Fortuna Bourbon is brought to us by the folks at Rare Character, now joined by Andy Shapira. Yes, that Shapira. Andy is from the same Shapira family that owns Heaven Hill. So the pedigree behind this bourbon is a strong one. It is aged at least 6 years and is from an undisclosed Kentucky distillery, or possibly distilleries. Finally, it is a blend of 6 barrels. To learn more, read our full review!
Fortuna Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey 102 Proof Rare Character Whiskey Company MSRP: $85 Review
Please enjoy our Fortuna Bourbon review!
Fortuna Bourbon Is From The Folks At Rare Character
Fortuna Bourbon is brought to us by the folks at the Rare Character Whiskey Company, now joined by Andy Shapira. Yes, that Shapira. Andy is from the same Shapira family that owns Heaven Hill. So the pedigree behind this bourbon is a strong one. Fortuna Bourbon is aged at least 6 years and is from an undisclosed Kentucky distillery, or possibly distilleries. Finally, it is a blend of 6 barrels.
Fortuna Is An Old Brand
The Fortuna Brand was originally founded by Phil Hollenbach in the 1880’s. It was distilled at Hollenbach’s Glencoe Distillery (originally Stitzel Bros Distillery) in Louisville. The distillery changed location a few times, as well as ownership, and eventually was owned by National Distillers and located in Bardstown. Fortuna Bourbon was last sold by National Distillers in the late 1950’s or 1960’s. The folks at Rare Character have revived the brand today. Their aim is to recreate the essence of Fortuna at its peak in the 1880s, down to the branding, bottles, and bourbon itself. That should be possible since they have some vintage bottles of Fortuna and Glencoe bourbons to use as guides.
Fortuna Bourbon Review
Tasting Notes – Fortuna Bourbon Review
Let’s taste it:
Rested for 15 minutes in a Glencairn
Nose: Brown sugar, rye spices, rye bread, subtle graham cracker, grape candy, caramel, black tea & a light floral note; alcohol is relatively mild for the proof; a bit of leather and oak have developed over the week that this bottle has been open. Taste: Brown sugar, caramel, rye spices, dry oak; subtle grape candy Finish: The same flavors and sweetness continue into the finish and linger. Then, a bit of black pepper spice joins in; the finish is long, but with a relatively mild burn; Towards the end, a black tea note and dry oakiness become dominant.
Fortuna Bourbon Review
Full Flavors And Brown Sugar Sweetness
The flavors have evolved since I first opened this bottle a week ago. Rye bread & Graham cracker that stood out to me then are less noticeable, although the rye bread reappears after the first sip. Black tea and leather, which were not there initially, are present now, but are relatively subtle. The flavors overall have become a bit more full, but the brown sugar and rye spices remain dominant. In addition, the alcohol in the nose and the burn in the finish have become a bit more noticeable but are still not overpowering.
Fortuna Bourbon has similar flavors from start to finish. The rye spices are noticeable from the beginning, and remain through til the very end. A brown sugar sweetness is present throughout as well, and to me is the dominant flavor. In the finish, black pepper spice rises in prominence, but otherwise the earlier flavors remain.
Conclusion – Fortuna Bourbon Review
I find that more often than not bourbons taste differently than they smell, and often finish differently still. That is not the case with Fortuna Bourbon. There are no 180 degree flavor changes as the sip goes along; and that’s a good thing since the flavors are quite pleasant. If you enjoy a full bodied but sweeter bourbon, then give Fortuna Bourbon a try! Cheers!
Would you like to learn more about distilleries and bourbon? Are you planning a trip to Kentucky Distilleries? Maybe you would like to live the bourbon life vicariously through us? If any of these are true, then check out BourbonObsessed.com today!
On this Whiskey Quickie by Bourbon Pursuit, we review Hirsch “The Bivouac” Kentucky Bourbon. Yes, we still didn’t pronounce it right. This non-age stated bourbon is 100 proof and $55 MSRP. Let us know what you think. Cheers!
DISCLAIMER: The whiskey in this review was provided to us at no cost courtesy of the spirit producer. We were not compensated by the spirit producer for this review. This is our honest opinion based on what we tasted. Please drink responsibly.
