We found Spirit Hound Distillers when one of our Executive Producers (Kurt Karr) was in Colorado for an event and won a bottle from Spirit Hound at a Charity Auction. He Actually texted us a picture of the bottle as he was sharing it with others at his table and said we have to check this place out.
So, arrangements were made and off we went ..., all the way to Colorado. Now, this wasn't just a quick two or three hour drive, this was going to be about a 12 to 13 hour drive…one way. Which meant it would be the same amount of time coming back.
The drive was easy and fairly uneventful, except for the side trip that Kurt made us take to go see a Pony Express Station in Nebraska. And apparently, when you order a meal combo at a fast food place in Nebraska, it doesn't include fries.
Driving up to the Distillery was everything you would expect. It's in Lyons, which is along the road to Estes Park. So you are in the shadows of the mountains pretty much the entire time.
We arrived the night before which allowed us the opportunity to scope out the distillery and get a good sense of what we had to film. Which was a lot. From the patio out front and the open air patio on the side of the distillery, to the bar/tasting room which had more character than most current movies. The actual room where the Still was at was packed to the gills with fermentation tanks and the still that Craig built by hand. Which is really something. You have to see it.
It's clear they are doing well, as they are making use of every inch of space they have, with barrels being stored wherever they can put them.
We hit up the food truck (which is a rotating staple) sitting in the parking lot for a quick lunch while filming and to regroup after we crashed the drone. Long story, but the short version is that Kirk and I were busy filming ourselves doing some shadow dancing instead of watching where the drone was flying, and, well…..Kurt flew into a pole. Ooops. Back to work.
There's plenty to check out at the distillery including the back area where there's a fire pit and, small band stand with an outside bar, and there is usually a dog or two that is hanging out with their masters as well. A very dog friendly place.
Craig and Amanda were a treat to talk to, and Craig has all sorts of stories. Dating all the way back to his days as the brewer for Oscar Blues. They are making a single malt whiskey which is pretty damn good. At least my taste buds think so. I enjoyed it. Try it for yourself and see what your taste buds tell you. That's the real barometer you need to go by for whiskey you drink.
The distillery is a great hang out and has a very fun vibe. Go for the whiskey, (every bottling is a single barrel), or the cocktails or the Gin or Colorado Sambuca. But go. The tasting room and bar area was all sorts of fun, and has some interesting stuff on the walls of what Craig has done in the past.
Don't miss the fact that all of their bottlings are single barrels. So, if you really, really like a pour from a barrel, you might want to pick up a couple bottles. The chase for single barrels is very prevalent right now. It seems that every retailer is trying to obtain single barrels from this or that distillery. Well....every bottling here is a single barrel. That's all they do. Very cool.
And, one more thing. Don't miss the Friend board. A very unique and fun way to pay it forward.
Many thanks to Craig and Amanda Englehorn, and all the other staff at Spirit Hound. It was a great trip. I can't wait to go back. Check out the full Spirit Hound episode on our YouTube channel along with our tasting video of their Single Malt with Craig and Amanda. If you want to see more video's of our trip to Spirit Hound, check out our Patreon page and subscribe.
The Old Fashioned's were pretty righteous too!
Commenti