Like many places in the United States, Colorado Disilleries date back to the 19th century as settlers crossed the country towards the great frontier. As many of us know, in 1920 the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was passed which banned the manufacturing of alcohol and created thirteen years of prohibition. This devastated the whiskey and bourbon industry for decades across the country and it seems it took nearly 85 years for a distillery to finally return to Colorado. I have yet to be able to confirm the exact date and distillery, but it seems through my research that the first distillery reopened back in Colorado around 2005.

So, let’s talk Colorado Distilleries! In 2022, Colorado now contains nearly seventy-five distilleries that can be found up and down the Front Range. This number continues to grow annually and now over sixty of these distilleries produce whiskey and bourbon products. Now I hate to admit this, but we all have our faults, and I have only had the pleasure of visiting two distilleries in Colorado. I have lived in NoCo for nearly twenty years now, traveled to nearly all four corners of the state, and have only ever visited the Breckenridge Distillery and 477 Distillery in Greeley; this needs to change. The really bad part of this is that I live only 20 minutes from six of these distilleries and more than half of these distilleries are less than an hour’s drive away.

Adding, even more, salt to my wounds, in 2018 the Colorado Distillers Guild in conjunction with sixty-one Colorado craft distilleries came together and formed the Colorado Spirits Trail. For those familiar with the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, this is a very similar concept that instead focuses on all spirits crafted in Colorado. From the Colorado Spirits Website: “We strive to redefine the American frontier and invite novices and connoisseurs alike to experience our innovative spirits across the Eastern Plains and the Western Slope, through the bustling cities of the Front Range, and the snowy peaks of the Rockies.” For those readers which live in Colorado and would like to participate in this adventure, you can download your free Colorado Spirits Trail HERE. However, it does seem that the website is a bit outdated and still geared towards the launch in 2018, perhaps the recent pandemic has to do with this but it does mention that if you receive ten stamps from individual distilleries, you will receive a free t-shirt.

As I have mentioned, I am no expert when it comes to Colorado bourbon or whisky, but I do plan on exploring and tasting these gems distilled in my state. So if you are looking to read or watch reviews that focus on these Colorado spirits, please check back regularly for new reviews; but for now, take some time to visit these Bourbon and Whiskey Enthusiasts:

• Breaking Bourbon (Website/Instagram)
• The Colorado Whiskey Guy (YouTube/Instagram)
• The Whiskey Vault (Website/YouTube)

The below may not be an all-inclusive list, but I will try to keep this updated frequently. If you see I have missed a distillery that produces bourbon or whiskey in Colorado, please let me know!

Distilleries in Colorado

• 10th Mountain Whiskey and Spirit Company (Gypsum)
• 1350 Distilling (Colorado Springs)
• 3 Hundred Days Distilling (Monument)
• 477 Distilling (Greeley)
• 52 Eighty Distilling (Littleton)
• Altitude Spirits (Boulder)
• Anvil Distilling (Johnstown)
• Axe and the Oak Distillery (Colorado Springs) BOSSMAN REVIEW
• Bear Creek Distillery (Denver)
• Black Bear Distillery (Green Mountain Falls)
• Block Distilling Co. (Denver)
• Branch & Barrel (Centennial)
• Breckenridge Distillery (Breckenridge)
• CopperMuse Distillery (Fort Collins)
• Deerhammer Distilling Company (Buena Vista)
• Denver Distillery (Denver)
• Deviant Spirits Distillery (Boulder)
• Distillery 291 (Colorado Springs)
• DownSlope Distillery (Centennial)
• Dry Land Distillers (Longmont)
• Durango Craft Spirits (Durango)
• Elevation 5003 Distillery (Fort Collins)
• Elkins Distilling Co. (Estes Park)
• Feisty Spirits Distillery (Fort Collins)
• Fraser Valley Distilling (Fraser)
• Golden Moon Distillery (Golden)
• Honey House Distillery (Durango)
• Idlewild Spirits Distillery (Winter Park)
• Ironton Distillery (Denver)
• KJ Wood Distillers (Ouray)
• Laws Whiskey House (Denver)
• Leopold Brothers (Denver) BOSSMAN REVIEW
• Mad Rabbit Distillery (Westminster)
• Mile High Spirits (Denver)
• Molly Brown Spirits (Denver)
• Mystic Mountain Distillery (Larkspur)
• Mythology Distillery (Denver)
• NoCo Distillery (Fort Collins)
• Old Elk Distillery (Fort Collins) BOSSMAN REVIEW
• Old Town Distilling Co. (Fort Collins)
• Peach Street Distillers (Palisade)
• Rising Sun Distillery (Denver)
• Rocker Spirits (Littleton)
• Sand Creek Distillery (Hugo)
• Spirit Hound Distillers (Lyons)
• Spirits of the Rockies, Inc. (Pueblo)
• Spring44 Distilling, Inc. (Loveland)
• State 38 Distilling (Golden)
• Storm King Distilling Co. (Montrose)
• Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey (Denver)
• Syntax Spirits Distillery (Greeley)
• Talnua Distillery (Arvada)
• Telluride Distillery Co. (Telluride)
• The Block Distilling Co. (Denver)
• The Heart Distillery (Windsor) BOSSMAN REVIEW
• Tighe Brothers Distillery (Denver)
• Whistling Hare Distillery (Broomfield)
• Wood’s High Mountain Distillery (Salida)
• Woody Creek Distillers (Basalt)

***Please note, this may not be an all inclusive list ***

Please remember, drinking bourbon is a personal adventure, so do not be afraid to drink it neat, with ice, or add some water. It’s your bourbon, you bought it, and you should enjoy it how you want to enjoy it!

Cheers! Prost! Sláinte!

Bourbon Bossman