By Richard Thomas Rating: B+ Ever since Barrell Craft Spirits added Barrell Bourbon New Year to their line-up, some of my colleagues have made a point of posting a write up of the whiskey on New Year’s Day. Well, it’s still the first week of the new year, so I do not feel as if …
By Richard Thomas
Rating: B+
Barrell Bourbon New Year 2023 (Credit: Richard Thomas)
Ever since Barrell Craft Spirits added Barrell Bourbon New Year to their line-up, some of my colleagues have made a point of posting a write up of the whiskey on New Year’s Day. Well, it’s still the first week of the new year, so I do not feel as if I am late in getting to this bottle.
Barrell Bourbon New Year 2023 draws on stock aged from 5 to 10 years, but from a dizzying array of sources: along with the staple suppliers in Kentucky, Indiana and Tennessee, this bottling draws on distillers in Maryland, New York, Ohio, Texas and Wyoming as well. Good luck in batting a perfect run in guessing who all those sources are; I’m more in the know than most and I won’t be trying (especially in view of the fact is all we have is a list of states, and some states may furnish multiple sources).
As always, Barrell Craft Spirits did this bottling as an uncut, unfiltered expression. This time, the blend and batch came to 113.54 proof.
The Bourbon A brief sniff and sip told me the bourbon was hovering right on the borderline of needing water, being marginally hot as it was. So, water went in, but just a few drops. The scent is mild and smooth, leaning more on the oak and spice end of things. I’d liken it to a toasted cinnamon bun with a generous helping of ginger and cinnamon, plus a drizzle of caramel atop the frosting. The palate followed very much in that vein, even going so far as to take on a buttery texture. It follows very much in the same vein as the nose, albeit with some raisins coming out as you bite into that bun, and perhaps the ginger being replaced with clove. The amazing thing is how much the finish runs on with that same pastry-like character, because usually a finish narrows down to just a singular aspect. In this instance, the whole thing just rambles on for a brief spell.
The Price Barrel Bourbon New Year 2023 will set you back $90. That puts it in the same vein as Booker’s, albeit with a markedly different character.
Distillers are known for helping each other out, but the team at the Bardstown Bourbon Company is taking that collaborative spirit to new levels. The distillery not only makes its own whiskies, but works with more than 30 other brands to produce their whiskies using 54 different mashbills. Now, Bardstown Bourbon is releasing its own mature Bourbon and Rye whiskies for the first time with the Origin Series. We’ll talk with VP of Product Development Dan Callaway about the new whiskies and that collaborative process on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, Britain’s King Charles is honoring Diageo CEO Read More »
Distillers are known for helping each other out, but the team at the Bardstown Bourbon Company is taking that collaborative spirit to new levels. The distillery not only makes its own whiskies, but works with more than 30 other brands to produce their whiskies using 54 different mashbills. Now, Bardstown Bourbon is releasing its own mature Bourbon and Rye whiskies for the first time with the Origin Series. We’ll talk with VP of Product Development Dan Callaway about the new whiskies and that collaborative process on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, Britain’s King Charles is honoring Diageo CEO Ivan Menezes and Islay’s Jim McEwan on the New Year’s Honours List, Buffalo Trace celebrates a milestone, and we’ll have some of your final drams of 2022 and first drams of 2023, too!
Of the six years I’ve covered Wild Turkey, I can’t think of a more eventful year than 2022. From barrel picks at the distillery, to press trips and a day spent as a camp instructor, I had the fortune of experiencing the brand from the inside out. I acc…
Of the six years I’ve covered Wild Turkey, I can’t think of a more eventful year than 2022. From barrel picks at the distillery, to press trips and a day spent as a camp instructor, I had the fortune of experiencing the brand from the inside out. I accomplished several goals as well, thanks to […]
Jefferson’s Bourbon will be the recipient of a brand spanking new $250 million ‘state-of-the-art’ carbon neutral distillery to be located in Marion County, Kentucky. The new facility comes courtesy of new owner, France-based spirits giant, Pernod Ricard, which purchased Castle Brands [the parent company of Jefferson’s Bourbon] in 2019. Jefferson’s Bourbon will be a part […]
Jefferson’s Bourbon will be the recipient of a brand spanking new $250 million ‘state-of-the-art’ carbon neutral distillery to be located in Marion County, Kentucky.
