Review: Old Elk Slow Cut Bourbon
Review: Old Elk Slow Cut Bourbon
Women’s History Month has blown by, but Mother’s Day is coming up next month, so don’t leave whiskey off your Mother’s Day shopping list. And what better whiskey gift to give the Mom figure in your life than whiskey made and shaped by women.
There are more whiskey brands than ever being led by women, which could offer a different perspective in relation to flavor, profiles, or stories to tell. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate a holiday focused on Mother figures than by celebrating female-led whiskey brands. One such brand is Old Elk whiskey out of Fort Collins, Colorado.
The story of Old Elk begins In 2013. Founder and entrepreneur Curt Richardson had already experienced success in the business but wanted to build a brand devoted to one of his passions, whiskey. So Richardson tapped Greg Metze, formerly of Seagram’s Distillery in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, one of the world’s largest distilleries. They wished to create something unique to set the brand apart and thus created Old Elk’s signature, High Malt Blended Straight Bourbon. Maddox aims to bring creative and innovative ways to reach new flavor combinations.
In 2019, Melinda Maddox joined the Old Elk team as the Beverage Director of Old Elk’s tasting room. Already an industry veteran, Maddox brought two decades of experience in bar and hospitality management—including a decade of distillery operations and production management. Eventually, her curiosity and dedication to whiskey making led her to become Old Elk’s Head of Production and Master Blender—the first for the Old Elk brand—where she is known as the “go-to” gal for all things whiskey. Since she began at Old Elk, Maddox has worked in everything from blending, quality control, R&D, and heading up the single barrel program. In 2023, her debut whiskey blend, Cigar Cut, won big accolades in industry spirit awards.
Maddox served as a mentor for the American Craft Spirits Association STEPUP Internship program in 2024, supporting and mentoring 2024 intern Erica Paul through her successful graduation. Maddox discovered the program at another industry organization, the Bourbon Women’s Annual Symposium.
“I met Becky Harris, co-founder of Catoctin Creek and former president of the American Craft Spirits Association,” she says. “She was so warm and welcoming, and she was someone I looked up to. When she mentioned the program, I immediately wanted to get involved. I see supporting other women in the industry as a learning experience. It helps me be a better person, manager, and professional in my field. I was eager to share in Erica’s journey. That’s really exciting.”
This year, Old Elk announced Slow Cut Blended Straight Bourbon, a blend of their signature high-malt straight bourbon mashbill, aged from 4 to 7 years, then blended with a variety of Old Elk select straight bourbons.
Per the brand, “At 88 proof Slow Cut bourbon showcases Old Elk’s trademarked proofing technique. The Slow Cut Proofing Process preserves flavor by lengthening the standard proofing process to up to 10 times. To proof alcohol, water is added until the liquid reaches a desired strength. However, this creates a heat liberating reaction, and when you add hundreds of gallons of water in a day or two, it ends up boiling off many of the lighter, finer flavors. Instead of a day, Old Elk spends weeks adding small increments of water to keep the liquid cool and save the delicate flavors produced during mashing, fermentation, distillation, and maturation.”
“The spirit maintains its place as a core whiskey in our lineup, with a price point that makes it more accessible. We can’t wait to hear the bartenders’ community feedback about the latest iteration of Slow Cut Blended Straight and see how it plays into their creativity in cocktails,” says Maddox.
Old Elk Slow Cut Bourbon Review
The nose of the bourbon is inviting and rich, with enticing aromas of sweet caramel and ripe fruits. Freshly baked pastries and cinnamon rolls give it a warm feel.
On the palate, the texture is silky and approachable. Just when you might expect the flavors to fade, it maintains its character beautifully. The initial sweetness combines buttery notes and nutty undertones with flavors of dark berries and peanut brittle. Ripe stone fruits and oakiness emerge midpalate. The finish is satisfying and sweet, lasting long enough to make your mouth water for another sip. It makes sense that this whiskey would be a favorite for cocktails. With so much flavor and an approachable proof, the sky’s the limit for building cocktails with this bourbon. The price point makes this bourbon a particular winner.
88 proof.
A / $40
Old Elk Slow Cut Whiskey Sour
2 oz Old Elk Slow Cut
1 oz lemon juice
1 oz cinnamon honey syrup
.5 oz egg white or 4 dashes of cocktail foam
Shake all ingredients without ice for 30 seconds, then add a handful of cubed ice and shake again for another 30 seconds. Strain into an Old Fashioned glass over a big cube. Top with a dash of bitters and a dusting of cinnamon.
To make the cinnamon syrup: add 2 cinnamon sticks to 1 cup of warm water and simmer for 5 minutes covered. Remove cinnamon sticks and add 1 cup of honey. Stir until the honey is dissolved and allow to cool before adding the syrup to the cocktail. Store in the fridge in a sealed container for up to 2-3 weeks.
Old Elk Slow Cut Bourbon
$40
