Mile high spirits and distillery7/3/2023 ![]() ![]() Stranahan’s makes malt whiskeys, a small but growing category in the United States. Each of the bottles you purchase will be placed in an elegant yellow cloth sleeve with handles sporting the distillery logo. The handsome shop features clothing, barware and, of course, all of the distillery’s whiskey expressions (though some have very limited releases). The corrugated metal exterior is in contrast to the woody interior of the distillery, which evokes the barn that started Stranahan and Graber’s conversation. The two struck up a conversation about spirits and the result was the opening, in 2004, of Colorado’s first legal whiskey distillery. In 1998, the barn on his farm caught fire and one of the volunteer fire fighters who arrived at the scene was Jess Graber, who happened to be a whiskey lover. Founder George Stranahan got into the craft brewery business in 1994 with Denver’s Flying Dog. Stranahan’s whiskey directly traces its roots to beer and a fire. The distillery also produces Fireside Peach Whiskey, infused with real fruit and also bottled at 80 proof. The low proof guarantees it won’t scare any beginning whiskey drinkers, but it is complex enough to please enthusiasts. Vanilla, apricot and spice (including a hint of cardamom) dominate the Bourbon’s profile. As is the case with a lot of Western distilleries, the whiskey is proofed with Rocky Mountain snowmelt. The paid tours also offer samples of the distillery’s canned Punching Mule cocktail and offer a $10 credit towards purchases in the Mile High Spirits shop.įireside is an 80 proof Bourbon which uses Colorado grown corn, German rye, and malted barley. All tastings include the flagship product, Fireside Colorado Bourbon. It’s a good idea to book on-line for any tour. During the week, you’ll need to pay, but tours on Saturdays and Sundays are free. Lasting between 30 and 45 minutes, they include up close encounters with the grains used in Mile High products, a look at the German made pot/column still (named Steamy Wonder), and a tasting. A constantly changing line-up of bands and DJs keeps the decibel and energy levels high. A large bar dominates the room where a team of mixologists in constant motion take orders for a vast array of craft cocktails. I explained that I was a whiskey, not a sports, writer and escaped the fee.Ī warehouse in the Five Points neighbourhood, one of the city’s oldest, contains both the distillery and a barn-sized lounge that seems to be the site of a perpetual party. Not only does this mean that traffic will be a nightmare, but an attendant may also ask you to pay $30 to park next to the distillery. While not all of them make whiskey, there is still an impressive array of Bourbon, rye, and malt whiskey being distilled throughout the state.Ī recent trip to the Mile High City allowed me to visit a trio of whiskey makers, each with a very different personality.īe warned that if you are considering a visit to Mile High Spirits during baseball season that it is located only five blocks away from Coors Field, the home of the Colorado Rockies. To date, nearly 100 craft distillers call Colorado home, with about half located in the greater Denver area. After all, whiskey technically begins life as beer. ![]() So perhaps it is not surprising that such a beer-centric place would also see the rise in the past 15 years of a serious craft spirits culture. One of its original partners, John Hickenlooper, was elected governor in 2011 and has served two terms. Its capital city, Denver, is the epicenter for suds, hosting the annual Great American Beer Festival, which in 2018 attracted more than 800 breweries from across the country serving north of 4,000 different beers.Īmong the first of the Denver craft purveyors, founded in 1988, was Wynkoop Brewing Company. ![]() Three distilleries to entice you to visit this state capitalĬolorado enjoys the distinction of having more craft breweries (more than 280) per capita that any other state in the US. ![]()
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