One Woman's Perspective - Distillery News

7/7/2018

Syntax Spirits

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Owners: Heather Bean and Jeff Copeland Location: 700 6th Street, Greeley, CO (a grain elevator in Greeley).

Greeley, CO, is a very community based town. The people of Greeley help each other out and it has more of a hometown feel. Syntax Spirits locally sources their ingredients from the local farmers in the area, which includes Wyoming for some. The distillery has recently moved to a grain elevator and I cannot wait to see the new location.

Heather, former Engineer, decided after 15 years to leave the large computer company behind and become a distillery owner. She welded her own still and the distillery is ran by 80% women. I have the upmost respect for this woman.

Their products include: Vodka, Gin, Dark Rum and a Bourbon Whiskey. They currently distribute out to Northern Colorado locations and Wyoming. They are looking to branch out further through Colorado and to other states in the Nation.

7/7/2018

2 Bar Spirits

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Seattle, Washington
Nathan’s distillery dream starts and continues with the one key word, and that is family. His story begins with the family ranch in South Texas that has been held in his family for 5 generations. The family name is known for “quality, independence and hard work”. These are all values that he lives by today at 2 Bar Spirits. Pictures of the ranch and his family are hung proudly in the distillery to show the roots of this great spirit. The Kaiser family should be proud to know that their brand, which extended into the craft distilling industry, is living the values that were set for so many years ago.

Creating a bourbon is becoming an art form for many craft distilleries. From choosing their grains to diluting the spirit to the right proof becomes an actual science. Nathan chooses to use grains that are from the Northwest region, which goes into his Moonshine, Straight Bourbon and other projects that they chose to create, such as their Rye whiskey. Nathan believes that a distiller should focus on one product and be great at it, so he chose to focus on moonshine/bourbon. With a very small crew this distillery creates high quality products that can be found in a number of states across the US.

I highly recommend that you check out 2 Bar Spirits and try their spirits. See if you can get a glimpse of the four ladies photos that are posted in the back. I don’t want to spoil it for you but a photo here will give you some clues.

6/17/2018

OOLA

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Seattle, WA
Kirby Kallas-Lewis, founder of OOLA named the distillery after his dog, “The greatest German Sheppard that ever lived”. I have no disputes that this is not the case and can appreciate how distillery owners across the country have incorporated their animals in the distillery life. From passions of being an artist and a tribal art dealer, Kirby merged into the distilling world. Taking his art to a new level and forming a new product that embraces good people with good times.

We all know that it takes the right ingredients, and the right combination of those ingredients to make spirits great. When I travel to different distilleries I always ask, what the distillery does to make their products stand out. Usually I get the answer that water is what makes the difference but at OOLA, they are not holding back. Not only does the water in Seattle taste great on its own but adding the right ingredients into OOLA’s products, makes it fantastic! OOLA uses a unique, winter white wheat that is found on the Eastern plains of the State of Washington. This winter wheat can be found in some of the products that are produced by OOLA, and in my opinion, it adds a creaminess to their products. Currently their products include their flagship vodka, flavored vodka (citrus was my favorite), flagship gin, barrel aged gin, bourbon (delicious), and the Discourse Series of Whiskey. While visiting they had the C series available for purchase and I am very sad to say that mine broke on our way home. The Discourse Series is only available at the distillery so handle with care if you purchase it to take home.

Keep an eye out for great things coming from OOLA. They are in the process of expanding their tasting room to a second location and receiving new equipment to help with production. Can’t wait to see what is next for OOLA.
Cheers!

6/11/2018

CoppeRworks

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Copperworks Distilling Co.
Seattle, WA
2018 Distillery of the Year by American Distilling Institute.

My visit to Seattle resulted in some great finds, such as meeting Sam, Tasting Room Manger at Copper Works Distillery. Their distillery also serves as a tasting room and store for purchasing their spirits.

