straw, and ancient grains on the nose alongside surprising florals.
Ben – There’s a candy quality here I really enjoy. The nose reminds of me if you’ve ever tried to move a bale of straw and it’s wet. I think it’s the oats.
Michael – I would keep a bottle of the Gold Spur around. I wouldn’t have it all the time but when I wanted something to appreciate and highlight what a corn whiskey can be.
