Divine Spirits: Explore the World of Colorado Distilleries

The true embodiment of craftsmanship, artistry, and patience, distilleries in Colorado produce some of the finest spirits available. From the smooth and smoky notes of whiskey to the crisp and refreshing flavors of gin and vodka, Colorado distilleries offer a diverse range of premium libations. With a commitment to quality, innovation, and a touch of Rocky Mountain magic, these distilleries have earned a well-deserved reputation for excellence in the world of spirits. Here are a few we have come to love over the years.

Storm King Distilling Co., Montrose

David Fishering grew up in Montrose after his family moved to the area when he was five years old. After graduating from Montrose High School in 2001, he attended the University of Southern California. A switch from physics and aerospace engineering to international relations saw him study for a master’s degree in the UK.

Seemingly on a very different path, a road trip to Kentucky to follow the Bourbon Trail and a trip to Scotland the year before the move to Montrose, would change all of that and eventually give birth to Storm King Distilling Company. Fishering and his father purchased a still in 2016 and distilled a batch of whiskey, and the rest is history.

Today, Storm King produces bourbon, wheat whiskey, rye whiskey, agave, gin, rum, and vodka with occasional variations on those base spirits like barrel rested gins. But the proof, as they say, is in the … well drinking in this case. As proof goes, it doesn't get much better than a gold medal, and that’s exactly what Storm King’s Side Gig Whiskey received in the Best American Whiskey category at the 2023 The World Whiskies Awards.

DeerHammer, Buena Vista

Started in 2010 by Amy and Lenny Eckstein, Deerhammer was inspired by the ambition of the settlers who ended up in Buena Vista. The Ecksteins describe Deerhammer as a grain-to-glass distillery, meaning they are laser focused on the process and over the years have experimented with every step to better understand the effects of subtle choices on their final product. While the original distillery was built with Lenny’s own hands, the Scottish-style direct-fire 140-gallon copper pot still was custom made. Deerhammer Single Malt Whiskey is, they say, the company’s cornerstone contribution to the field of American craft spirits.

Wood’s High Mountain Distillery, Salida

Wood’s High, or at least the idea of it, was born in the Grand Canyon when PT Wood’s rafting companion brought more than two dozen whiskeys for them to try. Like every craft distiller, PT wants to make great spirits, but he also wants spirits that are distinctly Wood’s High products. PT says he respects tradition but he wants to learn, not copy. Currently producing around a dozen products including canned cocktails, the Mountain Hopped Gin is a favorite of ours. Using fresh cascade hops, it is both an homage to Colorado’s brewing history and a new take on an old classic.

Idlewild Spirits Distillery, Winter Park

Owner and master distiller Jeff Ruhle first got involved with spirits in the same way as many other distillers, by brewing beer at home, except in Ruhle’s case it was college and it was because he couldn’t legally buy beer. The decision to start a brewery eventually materialized but after getting some work experience at a friend’s brewery he realized it took as much business acumen as beery alchemy to run a successful business and so attended business school. In the interim, a friend introduced him to moonshine and Ruhle realized that it was a better fit for him and a better opportunity—and Idlewild was born. Idlewild currently produces vodka, a few kinds of gin, bourbon, rye, and a single malt.

Peach Street Distillers, Palisade

In the early 2000s, Bill Graham, Dave Thibodeau and Rory Donovan (the first two being the founders of Durango’s Ska Brewing in 1995) built a still and began distilling out beer, beer-lees and cider at home for fun. In 2004 they purchased a Christian Carl Brandy Still and secured a location in Palisade—“the greatest fruit growing region of the world” according to Graham. They opened the doors to Peach Street in September of 2005. At Peach Street they only use products that come from the valley, including juniper berries from surrounding mesas, sweet corn, and peaches “that are so fresh they’ve never seen the inside of a cooler.” Graham is most proud of their Colorado Straight Bourbon.

Montanya Distillers, Crested Butte

Montanya owner Karen Hoskin has a slightly more exotic and exact story than most about her distilling epiphany: she fell in love with rum in India in 1988. Even more specifically, she says it was while walking down the frozen Zanskar River in Ladakh, India, fueled by yak butter and Old Monk Rum, the noble spirit, as she describes it. Twenty years later, in 2008, after brand building for other companies through her own design company, she thought it was time to make some rum. Her philosophy is simple: pure, raw ingredients that are grown by farmers without pesticides or genetic modification. In April 2018, Montanya released a limited 10th anniversary rum called Aniversaria that had been aged in three different Colorado barrels. Currently Montanya produces four rums which have won 29 double gold, gold and silver medals in international competition since 2008.

Marble Distilling CO., Carbondale

Owner Connie Baker likes to tell people she went from drugs to booze when they ask about how she got started with distilling (she previously worked in the pharmaceutical industry). With a love for vodka and a fascination with the fact you can make it out from seemingly anything, she signed up to a distilling school and the rest is history. At MDC they focus on sustainability which includes sourcing local ingredients and water and heat reclamation through the first-of-its-kind Water and Energy Thermal System (WETS). Even their grain is grown just half a mile away (spent mash is sent back there to be utilized on the farm). The Sierra Club named MDC as one of five distilleries in the world to drink at if you want to save the planet. As for best products, Baker has a tough time deciding (“they’re all my babies”) but settles eventually on Gingercello and Reserve Gingercello.

10th Mountain Whiskey & Spirits, Vail

Ryan Thompson and his 10th Mountain co-founder Christian Avignon have both had a long-standing appreciation for spirits that exemplify their class and type. They have both always been entrepreneurial, too. After monitoring the craft distillery industry, the pair eventually decided the time was right to jump in. They attended the first ever class of Moonshine University in Louisville, KY, returned to Vail, wrote a business plan and started the business. Using tried and tested techniques, they have a pretty simple aim: to produce the best products they can. Currently they produce a good range of products including 10th Mountain Bourbon, 10th Mountain Rye, Colorado Clear Mountain Moonshine (a non-aged corn whiskey), 10th Mountain Potato Vodka, and a sage-infused peach and vanilla cordial called Alpenglow.

Breckenridge Distillery, Breckenridge

Bryan Nolt was a busy doctor and had no plans to enter into a new career, but his passion for whiskey eventually condensed into a single, eureka moment after a day fishing with a friend, an ER doctor that spent much of the day complaining about medicine. Nolt is all about quality, as all craft distillers are, and he doesn’t have time for yarns or sob stories about the process. Instead, he says, if I can’t win you over with our product, it shouldn’t be in our portfolio. Currently the company produces over two dozen spirits, some of which are only available at the distillery.