Now I have visited a number of large and small distilleries and this one took me by surprise. I have never seen so much copper in one room, and what a beautiful sight to see. Copper Works believe that copper is the best material to use for their stills, which were hand crafted by copper-smiths in Scotland. Cooper creates the best flavor for their spirits. Check out the picture to the left to see how much copper we are talking about.

Currently Copper Works makes a vodka, gin, cask finished gin and an American single malt whiskey. Release 011, the whiskey that we purchased, rested in 6 American Oak and Oloroso Sherry casks for 32 months. Each whiskey release is unique, so get your hands on this whiskey while you can. I think Release 011 is absolutely delicious and I am looking forward to doing a comparison taste test with some of our Colorado Single Malt Whiskey that is to finished in a sherry cask.

12/21/2017

Wyoming Whiskey

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Wyoming Whiskey
100 S. Nelson Street
Kirby, WY 82430

Wyoming’s best kept whiskey secret is a 2 and ½ hour drive outside of Casper, in the town of Kirby, WY. The secret you ask is a whiskey distillery which is currently the only legal whiskey distillery in the State of Wyoming. As you drive through the Wind River Canyon and the town of Thermopolis you are only twelve miles from this fantastic spirit.
Wyoming Whiskey was started in 2009 and their first bottle was released in 2012. They have 12 employees that run this distillery. The employees worked with a head distiller from Makers Mark to get their process and flavor profile down. Today this distillery runs their small batch whiskey (which consists of 40 barrels) to create approximately 1,000 bottles of this spirit twice a month.
So what makes this spirit so special? Well any head distiller can tell you that one of the secret ingredients is the water that is used in the process. Wyoming Whiskey uses a lime filtered water in their process and before this spirit is bottled is goes through a unique reverse osmosis lime filtered process. Other ingredients include approximately 70% corn, 20% wheat and 10% malted barley.
Couple of unique facts about this great spirit is the percentage of alcohol that is listed on the bottle is 44%, which just so happens to be the number the state became a member of the union.
Second, Dennis Lue is one of the original employees from when the distillery opened who still works there to this day. Check out the dedication tattooed on his arm (his picture is posted in the gallery).

12/21/2017

Corsair Distillery

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Corsair Distillery
601 Merritt Avenue
Nashville, TN 37203
Tour cost: $10.00 per person
(Best $10.00 you will spend in Nashville)

A boutique whiskey distillery which is part of the three that they currently have in operation. They have a gin, whiskey and a brewery location in Tennessee. Jacob was a fantastic tour guide and explained their process from growing some of their own ingredients, to making their own mash. Their products include, beer, gin, spiced rum, vodka and different types of whiskeys. Best part is they have a bar onsite and they encourage you to take a drink on the tour with you! If you are in Nashville stop by and let them know you heard from me that this was the distillery to check out.

12/21/2017

LAWs Whiskey House

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LAWS Whiskey House
1420 S. Acoma Street
Denver, CO 80223

Laws Whiskey House is a great small scale whiskey distillery in the heart of Denver. Allen Laws and his wife started this distillery in 2011 after receiving their license to distill spirits. In 2014, they were able to bottle their first barrels of whiskey.
Their Straight Whiskey Bourbon is made with four grains, which is the only four grain straight whiskey that I have seen to date. 60% corn/20% wheat/10% rye/10% barley. They use Ale yeast and process their mash through an open air fermentation. During the tour you get to try day one mash and day four mash. Day one is definitely sweeter than day four. Twenty five gallons of their mash goes into the next batch which creates the sour mash.
The symbol on their bottles is unique. A cross between time and process. Spirits that have a good process and take time are truly worth waiting for. Their principles they live by is Craft over Commodity, Quality over Quantity, Whiskey All Above.

Scott is a fantastic tour guide and I highly recommend checking out their facility. $10.00 gets you a tour and a tasting plus credit to their store purchase. Check out my website for information on their Wheated Whiskey Open House. This event is happening on Saturday, May 14th. Laws Whiskey Tasting Notes will also be posted on my website this month.

