The Top Colorado Whiskeys for 2024

At over one hundred dollars per bottle, Stranahan’s Mountain Angel is considerably pricier than most whiskeys on this list. Still, it’s an excellent special occasion sipper. 

Mountain Angel is Stranahan’s oldest, rarest release. The juice is aged ten years in charred oak barrels amid Colorado’s arid, alpine climate, boosting the evaporation commonly known as the “angel’s share.”  

This creates an ultra-concentrated high-quality whiskey with notes of sweet molasses and dark caramel – best served over ice.

At over one hundred dollars per bottle, Stranahan’s Mountain Angel is considerably pricier than most whiskeys on this list. Still, it’s an excellent special occasion sipper. 

Mountain Angel is Stranahan’s oldest, rarest release. The juice is aged ten years in charred oak barrels amid Colorado’s arid, alpine climate, boosting the evaporation commonly known as the “angel’s share.”  

This creates an ultra-concentrated high-quality whiskey with notes of sweet molasses and dark caramel – best served over ice.

If you enjoy whiskey with an unexpected flavor twist, you’ll probably love Breckenridge Rum Cask Finish Bourbon. Infused with fruit and spices, it’s excellent in a tropical rum punch.

Aging happens in barrels previously used to create spiced rum, soaking in the flavor of roots, barks, herbs, spices, and dried fruit peels to develop this unique whiskey. 

The whiskey moves in once the rum is finished, creating a mild yet sweet spirit perfect for folks starting their Colorado whiskey journey.

In 1999, two brothers at the forefront of America’s burgeoning craft whiskey movement founded Leopold Bros. Today, the brand is one of Colorado’s most beloved and respected spirits producers.

One of their latest creations, Leopold Bros Bottled in Bond Straight Bourbon Whiskey, has a spicy cinnamon coffee charm, with a subtle toffee sweetness that makes this bottle perfect for blending into an Old Fashioned.

Keep it simple: bourbon, bitters, maraschino cherry, orange peel, sugar cube – muddle, stir with ice, sip, enjoy, rinse and repeat.

This Colorado rye whiskey earns its place on the list for both the drinking experience it offers and the locally minded ethos behind its creation. 

With a subtle, ultra-dry flavor featuring floral aromas and notes of black pepper, Woody Creek’s Colorado Straight 100% rye whiskey is a smooth drinker true enthusiasts will appreciate.

Like our top pick, Locke + Co Aspen Aged Rye Whiskey, 291 Small Batch Colorado Bourbon is finished with aspen for an ultra-complex finish.

The staves 291 uses are toasted, making this small-batch whiskey incredibly smoky, with a strong campfire aroma that undergirds a maple sugar sweetness. Perfect for use in a classic whiskey sour.

We love this bottle from Laws because it’s like sipping a sliver of Colorado whiskey history.

The makers of the first Bottled in Bond whiskey in Colorado history, it’s produced following the requirements of the 1897 Bottled in Bond Act, using a seriously old school approach.

Laws Four Grain Straight Bourbon Bonded is aged in a federally bonded rickhouse for four years.

It’s the product of a single season, per the act. With an orange blossom and honey sweetness, it’s a delicious sip of the past that makes a great Manhattan!

While it’s one of the best-known Colorado whiskeys for casual drinkers across the US, TIN CUP has a little secret—it’s distilled and aged in Indiana!

But it still earns a place on any list of Colorado whiskeys because it’s named after the town of Tin Cup, a storied mining community where miners carried whiskey and gold in the same small tin vessels. So with a cute tin lid to sip from, it’s a nice homage to Colorado whiskey’s roots.

Like TIN CUP, Old Elk isn’t a straight-up Colorado-made product, as it’s made in distilleries in New York, Indiana, and Fort Collins, Colorado.

With a robust burnt oak and caramel flavor, Old Elk Straight Bourbon Whiskey also has a light coca sweetness, with a hint of cinnamon spice. With a mild, velvety mouthfeel, it’s easy to sip neat as you contemplate the whiskey wonders to come.