Colorado’s whiskey scene has grown significantly over the past few years, garnering plenty of recognition and a raft of awards, but last December, a different kind of company released a bottle that caused a buzz.
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Onyx and Amber isn’t a distillery, meaning it doesn’t make its own spirits. Rather, it buys whiskey from well-known producers and then ages and blends it based on the skills of its team of whiskey enthusiasts and those of guest blenders.
The goal of non-distiller producers, or NDPs as they are called, is to create and sell special or rare bottles to a discerning clientele — sometimes well below the price point usually associated with high-tier products.
Onyx & Amber's Guest Blender Series Blend No. 1. (Provided by Ryan Negley)
Guest Blender Series Blend No. 1, made in collaboration with Ryan Negley, who is one of Colorado’s foremost whiskey pros, excited local whiskey nerds when it was released and gained traction among casual fans as well.
Clocking in at 111.6 proof, the juice is remarkably approachable, drinking easier than its formidable designation would suggest. The nose is surprisingly delicate, with hints of anise, violet and maple syrup. The palate is all rich leather, caramelized sugar and a vague touch of tobacco. There are spicy undertones that never evolve into full-on heat. The finish is highly resonant, dancing on the back of the palate, usually for the exact length as it takes to fancy the next sip.
“This is my first project outside of being associated with a brand,” said Negley, who has spent the past 15 years in craft distilling, working in sales for Peach Street Distillers and Deerhammer. He has had previous blends recognized by the World Whiskies Awards, the San Francisco Spirits Competition and the American Craft Spirits Association.
Onyx and Amber chose Negley to launch the series because of that record, though the collaboration is mutually beneficial. “This is my inaugural project under my own umbrella,” said Negley, who launched his consulting service Will Whiskey for Work last July. “If you’re in the craft distilling space and have any hiccup post-distillation, I can find a solution.”
For their part, Onyx and Amber’s founders — Ben Rosen, Brian Vaught, Matt Krumholz, Kenneth Bunn and Cascade LeSage — all consider the brand a passion project, but are serious about cultivating a growing whiskey community.
“We just want to give the consumer back the power that they had before the massive bourbon boom. Stores should be able to come into your distillery and choose amongst more than three barrels for their single barrel selections,” said Rosen.
Focusing on whiskey consumers is something Rosen has been doing since 2017, when he took over Colorado Bourbon and Rye Collectors, a club that has grown from 30 to 500 people. Members discuss whiskey, trade bottles and enjoy rare and offbeat finds.
To build Onyx and Amber, he first purchased barrels in 2018 from MGP Ingredients, Inc., a huge Kansas-based producer that distills and sells whiskey to no less than 50 notable brands around the world, including some well-known names. The white-label stuff he acquired was three to five years old. Rosen wanted to age it in Colorado due to the state’s unique climate and temperature fluctuations, and with the refined palates of his team, he felt he could tease out the best of the products on taste alone.
Onyx and Amber now boasts 60 barrels stored in Denver, another 60 in Boulder and 140 more that are stored in Kentucky. The company now sources from MGP, along with Wild Turkey, Heaven Hill, Barton, Middle West and a couple of other significant distillers they’ve chosen to keep secret. “We drop hints when we drop [a bottle],” smiled Rosen.
In April of last year, the brand opened a tasting room a stone’s throw from Empower Field, at 1330 Zuni St., where it does tastings by appointment. Negley’s blend was the first in what is set to be an annual or biannual release. Blend No. 1 runs $87.99 and is available online, at the tasting room and at a handful of local stores, like Argonaut and Luxe Liquor in Castle Rock.
“The blenders series is special because it allows us to showcase the ability of some of the best blenders in the industry, as well as some up-and-coming blenders. We give them full access to all of our inventory, and they create an expression that defines who they are as a blender,” said Rosen. “A lot of the time, to the general public, the blender is behind the brand and doesn’t get the recognition they deserve. We want to flip that and put these incredible blenders as the face of their specific blend.”
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