12/21/2017

Arizona Distilling Company

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AZ Distilling Company
508 W 1st Street
Tempe, AZ 85281

Arizona's first distillery since prohibition. This was an interesting experience and thank you to my best friend, sister and brother-in-law for attending this tour/tasting with me. This distillery at the time of my visit (over the summer) was in a warehouse in Tempe, Arizona, with no air conditioning. As most of you know every distillery experiences a loss of alcohol from their barrels, known as the "angels share". For this distillery they experience an evaporation rate of 15% from their barrels due to their location. I know they were in the process of moving to a new location which I believe does include air condition and good barbecue. Hopefully having air condition will lower the evaporation rate. The tour was very informative with the small operation but don't let the size of the operation fool you. If you are in the Phoenix area I recommend that you visit this distillery. Trying their Humphreys whiskey and their Park Rye is a must. They also distill gin and other small batch award winning spirits. When you visit ask them about the letter they received from Makers Mark.

12/21/2017

Bear Creek Distillery

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Bear Creek Distillery
1879 S Acoma Street
Denver, CO 80223

When I first heard of Bear Creek it was when they released their first batch of Rye Whiskey to Molly Spirits. Shortly after our friends at Laws Whiskey House recommended that we take a stroll down the road to visit their facility. Lucky for us we did! We met with Jay Johnson one of the co-owners of Bear Creek Distillery and he shared their story with us.
As most know I love the story behind the product. The blood sweat and tears that most don’t know when they purchase a product off the shelf. This is a story that truly puts a smile on my face since I live very close to how the origins of this distillery come into play.
So what does it mean when the distillery says “Born in Lakewood Raised in Denver”? Well I have the story for you. Friends in High School that came together later in life to put this distillery in motion. When deciding on the name of their new found adventure they went back to where they met. Bear Creek High School.
Their facility, though it looks smaller in size is filled with absolute greatness. The feel is warm and inviting with their tasting room/pub right inside the door. They have a beautiful bar area where their team makes some fantastic drinks which only includes their spirits, (honestly I think is how it should be done). Their current line up consist of Wheat Vodka, Rye Vodka, Silver Rum, Cask Strength Rum, White Whiskey, Rye Whiskey, and Wheat Whiskey. So you have lots to choose from. Being a whiskey woman myself I try not to indulge in other spirits unless they are highly recommended to me. Heck what am I saying I will try just about anything at least once. Jay recommended that we try the Rye Vodka. Now I will tell you I am not a vodka fan. To me most vodkas are tasteless unless some fruity flavor is added and then you have other reasons behind why you are drinking them, like a martini. BUT Bear Creek’s Rye Vodka is absolutely amazing. This is a vodka that anyone that prefers their whiskey straight can sip and truly enjoy the flavors that it possesses. Did we buy it? Yes, we sure did!
The still they use is German made, which is what their friends at Koval in Chicago use. Their head distiller, Jeff was able to spend some time there and knew this was the design that Bear Creek needed to produce their products. Their products are grain to glass and their grains are sourced locally. They use 30 gallon barrels, so there is less aging time needed to get their product in the bottle. Bear Creek’s products can be found in 300 different establishments across Colorado and they are thinking that their next move might be Nebraska.
Their location is open Wednesday through Sunday hours varying. I highly recommend that you stop by and see what they have to offer. They rent out their space for events as well. So if you are looking for venue that truly represents whiskey and Colorado you need to check this place out. It has a great barn wood/modern feel and their old fashion is absolutely perfect!
I know that many business ventures come in all shapes in sizes, married couples (like my parents), family members, silent partners, and some as friends. The last thing that Jay shared with me, that truly made sense especially with how Bear Creek started, is that they are FRIENDS first and business partners second. As it should be!