The new facility comes courtesy of new owner, France-based spirits giant, Pernod Ricard, which purchased Castle Brands [the parent company of Jefferson’s Bourbon] in 2019.
Jefferson’s Bourbon will be a part of the new company Pernod Ricard has created called The American Whiskey Collective and that Jefferson’s Bourbon would continue to partner with local farmers and suppliers to source local ingredients and casks.
Foreword: In 1908 the Robert Smith Brewery commissioned Philadelphia painter and illustrator James Moore Preston to provide it with a series of works depicting pre-Revolutionary taverns and inns in or near the “City of Brotherly Love.” Preston created twelve color lithographs. I find the pictures striking and believe they deserve preservation through this blog, along with some inkling of the histories of each of those early Philadelphia “watering holes.”Six were presented in Part 1, posted on January 1. This post completes the series.
The Blue Anchor Inn on Front Street at Dock Creek was the oldest inn in Philadelphia, built in the decade between 1670 an 1680. William Penn is said to have supped there upon his first arrival in the city in 1683. Some believe that the Blue Anchor is the first structure built in Philadelphia. The lumber is thought to have come over in the first ships to dock there. The structure was timbered, filled in with small bricks and had the dimensions of twelve by twenty-two feet. It has been called “the only public building” in the city for a time, a place where ship-masters, merchants and other citizens could gather.
Where Preston got his model for the Blue Anchor is unclear. A newspaper illustration of the tavern shows a somewhat different building, isolated on the shore and approached by row boat. It depicts Indians with bows and arrow looking on. The scene in Preston’s 1908 color lithograph shows a building of at least three stories with other structures around it. Because the contours of both are the same, my guess is that improvements over the years and the growth of Philadelphia around the tavern led to the changes.
The brewery-sponsored picture above entitles it the State House Tavern, because of its location across from the government center.This Chestnut Street drinking establishment also was known at various times as the Half Moon, the Coach and Horses, and foremost as Clarke’s Inn. “The table was good, and the inn became one of the chief centers of official activity.”
Although Preston’s picture gives the structure a jaunty look, including figures bowling on the lawn, an earlier lithograph shows a much more austere Clarke’s. Brewery founder Robert Smith in his diary related that an apprentice had ruined the malt supply by over-heating: “I being gone to the Half Moon for dinner.”
An advertisement in the Pennsylvania Packet of March 9, 1772, by owner James Alexander announced the Black Horse Inn, located on Second Street near Callowhill, calling it a “Commodious Inn of Entertainment” and convenient for market people. He went on describe its livery stable as “good as any in the Province,” able to stable as many as fifty horses at a time and offering “a good yard for coaches, chaises,and wagons.” Preston has caught much of this in his drawing, with a carriage and horses as major elements.
Although Anderson did not detail the kind of entertainment the Black Horse provided, another source has described it: “In 1805 two live porpoises were exhibited at the Black Horse and the following year the learned African Horse, “Spotie,” which had a tail like an elephant’s and a knowledge of arithmetic. The same year two royal tigers from Surat in Asia and a living sea-dog, taken on the Delaware River near Trenton, were shown.” Although the Black Horse did brisk business through the mid-19th Century, by 1917, as shown here, it was badly deteriorated.
Depicted by Preston amid a wintery scene, the Moon andSeven Stars, standing at the southwest corner of Fourth and Chestnut Street, was one of the best known inns of its day. Standing between the Delaware River wharves and the State House, it served both the maritime and commercial communities. In addition:“Several clubs made it their meeting place, and all the leaders of American thought and action enjoyed the hospitality of its tap-room or its ordinary at one time or another.” On the lithograph, the sign of the Moon and Seven Stars appears very small. A reproduction captures it much better.
