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Woody Creek Distillers in Basalt, Colorado, is known for its potato vodka
Woody Creek Distillers [official photo]

Where to Stop on a Tour of Colorado Distilleries

A guide to getting started on the Spirits Trail

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Woody Creek Distillers in Basalt, Colorado, is known for its potato vodka
| Woody Creek Distillers [official photo]

No longer just a craft beer destination, Colorado now has more than 50 distilleries leading a craft spirits revolution across the state. Recently, these producers teamed up with the Colorado Distillers Guild to create a comprehensive and traveling drinking guide.

With the new Colorado Spirits Trail, drinkers have a nearly complete list of tasting rooms and production facilities to try. Here, to make it easier, are 13 of Eater’s favorites. The distilleries are located from Colorado Springs to Denver to Palisade. Along with the usual suspects like whiskey and gin, find potato spirits, agave spirits, and endless flavored liqueurs.

Have another favorite Colorado distillery? Leave it in the comments or send Eater a tip.

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Peach Street Distillers

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The guys behind Durango’s Ska Brewing turned their attention to spirits with Peach Street Distillers. It’s located in Palisade, in the heart of Colorado’s fruit-growing region. See the usual spirits plus brandy, eau de vie, grappa, and bier schnapps (coming soon).

Peach Street Bourbon is a favorite from this Palisade distillery
Peach Street Distillery [official photo]

Marble Distilling Co. & The Distillery Inn

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Carbondale’s distillery inn offers guest rooms for drinkers to “sleep with the stills.” The latest spirit release here is a rye whiskey, with more whiskeys and a bourbon yet to come. At Marble, distillery club members can fill their own barrels, and a new tasting room just opened down the road in Aspen.

Marble Distilling in Carbondale offers overnight stays above its distillery and tasting room
Marble Distilling Co. [official photo]

Woody Creek Distillers

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Vodka reaches new heights at this Basalt distillery, where the process starts on the founder’s nearby potato farm. The Reserve vodka is made with a Polish Strobrawa potato, and the Colorado gin is a balance between new world and London dry varieties.

Woody Creek is known for its potato vodka, grown and produced in Basalt near Aspen
Woody Creek Distillers [official photo]

Montanya Distillers

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From its home base in the town of Crested Butte, Montanya has mastered three American rums: Platino, Oro, and Exclusiva. And all of them are made with exactly four ingredients: sugar cane, water, yeast, and honey.

Montanya Distillers is set in the quaint mountain town Crested Butte
Nathan Bilow/Montanya

Deerhammer Distillery

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A drive down Highway 285 is always worth the stop in Buena Vista. Deerhammer can be found on the town’s main drag with a cozy taproom pouring award-winning single malt whiskey and a dutch-style gin, among other spirits.

Deerhammer is based in Buena Vista
Deerhammer Distillery [official photo]

Breckenridge Distillery

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Calling itself the world’s highest distillery, Breckenridge makes a famous bourbon and attracts drinkers to its mountain facility with a modern American restaurant. There’s also a tasting room right in the heart of the mountain town.

Breckenridge Distillery is known for its bourbon and high-altitude tasting room and restaurant
Breckenridge Distillery [official photo]

State 38 Distilling

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For an altogether different Colorado drinking experience, State 38 in Golden offers its own take on tequila with agave-based añejo, reposado, and blanco versions. There is also vodka, gin, bourbon, and peat-smoked whiskey.

State 38 in Golden makes agave-based spirits similar to tequila
Visit Golden [official photo]

Elevation 5003 Distillery

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This Fort Collins distillery is helmed by a former Anheuser-Busch InBev brewer. She’s taken that exact science to a new, micro level here with a full range of spirits, including a Straight Rye and a throwback Falernum.

Straight Rye is one of the latest releases from Elevation 5003 in Fort Collins
Elevation 5003 Distillery [official photo]

The Family Jones Spirit House

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One of Denver’s newest distilleries is worth a stop for its combination spirits, bar, and food programs. Entirely house-made mixed drinks together with elevated paired dishes make for the full tasting experience inside a a plush and modern setting.

A view of the German copper still at The Family Jones in Denver
Adam Larkey/Eater Denver

Laws Whiskey House

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Now a Denver staple, Laws opened in 2014 under the direction of Stranahan’s founding distiller. Though he’s since left the business, spirits such as Laws Four Grain Straight Bourbon and Secale Straight Rye live on in reputation and popularity.

Laws Whiskey is a Denver favorite
Laws Whiskey House [official photo]

Leopold Bros.

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One of the country’s best distilleries is located in the outskirts of northeast Denver. At Leopold Bros., drinkers can learn about old-world fermentation techniques and Colorado terroir while sipping on American Small-Batch Whiskey or Fernet Highlands Amaro.

Leopold Bros. in Denver is one of Colorado’s premier whiskey distilleries
Leopold Bros. [official photo]

Axe and the Oak Whiskey House

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This Colorado Springs distillery is located in the basement of the century-old Ivywild School, now a marketplace of craft food and beverage offerings. At Axe and the Oak, patrons should share a bowl of bourbon punch or go for cocktails like the tobacco old fashioned.

