Recent Articles

Distiller Justin Baier walks us through the details and numbers of mashing and fermenting a wash for single-malt whiskey at Boulder Spirits—including what sets the process apart from brewing beer.

With the 2024 American Craft Spirits Association convention heading to Denver this month, locally based drinks writer Ryan Pachmayer highlights some of the city’s top-tier destinations for cocktails, spirits, and more.

With almost 100 species of oak just in the United States, distillers are looking at varieties beyond the traditional American white oak to explore their impact on spirits.

When it comes to analyzing the results of sensory evaluation, statistics can be a complicated yet powerful tool to use in the pursuit of higher-quality spirits.

In the second of two articles looking at a farm-to-bottle relationship between distiller and farmer—in their own words—Jason Cody of Colorado Malting discusses the challenges and benefits of growing and malting characterful grains on a small scale. As told to Ryan Pachmayer.

Step aside beer-can chicken. Poultry is the special ingredient that lends a subtle touch to a traditional, distinctly flavorful, small-batch variety of mezcal—the problem is, nobody seems to know why.

Founded in 2011, Laws Whiskey House in Denver has built its award-winning bourbons and ryes on Colorado-grown heirloom grains. Here, in the first of two articles—the next from the farmer’s perspective—founder Al Laws discusses how these crops shape the character of their “dirt-to-glass” spirits. As told to Ryan Pachmayer.

Adding distillation equipment to your brewery offers the benefits of expanded product ranges, enhanced revenue opportunities, captivating consumer experiences, and differentiated branding.

For craft-whiskey distilleries, independent bottlers and blenders offer unique opportunities for collaboration and raising brand awareness.

Led by a brewmaster with a family legacy, a hunger for knowledge, and a passion for mixed-culture fermentation, Minnesota’s Black Frost Distilling is producing fragrant, old-fashioned rums using half-wild yeast and open-topped wooden fermentors.

Creating a budget may seem daunting, but it can reinforce your distillery’s vision, align your team, and set the stage for success.

There is immediate marketing appeal in having something—a worm, a bug, a piece of fruit, a sliver of wood—floating in a bottle of spirits. There’s also some history and tradition behind the practice … but there are risks.

From distiller’s malt to yeast, fruit, and more, Country Malt Group is here to support your craft.

This Saskatchewan farm and distillery is making its whiskeys from home-grown triticale and exposing its barrels to the extreme local climate, all while telling its unique story to the world.

Planting trees is critical to alleviating climate change, and wood is critical to the spirits industry. With support from customers, distilleries are giving to programs that plant more trees—often for a buck a bottle.

Older isn’t necessarily better—despite the interest in higher age statements—but there are specific, achievable ways to help set up longer-aged whiskeys for success.

There are costs and challenges—and it’s not all that easy to find—but a growing handful of distillers are excited about the potential of Kernza, a perennial grain domesticated for its environmental benefits.

Do the spirits on the shelf lack the flavor you’re looking for? Infusion could be the answer—and it’s also a path to faster, easier cocktails.

There are all sorts of hazards in a working distillery, and a culture of safety starts at the top—with attention to standards and investment in personal protective equipment.

Meet some distillers who are placing environmentally sound site design and sustainable certifications at the forefront of their missions.