The Three Crowns was a public house famed for the good food provided by its owner, a Mistress Jones. It was housed in a two-story building adjoining the south end of the City Tavern (see Part 1). It fronted on both Second Street and Walnut with a spacious courtyard that stretched to Dock Creek. “At that house Richard Penn and other governors, generals and gentry used to be feasted.” The sign of the Three Crowns has a distinctive accent of British royalty.
The final lithograph is of the Spread Eagle Inn. It was located fourteen miles west of Philadelphia on the Lancaster Pike, one of the first turnpikes to be built in America. The Spread Eagle was the first relay station and stage house west of the city. Customers traveling on their way west as far as Pittsburgh would leave Philadelphia early in the morning and stop at the Spread Eagle for an ample breakfast. Preston’s picture captures the moment of such an arrival as the proprietor stands in the doorway to welcome his guests. The artist apparently took his visual clues from an earlier illustration, adding color and detail.
This building was replaced circa 1800 by a large stone tavern, also called the Spread Eagle. About 1824, the hostelry triggered controversy when the original signboard, shown here, was altered by a local artist. He added a second neck and head to the representation of the American eagle, leading to considerable “political excitement.” Neighbors and wagoners could not see why “our glorious bird of freedom” should be altered into a European-looking symbol. The tavern was derided as the “Split Crow” by dissidents, causing the sign hastily to be repainted — “Americanized” once more.
James Moore Preston’s colorful and engaging 1908 art works allow a brief exploration of Philadelphia’s earliest and most historic inns and taverns, all of them but one long since disappeared. The exception is City Tavern, seen in Part 1 of this series. Another City Tavern has been reconstructed on the earlier site. Said to be a replica of the original, the building appears to be significantly different from Preston’s representation. In any case we can be grateful to the Robert Smith Brewery that commissioned these colorful images of a bygone day.
Foreword: In 1908 the Robert Smith Brewery commissioned Philadelphia painter and illustrator James Moore Preston to provide it with a series of works depicting pre-Revolutionary taverns and inns in or near the “City of Brotherly Love.” Preston created twelve color lithographs. I find the pictures striking and believe they deserve preservation through this blog, along with some inkling of the histories of each of those early Philadelphia “watering holes.”Six were presented in Part 1, posted on January 1. This post completes the series.
The Blue Anchor Inn on Front Street at Dock Creek was the oldest inn in Philadelphia, built in the decade between 1670 an 1680. William Penn is said to have supped there upon his first arrival in the city in 1683. Some believe that the Blue Anchor is the first structure built in Philadelphia. The lumber is thought to have come over in the first ships to dock there. The structure was timbered, filled in with small bricks and had the dimensions of twelve by twenty-two feet. It has been called “the only public building” in the city for a time, a place where ship-masters, merchants and other citizens could gather.
Where Preston got his model for the Blue Anchor is unclear. A newspaper illustration of the tavern shows a somewhat different building, isolated on the shore and approached by row boat. It depicts Indians with bows and arrow looking on. The scene in Preston’s 1908 color lithograph shows a building of at least three stories with other structures around it. Because the contours of both are the same, my guess is that improvements over the years and the growth of Philadelphia around the tavern led to the changes.
The brewery-sponsored picture above entitles it the State House Tavern, because of its location across from the government center.This Chestnut Street drinking establishment also was known at various times as the Half Moon, the Coach and Horses, and foremost as Clarke’s Inn. “The table was good, and the inn became one of the chief centers of official activity.”
Although Preston’s picture gives the structure a jaunty look, including figures bowling on the lawn, an earlier lithograph shows a much more austere Clarke’s. Brewery founder Robert Smith in his diary related that an apprentice had ruined the malt supply by over-heating: “I being gone to the Half Moon for dinner.”
An advertisement in the Pennsylvania Packet of March 9, 1772, by owner James Alexander announced the Black Horse Inn, located on Second Street near Callowhill, calling it a “Commodious Inn of Entertainment” and convenient for market people. He went on describe its livery stable as “good as any in the Province,” able to stable as many as fifty horses at a time and offering “a good yard for coaches, chaises,and wagons.” Preston has caught much of this in his drawing, with a carriage and horses as major elements.
