Earlier this year, local companies took home awards from the World Whiskey Awards America in Louisville, Kentucky, including Boulder Spirits for Best Small Batch Bourbon.
Now Root Shoot Spirits, which is connected to Root Shoot Malting near Loveland, has been named American Single Malt Whiskey of the Year at the 2025 London Spirits Competition. The whiskey also earned a gold medal with 98 points from the judging panel.
The malt whiskey is distilled about thirty miles from the malting facility and fifth-generation farm, creating a local product that is a reflection of northern Colorado, according to Root Shoot founder and farmer Todd Olander.
“Recognition for Root Shoot Whiskey is also recognition for the soil, sun, sweat and stubbornness that went into making it,” Olander says. “Whiskey, especially single malt, is as good as its raw materials, and ours have been carefully cultivated for generations using lots of hard work, dedication and regenerative agricultural practices.”
Root Shoot Spirits' malt whiskey was named American Single Malt Whiskey of the Year at the 2025 London Spirits Competition.
Photo courtesy Root Shoot Whiskey
Denver's decades-old single malt distillery earned four double-gold awards, for Mountain Angel ten-year, Mountain Angel twelve-year, sherry cask and Snowflake. The distillery also earned golds for Blue Peak, Diamond Peak and Stranahan’s original.
Stranahan's head blender Justin Aden says it's been his mission to carry the torch for the new American single malt category and make sure the style receives the recognition it deserves.
"As the category pioneer with two decades' worth of barrels in our rack houses, we’re showing the world the depth and complexity that can be expected from well-aged American single malt, especially those distilled and aged right here in Denver," he says. "We’re thrilled to see the judges at this year’s competition – one of the most esteemed in the industry – agree so wholeheartedly.”
Colorado's distilleries also made an impressive showing at the national awards in San Francisco.
10th Mountain Whiskey & Spirits bagged plenty of medals: a double gold for bourbon; gold for potato vodka and rye batch 81; silver for brandy, American single malt whiskey and old -ashioned bitters; and bronze for Alpenglow cordial and chocolate rye whiskey.
“We're honored beyond words,” founder Ryan Thompson says. “These awards prove that even a small-batch distillery from the Colorado Rockies can compete with global titans — and win. It’s a testament to our team, our values, and the veterans and active-duty men and women we honor every day through our brand.”
Other Colorado distillers that earned accolades in San Francisco include Talnua Distillery, which took double gold for Olde Saint’s Keep 2025 single pot still whiskey, gold for Bourbon Cask & Stave Series single pot still whiskey, and silver for white oak cask bottled-in-bond single pot still whiskey.
Art of the Spirits earned double gold for Devil Dog cigar blend whiskey, gold for Final Run bourye finished in a Foursquare rum barrel, and silver for Airmen straight bourbon.
Archetype Distillery earned a gold for Archangel vodka, silver medals for Archrebel smoked gin and Archrival gin, and bronze for Archfiend smoked vodka.
Larado Whiskey took gold medals for eight-year-old rye whiskey and cask-strength rye whiskey, and a silver for six-year-old wheated bourbon.
Rocker Spirits took silver for rye whiskey finished in rum barrels, bourbon finished in port wine barrels, and bourbon, as well as a bronze for triticale whiskey .
Old Elk earned a gold medal for nine-year straight bourbon and silvers for Cigar Cut Punch Cut whiskey and slow-cut straight blended bourbon. Old Ek’s single barrel for Bern’s Steak House in Tampa, a tawny port-finished straight wheat whiskey, earned double gold.
Woody Creek Distillers earned silver for straight 100 percent rye whiskey, and bronze medals for straight bourbon and Mary’s Select gin.
Fireside bottled-in-bond bourbon and wheated bottled-in-bond bourbon both earned gold medals. Distillery 291 took golds for barrel-proof single-barrel bourbon and barrel-proof single barrel whiskey. Smokeye Hill’s straight bourbon and barrel-proof straight bourbon earned gold medals.
Five Trail Batch 003 blended whiskey earned a gold medal, while its Batch 002 blended whiskey and Cask Finish Series Batch 003 won silver.
Montanya Rum took silver medals for its platino and oro rums, and a bronze for pineapple habanero rum. Barmen 1873 blended whiskey earned a gold and Rick Thomas Distillery's 1859 corn whiskey earned a silver medal.
Ridge River Whiskey barrel strength seven-year-old bourbon took a gold medal, and Mythology earned a gold for Thunderhoof rye. Ancestors Distilling took a gold for navy-strength gin, and Toddy House Brands' vodka earned a gold medal.
