As brands continue to ride the wave of the booming bourbon market, Hotel Tango’s newest creation brings consumers a little closer to the summer campfire.
‘Shmallow Toasted Marshmallow Bourbon dropped this week on Hotel Tango’s online shop. As the website listing states, the 60-proof whiskey has a smokey taste with notes of marshmallow and caramelized sugar.
It retails at $24.99 for a 750-mL bottle. This ‘Shmallow bourbon is the inaugural spirit in Hotel Tango’s Unofficial Series, a line of experimental spirits by the Indiana-based brand.
A relatively newcomer to the whiskey scene, Hotel Tango was founded in 2014 by Iraq War veteran Travis Barnes, his wife Hilary, and a few of the couple’s friends.
Much of Hotel Tango’s branding and approach to distilling is based on Travis Barnes’ military experience. He enlisted in April 2002, shortly following the September 11 terrorist attacks. After three tours, he was honorably discharged after traumatic brain injuries sustained after several IED explosions, as well as post traumatic stress disorder.
Hotel Tango’s name itself is based on the NATO phonetic alphabet for both Hilary and Travis’ initials: “Hotel” for H, and “Tango” for T. On the brand’s website, he states that he brings that same spirit of rigorous attention to detail that he learned in boot camp to the brand’s distilling process.
The marshmallow bourbon is part of a series where the brand’s “distillers try flavors you don’t learn in basic.” As we’ve been told, each glass of ‘Shmallow will have you reaching for s’more.