Although Anderson did not detail the kind of entertainment the Black Horse provided, another source has described it: “In 1805 two live porpoises were exhibited at the Black Horse and the following year the learned African Horse, “Spotie,” which had a tail like an elephant’s and a knowledge of arithmetic. The same year two royal tigers from Surat in Asia and a living sea-dog, taken on the Delaware River near Trenton, were shown.” Although the Black Horse did brisk business through the mid-19th Century, by 1917, as shown here, it was badly deteriorated.
Depicted by Preston amid a wintery scene, the Moon andSeven Stars, standing at the southwest corner of Fourth and Chestnut Street, was one of the best known inns of its day. Standing between the Delaware River wharves and the State House, it served both the maritime and commercial communities. In addition:“Several clubs made it their meeting place, and all the leaders of American thought and action enjoyed the hospitality of its tap-room or its ordinary at one time or another.” On the lithograph, the sign of the Moon and Seven Stars appears very small. A reproduction captures it much better.
The Three Crowns was a public house famed for the good food provided by its owner, a Mistress Jones. It was housed in a two-story building adjoining the south end of the City Tavern (see Part 1). It fronted on both Second Street and Walnut with a spacious courtyard that stretched to Dock Creek. “At that house Richard Penn and other governors, generals and gentry used to be feasted.” The sign of the Three Crowns has a distinctive accent of British royalty.
The final lithograph is of the Spread Eagle Inn. It was located fourteen miles west of Philadelphia on the Lancaster Pike, one of the first turnpikes to be built in America. The Spread Eagle was the first relay station and stage house west of the city. Customers traveling on their way west as far as Pittsburgh would leave Philadelphia early in the morning and stop at the Spread Eagle for an ample breakfast. Preston’s picture captures the moment of such an arrival as the proprietor stands in the doorway to welcome his guests. The artist apparently took his visual clues from an earlier illustration, adding color and detail.
This building was replaced circa 1800 by a large stone tavern, also called the Spread Eagle. About 1824, the hostelry triggered controversy when the original signboard, shown here, was altered by a local artist. He added a second neck and head to the representation of the American eagle, leading to considerable “political excitement.” Neighbors and wagoners could not see why “our glorious bird of freedom” should be altered into a European-looking symbol. The tavern was derided as the “Split Crow” by dissidents, causing the sign hastily to be repainted — “Americanized” once more.
James Moore Preston’s colorful and engaging 1908 art works allow a brief exploration of Philadelphia’s earliest and most historic inns and taverns, all of them but one long since disappeared. The exception is City Tavern, seen in Part 1 of this series. Another City Tavern has been reconstructed on the earlier site. Said to be a replica of the original, the building appears to be significantly different from Preston’s representation. In any case we can be grateful to the Robert Smith Brewery that commissioned these colorful images of a bygone day.
The current iteration of the Leopold Bros Distillery opened in Denver, CO, in 2014. However, the Leopold Bros story started long before then. Actually, way, way long before then, since Todd and Scott Leopold are brothers. Brothers who have created one of the most unique distilleries and distillery experiences that we have seen. Read our full review to learn more!
Leopold Bros Distillery 5285 Joliet Street Denver, CO 80239 303.307.1515 https://www.leopoldbros.com/ Tour Review
Please enjoy our Leopold Bros Distillery Tour Review!
Leopold Bros Story Began Long Ago
The current iteration of the Leopold Bros. Distillery opened in Denver, CO, in 2014. However, the Leopold Bros. story started long before then. Todd and Scott Leopold are brothers. Brothers who have created one of the most unique distilleries and distillery experiences that we have seen.
Interestingly, neither Todd nor Scott started off in the distilling industry. In fact, Todd had earned an undergraduate degree in Literature, whereas Scott had earned his degrees in Economics and Industrial Engineering. Scott would then go on to receive a Masters degree in Environmental Engineering while Todd entered into the world of alcoholic beverage production. He first trained at the Siebel Institute of Technology in Chicago, and later on in Germany.