Axe and the Oak is located in the converted Ivywild School in the Springs
Axe and the Oak/TripAdvisor

Distillery 291

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Another micro distillery in the Springs, 291 has been making waves and winning awards with its flagship Colorado Rye aged in oak barrels and finished on aspen staves. Also worth trying: Single Barrel Colorado Bourbon and The Decc, a citrus clove liqueur.

Distillery 291 specializes in whiskey in Colorado Springs
Bitters + Bottles [website]

Peach Street Distillers

The guys behind Durango’s Ska Brewing turned their attention to spirits with Peach Street Distillers. It’s located in Palisade, in the heart of Colorado’s fruit-growing region. See the usual spirits plus brandy, eau de vie, grappa, and bier schnapps (coming soon).

Peach Street Bourbon is a favorite from this Palisade distillery
Peach Street Distillery [official photo]

Marble Distilling Co. & The Distillery Inn

Carbondale’s distillery inn offers guest rooms for drinkers to “sleep with the stills.” The latest spirit release here is a rye whiskey, with more whiskeys and a bourbon yet to come. At Marble, distillery club members can fill their own barrels, and a new tasting room just opened down the road in Aspen.

Marble Distilling in Carbondale offers overnight stays above its distillery and tasting room
Marble Distilling Co. [official photo]

Woody Creek Distillers

Vodka reaches new heights at this Basalt distillery, where the process starts on the founder’s nearby potato farm. The Reserve vodka is made with a Polish Strobrawa potato, and the Colorado gin is a balance between new world and London dry varieties.

Woody Creek is known for its potato vodka, grown and produced in Basalt near Aspen
Woody Creek Distillers [official photo]

Montanya Distillers

From its home base in the town of Crested Butte, Montanya has mastered three American rums: Platino, Oro, and Exclusiva. And all of them are made with exactly four ingredients: sugar cane, water, yeast, and honey.

Montanya Distillers is set in the quaint mountain town Crested Butte
Nathan Bilow/Montanya

Deerhammer Distillery

A drive down Highway 285 is always worth the stop in Buena Vista. Deerhammer can be found on the town’s main drag with a cozy taproom pouring award-winning single malt whiskey and a dutch-style gin, among other spirits.

Deerhammer is based in Buena Vista
Deerhammer Distillery [official photo]

Breckenridge Distillery

Calling itself the world’s highest distillery, Breckenridge makes a famous bourbon and attracts drinkers to its mountain facility with a modern American restaurant. There’s also a tasting room right in the heart of the mountain town.

Breckenridge Distillery is known for its bourbon and high-altitude tasting room and restaurant
Breckenridge Distillery [official photo]

State 38 Distilling

For an altogether different Colorado drinking experience, State 38 in Golden offers its own take on tequila with agave-based añejo, reposado, and blanco versions. There is also vodka, gin, bourbon, and peat-smoked whiskey.

State 38 in Golden makes agave-based spirits similar to tequila
Visit Golden [official photo]

Elevation 5003 Distillery

This Fort Collins distillery is helmed by a former Anheuser-Busch InBev brewer. She’s taken that exact science to a new, micro level here with a full range of spirits, including a Straight Rye and a throwback Falernum.

Straight Rye is one of the latest releases from Elevation 5003 in Fort Collins
Elevation 5003 Distillery [official photo]

The Family Jones Spirit House

One of Denver’s newest distilleries is worth a stop for its combination spirits, bar, and food programs. Entirely house-made mixed drinks together with elevated paired dishes make for the full tasting experience inside a a plush and modern setting.

A view of the German copper still at The Family Jones in Denver
Adam Larkey/Eater Denver

Laws Whiskey House

Now a Denver staple, Laws opened in 2014 under the direction of Stranahan’s founding distiller. Though he’s since left the business, spirits such as Laws Four Grain Straight Bourbon and Secale Straight Rye live on in reputation and popularity.

Laws Whiskey is a Denver favorite
Laws Whiskey House [official photo]

Leopold Bros.

One of the country’s best distilleries is located in the outskirts of northeast Denver. At Leopold Bros., drinkers can learn about old-world fermentation techniques and Colorado terroir while sipping on American Small-Batch Whiskey or Fernet Highlands Amaro.

Leopold Bros. in Denver is one of Colorado’s premier whiskey distilleries
Leopold Bros. [official photo]

Axe and the Oak Whiskey House

This Colorado Springs distillery is located in the basement of the century-old Ivywild School, now a marketplace of craft food and beverage offerings. At Axe and the Oak, patrons should share a bowl of bourbon punch or go for cocktails like the tobacco old fashioned.

Axe and the Oak is located in the converted Ivywild School in the Springs
Axe and the Oak/TripAdvisor

Distillery 291

Another micro distillery in the Springs, 291 has been making waves and winning awards with its flagship Colorado Rye aged in oak barrels and finished on aspen staves. Also worth trying: Single Barrel Colorado Bourbon and The Decc, a citrus clove liqueur.

Distillery 291 specializes in whiskey in Colorado Springs
Bitters + Bottles [website]

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