Colorado Grain-to-Bottle Distillery Celebrates Ten Years

The following is sponsored content by Branch & Barrel Distilling.

Branch & Barrel Distilling, now a decade old, has aged as well as the fine whiskey it produces.

Celebrating its tenth anniversary this year, Branch & Barrel started as a passion project between founders Ryan Morgan, Tom Sielaff and Scott Freund. Fueled by imagination, a fun-loving spirit and a do-it-yourself philosophy, the owners built the distillery from scratch, realizing a dream that began years earlier as a backyard hobby. The goal was to create a smooth and authentic local bourbon, made exclusively with ingredients sourced in Colorado.

“Keeping it all local — from the grains to the water to the production — is extremely important to us,” notes Josh Hunt, vice president and “libations liaison” at Branch & Barrel. “When you drink our whiskey, you’re tasting Colorado.”

Hunt joined the Branch &Barrel team as a sales representative in 2022. Having spent most of his early career in the small-business world, he brought an in-depth understanding of scalability and organization at the local and community levels. He also has a passion for Colorado whiskey, something that he shares with the entire B&B team.

“Colorado-style” whiskey

Branch & Barrel’s portfolio, which includes a seventeen-time-award-winning two-grain bourbon, various remixes on that mash bill, and a variety of experimental barrel finishes, seeks to put its “Colorado-style” whiskey on the map. A total of 37 awards across various national and international spirits competitions would suggest that B&B’s locally produced whiskey is, indeed, a player in the category.

As the distillery continues to expand its reach and offerings, its team members stay true to two core principles: They make the best whiskey they can, and have a blast while doing it. “If we’re not having fun, we’re not doing it right,” Hunt says. “We’re a group of friends — adult children, if you will — trying to share our passion, imagination and joy with the industry.” They call the results the “spirit of expression,” and their collective artistry and ingenuity is evident in every barrel and bottle.

“We’re here for a good time,” Hunt affirms. “It doesn’t matter who you talk to. Whether it’s our sales team, our bar staff or our distiller, the enthusiasm is infectious.”

About the distillery

The Branch & Barrel distillery opened in Centennial in 2015; a tasting room was added about five years later. The bar welcomes seasoned whiskey enthusiasts as well as newcomers to the genre — and everyone in between. It offers a place to kick back, relax, and enjoy good times and great craft cocktails with friends, family, and colleagues.

“We love inviting people to our facility and tasting room,” Hunt says. “Our distillery tour is one of the most entertaining in Colorado. You’ll laugh and learn alongside Mitchell Nester, our knowledgeable tour guide and skilled master blender.”

Along with tour and tasting experiences, Branch & Barrel hosts a variety of events, including cocktail how-to classes, food-and-whiskey pairings and board game nights. On September 28, the distillery hosted its biggest party yet: a tenth-anniversary celebration. With two highly sought-after limited whiskey releases, local food trucks and a unique cocktail menu drop, B&B got to share this special milestone with the friends, fans and family who helped it reach the historic mark.

What’s next

Now, with the ten-year birthday event wrapped, what’s around the corner for the distillery? So much more, according to Hunt.

Next up is Branch & Barrel’s first-ever multi-distillery collaboration, launched with Mile High Spirits and Root Shoot Spirits and curated by the Whiskey Slickers. After being featured on an episode of the Slickers’ podcast, Hunt and Nester were introduced to Mile High and Root Shoot. After sharing some good times, great vibes and even better whiskey, they decided it only made sense to team up on a project together.

“We all make great Colorado grain-to-bottle whiskey,” Hunt says. “Why not just do a collab together?”

After finding a blend they all liked and picking a theme (Dungeons & Dragons), they set to work, creating a novel collaboration release that emphasized the strengths and unique characteristics of each operation.

“We don’t view our distillery colleagues as adversaries — we view them as friends,” Hunt says. As for future collaborations, he says his team would sign on “in a heartbeat.”

Whiskey lovers will be able to taste and purchase the upcoming limited release, Skill Check, at the B&B tasting room toward the end of October.

Becoming Colorado’s bourbon

But the fun doesn’t stop there: Hunt and the team have a lot of big plans for the next ten years. A second bar/tasting room is top priority; they want to build another community and craft cocktail-centric hub in a metro area, allowing even more Colorado locals to experience what Branch & Barrel has created at its home in Centennial. They also plan to continue to grow distribution sales across the state, working toward becoming a legitimate household name within the industry.

“We want Branch & Barrel to be Colorado’s bourbon,” Hunt says. “And we’ll get there, but we’re all about deliberate and sustainable growth.”

Just as one does with a fine glass of whiskey, Branch & Barrel is taking things one sip at a time.