I was in Colorado a week ago. My friend picked me up from the airport and we drove up the steep highway right into the mountains of Summit County. I already knew that Colorado is a great place that offers some of the best of the United States. It has great outdoors, great food, great people. And great beer. But I wasn’t expecting a great Bourbon, not one that was distilled right up the street from my friend’s house.
Breckenridge Bourbon has a very smoky, smooth flavor. It is truly delicious, but with no hint of sweetness. It would be a crime to put coke in it, or even ice. It’s excellent neat and at room temperature.
Breckenridge Bourbon is distilled in, you guessed it, Breckenridge, a tiny ski town in Summit County surrounded by mountains, bike trails, vacationing Americans and the laid-back locals who serve them. The distillery is in a little warehouse on the corner of a strip mall. The first thing the guide told us on the tour was that bourbon doesn’t have to be distilled in Kentucky to be considered bourbon, even though most is. To be bourbon, the whiskey has to conform to certain guidelines about how, how long, and with what it is distilled.
The tour was took us through the little store room of aging barrels and into the back room with the big tanks and the still. The bourbon sits in the oak barrels for five years, and you can see how it soaks right through the wood. Black bourbon-goo seeps out through the seams.
The giant copper still was shiny, tall, and impressive. They also had a huge tub of pears they were going to use to make something special. And, on top of all of that, they make a very nice vodka.
Check the liquor stores in Colorado for booze from this quality distillery, and if you make it to Breckenridge then definitely check out the tour.