12/21/2017

Spirit Hound Distillers

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Spirit Hound Distillers
4196 Ute Hwy
Lyons, CO 80540

I met Craig Engelhorn, of Spirit Hound Distillery at the Estes Whiskey Warm Up Event. Craig is a transplant from the State of Nebraska. He worked for AT&T for a number of years and when the business restructured, he packaged out with a number of employees. A new beginning for him, landed in Lyons, Colorado. He started his new journey working for Oskar Blues as a brewer with no experience. He assisted with the recipe for Dale’s Pale Ale, when asked why not name it Craig’s Pale Ale, he said it didn’t rhyme. Dale’s sounded better. Four years later, Craig decided he wanted to do something different so he got together with four partners and created Spirit Hound Distillery in 2012. At the time of application Spirit Hound became the 32nd distillery in the State of Colorado. Now, through some distilleries closing shop, they are labeled as the 27th distillery in the State.
Spirit hound has a nice line up of spirits. As you all know I am more of a whiskey girl, but I do like to let people know what other spirits are created by the distillers, they are: gin, vodka, rum, moonshine, Sambuca and Richardo’s Coffee Liqueur (which is delicious!) and believe it or not their moonshine is very flavorful with a nice smooth finish and fruit forward taste.
The distillery currently brews once a week and fills about 7 whisky barrels a month. What is great about their whisky is that it is barrel specific bottling. Craig likes a hearty scotch flavor that shows more of a peat, smoky flavor profile. When we visited the distillery last week they were currently serving tastings for their single malt whiskeys (barrels 25, 26, 27 and 28). Barrel 28 is definitely worth finding if you are a scotch fan. Spirit Hound is a smaller distillery but don’t let their size fool you. They have 110 barrels currently in their rack house and are looking for ways to expand their storage space. They have a great outdoor area for summertime events and their staff will definitely keep you on your toes. Tell Alexis we said Hi!
A Story within a Story (Definitely Worth Sharing)
Most people from Colorado remember the flood in 2013, and at that time the distillery was a little over a year old. The floods affected a number of cities across the front range, causing destruction to people’s lives, their homes, businesses and cars. Spirit Hound was not left out in the path of destruction. The distillery backs up to the St. Vrain River that flooded over. The flooding caused about 2 feet of rushing waters, mud and silt to find its way into the distillery, one can still see the line on the barrels where the mud left its mark.
The Town of Lyons was devastated. There were check points where they would not allow people to pass, because the roads were under water. The town was cut off from receiving assistance until the rain stopped. When asked if Craig’s home was affected from the flooding he said no. He stated that he felt guilty that his place was not damaged, but friends of his lost their business, their home and vehicles and had nothing. The volunteer fire station #2 was completely destroyed from the flooding. Driving through the winding roads today, you can still see homes that were abandoned from the destruction.
A few days after the water subsided, Craig and his business partners had assessed the damages to their distillery. They noticed that the rushing water had moved around a keg barrel of rum, which is now known as flood rum. They tested the rum and found that it was saved through all the water damage and bouncing around through the distillery. Spirit Hound wanted to help Lyons get back on its feet, so Craig and his partners came up with the idea to put some money in the path of restoring the fire station. The partners agreed that in order to give back to the community and to help those who help others, they would auction off the first 24 bottles of rum, from this flood rum barrel. Fire fighters came in to sign the labels. Bottles were being auctioned off from $50 to $1000 a piece. They were receiving calls from all over the country from people that wanted to help the Town of Lyons. For the remainder of the bottles (past the 24 that were auctioned), they were sold for $50 a piece. $20 of every bottle that was sold went to help rebuild the fire station. Some bottles were going for more than that because people wanted to pay more to help the cause. A donation of over $10,000 was donated to the fire department to help rebuild station 2. Craig mentioned that the amount of giving they assisted with was overwhelming. He could not believe all the calls that were coming in from people all over. The amount of support that the country wanted to give the Town of Lyons was surprising and very heart warming. Two years after the devastation of the flooding the Fire Station was rebuilt out of the flood plain and is currently open to assist the town of Lyons.

So the next time you are strolling through the front range stop by and see the team at Spirit Hound, it is definitely worth the drive!