First A Brewery, Then A Distillery
The brothers initial endeavor was a brewery in Ann Arbor Michigan. To accommodate the growing “cocktail culture” trend, they eventually began to make their own spirits for the brewery’s bar. Ultimately, the brothers decided to shift their focus strictly to distilling, and so the Leopold Bros. Distillery was born.
Leopold Bros Distillery
The Brothers Head Back To Colorado
Scott and Todd returned to their home state of Colorado to open their namesake distillery. They combined all of their respective skills to create a distillery with many extraordinary features. For example, they have a dunnage style barrel warehouse, more stills than I have ever seen in one place, including one of the only operating three chamber stills in existence, and their own malting floor and kiln. And to top it all off, the distillery is housed in a zero waste facility.
Let’s Take A Tour Of The Distillery
A tour of Leopold Bros Distillery is unique as well. While waiting for our tour to begin, we enjoyed a cocktail in the gift shop/cocktail bar. However, it wasn’t long before we were greeted by our tour guide, Jeremy. Surprisingly, he was carrying a tray of glasses. Are we starting out with samples right away, we wondered? We would soon get our answer. As it turns out, for each stop we would make, Jeremy would pour us different spirit to sample. To add to the mood, at each stop Jeremy also donned a different hat befitting of each topic of discussion.
Leopold Bros Cocktail Bar and Gift Shop – Jeremy Our Tour Guide
Once we had received our glasses, we entered the distillery proper. We found ourselves in a single expansive room containing the stills, fermenters and bottling line. Jeremy explained the history of the brothers and the distillery as we sipped on our first spirit, vodka. Leopold Bros Silver Tree Vodka is a bit different from most vodkas (in a good way), as it is made from potato flakes, malted barley and summer wheat using a 52 plate three part column still.
To The Malting Floor We Go
However, we did not discuss the stills at this time. Rather, our first stop was the malting floor. Floor malting at Leopold Bros Distillery started in 2020, and is one of their cooler practices that sets them apart from other distilleries. In fact, Leopold Bros is one of the few distilleries in the United States to do their own malting, floor or otherwise.
Unfortunately for us, no malting was underway during our visit. However, we did get to see the floor. The room that houses the malting floor is quite large. Large rooms seem to be a trend here. Jeremy was not sure of the exact amount, but thought the floor could produce around 50,000 pounds of malted barley per run. That’s a lot of malted barley! Their production capacity exceeds their own needs, so malting is not a 24/7 operation. Additionally, their large production capacity allows them to sell their malt to other brewers and distillers.
Leopold Bros Distillery Malting Floor
All Natural, Locally Grown Ingredients
Taking a step back, all of the ingredients used at Leopold Bros Distillery are natural, and where possible, from Colorado family farms and orchards. For example, their barley is grown in Colorado’s San Luis Valley, and their rye is grown 25 miles north of the distillery.
Back to the Distillery
Next, it was back into the distillery. Since we really didn’t discuss the details of the cooking process, we’ll get right to fermentation. Fermentation takes place in open wooden fermenters. During the spring and summer, the windows are kept open to allow local flora into the distillery. Those flora include wild yeasts and bacteria. These microbials will land in the fermentation tanks and work in concert with the pitched yeast. The wild yeasts and bacteria will also take up residence within the nooks and crannies of the wooden fermenters, making them available even when the windows are closed. In addition, Leopold Bros Distillery uses a relatively cool fermentation temperature to minimize the production of fusel alcohols, which may impart undesirable flavors. Ultimately, it is all of these factors which will contribute to their “house flavor”. Interestingly, Todd Leopold describes this flavor as orange marmalade.
Leopold Bros Open Wooden Fermenters
That’s A Lot Of Stills!
After fermentation, the next step is distillation. Many distilleries have a couple of stills, perhaps even three, plus or minus an experimental still. However, Leopold Bros. Distillery has 8 production stills! I think I even saw a few smaller ones around, too! That’s a lot of stills!
The Vodka Still
Our first stop was the vodka still. This is the only still that is in its own enclosure, which is due to fire department restrictions. The vodka still is a 52 plate column still, which is divided into 3 pieces so that it can fit into the building. This still produces vodka, of course, and also the spirits used in the gin and liqueurs.
