This content was originally published by the Longmont Observer and is licensed under a Creative Commons license.
Coming in the Spring of 2018, Longmont will welcome a new small-batch craft distillery with a unique focus: Spirits that represent Colorado and The American West. The distillery will be located in a new facility being built out at 471 Main Street, in the heart of downtown.
The new distillery's efforts are uniquely focused on plants that only grow in Colorado's two distinct ecosystems: The Prarie and The Alpine Forest. All of their raw materials will come from the American West. Some of the ingredients they'll be basing their spirits on will include prickly pear, heirloom wheat, spruce with native botanicals, heirloom sugar beets, millet, dryland barley, heirloom maize, and quinoa.
The first three small-batch spirits will be Dry Land Heirloom Wheat Whiskey, Dry Land Prickly Pear - Mescal Style and Dry Land Gin.
They'll be using two stills to create their custom spirits. One, a custom designed 200-gallon copper pot fabricated by a Colorado-based metallurgist and artist from Rod and Forge. The other is a 6-plate stainless-and-copper column still with a gin basket used initially for Dry Land gins and, in the future, craft vodkas.
In addition to a craft distillery, they will be opening a tasting room with the flavor of a classic 1950's/60's bar and lounge including a full vinyl collection and vintage stereo system/turntable. Lounge seats come with the added bonus of playing DJ.
The tasting room menu will have seasonal spirits as well as specially crafted cocktails invented by Dry Land Distillers around 'people and places worthy of celebration' such as their 'Spirit for the Community' program, where a portion of each cocktail goes to support local and regional non-profits.
Nels Wroe, one of the founders, says "We feel that it’s important to showcase the land that our spirits represent, and using indigenous botanicals is being authentic to that goal, we’re creating spirits that have never been created before."
Nels partner and co-founder, Aaron Main, an award-winning master distiller, found the road to using only local American West based raw materials wasn't one easily traveled. Even sourcing the raw materials has required a creative approach including asking friends to help grow some of the native plants.
The distillery is currently running an Indiegogo campaign, where you can make donations of $10 or more and choose from an array of benefits including: a full day's lesson in distilling for you and a friend for $400; a set of reclaimed Colorado aspen-wood coasters for $14; or two bottles of booze, one heirloom-wheat whiskey and one prickly-pear spirit, for $66.
You can email them at [email protected] or via phone at (720) 600-4945. You're also welcome to stop by anytime during their build-out at 471 Main Street, where they'll be happy to walk you through their plans.
Other Dry Land Media were you can learn more:
Web: www.drylanddistillers.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drylanddistillers
