Hit the Road: Colorado Spirit Trail Kicks Off 

By Neill Pieper
 

Hooch lovers rejoice! The Hearts and Trails Spirit Festival kicked off the inaugural Colorado Spirits Trail challenge last week. The spirited fest brought in distillers from far and wide like Sand Creek Distillery in Hugo, Durango Craft Spirits and Peach Street Distillery in Palisade. The gathering featured more than 40 Colorado distillers. 

Set at Mile High Station, the event was semi-upscale with bartenders mixing custom cocktails, distillers getting into the nuances of whiskey variations and well-dressed attendees enjoying the evening. The Colorado culture was also pushed forward with grain to glass initiatives and packaging that catered to the outdoor crowd.

The festival paints a picture of a quickly growing industry with huge potential that still faces inherent challenges that most whiskey-makers understand. Broken Arrow Spirits Founder Ryan Morgan featured Branch & Barrel Whiskey, which is brand new to the scene. The product had been aging four years prior to the evening's festivities. Batch No. 1 was evident on the bottle and proof of its introduction. “People think I’m crazy only doing whiskey,” Morgan explained, “but I’m dedicated to the craft. We waited till it was really ready, even though that meant we were years in the making.” 

Meanwhile, there are roughly 90 distilleries statewide that are open or set to open this year. Many have gone through the tedious process of waiting patiently while their product aged. Others specialize in clear spirits that are often faster to produce. Archetype Distillery, new to South Broadway, hosted their grand opening prior to Saturday's festival. They specialize in vodka and gin. 

The Hearts and Trails event kicks off a larger campaign aiming to shine a spotlight on Colorado distillers. The Colorado Distillers Guild alongside the Colorado Tourism Office have put together an interactive map that incentivizes craft spirit enthusiasts to explore Colorado’s many distilleries. 

The map has 51 stops and participants can get it stamped at participating distilleries by enjoying a cocktail, taking a tour or purchasing gear. Ten stamps will net folks a Colorado Spirit Trail t-shirt. If you are one of the first 24 participants to bag all 51 stops, you will win a bottle of spirits from all the distilleries. Now that's a spirited prize! 

Check out the map below. You can find a downloadable copy of the map at coloradospiritstrail.com.

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