Vendome 52 Plate Vodka Column Still
The Whiskey Stills
After the vodka still, we learned about the four pot stills. All of the pot stills (and the vodka still) were fabricated by Vendome Copper & Brass Works, Inc. Three of these stills are copper and one is stainless steel, lined with copper. These stills are used for producing Leopold Bros whiskeys.
Leopold Bros Whiskey Stills
The Three Chamber Still
Then, we moved on to the still that makes Leopold Bros Distillery truly unique: the Three Chamber Still. Three Chamber Stills, or Chamber Stills as they are also known, were commonly used prior to prohibition to produce rye whiskey. These stills produce a uniquely flavorful and full bodied whiskey, which is very different from the whiskey produced by a column still. Unfortunately, following Prohibition, these stills became all but extinct. Leopold Bros. had this one fabricated for them by Vendome, and it is one of only a couple in operation today. I have devoted a whole post to the Three Chamber Still where you can read about this interesting still in much greater detail.
Three Chamber Still
The Eau De Vie Stills from Christian CARL
Finally, it was on to the two Eau de Vie Stills from Christian CARL, a European still manufacturer. Leopold Bros Distillery uses these as finishing stills. Accordingly, the Orange and Maraschino Cherry liqueurs and their gins are distilled on these stills. Like everything else at Leopold Bros, their gin is not made the “easy way”. They make it using a method called fractional distillation. Thus, they do a separate distillation for each botanical, and then blend them all together, creating the perfect balance of flavors.
Christian CARL “Eau De Vie” Stills
After seeing the wide array of stills, we made a brief stop at the bottling line.
Bottling Line
The Barrel House
Following the bottling line, it was time to head to the barrel house. Once again, Leopold Bros Distillery does things just a little differently from most U.S. distilleries. Since the Denver climate is dry with large temperature swings, significant losses due to evaporation can occur during barrel aging. To help combat that, Leopold Bros uses dunnage style warehouses. Conversely, in Kentucky, traditional rickhouses are the norm. Rickhouses tend to be very large buildings, often multiple stories high. Inside, barrels are stacked on ricks, often many levels high on each floor. The floors of these rickhouses tend to be wood, or possibly concrete. In a single story dunnage style barrel house, the floors are unfinished, exposed dirt. Consequently, there is higher humidity in a dunnage style warehouse, and less temperature fluctuation. Therefore, evaporative losses are decreased.
Leopold Bros Distillery Dunnage Style Warehouse
But That’s Not All
Ultimately, our tour was at its end. But that’s not all! We were then off to the gift shop / cocktail bar where we were welcome to sample all of the Leopold Bros spirits. I took this opportunity to try the current release of their Three Chamber Rye (for a nominal cost), as well as some of their other spirits which were not offered on the tour.
Leopold Bros Distillery Tour
What A Great Tour!
We certainly enjoyed our time at Leopold Bros Distillery! As someone who has visited A LOT of distilleries, I can honestly say that I have never been on a tour like this before. Jeremy led us on what would more appropriately be called an “experience” rather than a tour. That is not at all to say that we didn’t tour the facility and learn all about Leopold Bros Distillery. We absolutely did! But Jeremy made learning an incredibly fun experience, and really, this was a tour like no other. If you are ever in the Denver area, there is no question that a visit to Leopold Bros Distillery should be on your list. Cheers!
We hope you have enjoyed our Leopold Bros Distillery Tour Review! If you would like to read some more, check out our full collection of Distillery Reviews!
Would you like to learn more about distilleries and bourbon? Are you planning a trip to Kentucky Distilleries? Maybe you would like to live the bourbon life vicariously through us? If any of these are true, then check out BourbonObsessed.com today!
Rested for 15 minutes in a Glencairn
Nose: Brown sugar, rye spices, rye bread, subtle graham cracker, grape candy, caramel, black tea & a light floral note; alcohol is relatively mild for the proof; a bit of leather and oak have developed over the week that this bottle has been open.
If any of these are true, then check out BourbonObsessed.com today!
