COLOR ADO’S
Bear Creek Distillery Crafts Heavy Medal Spirits WRITTEN & PHOTOGR APHED BY CARRIE DOW
T
he crowded cocktail bar at the award-winning Bear Creek Distillery in southwest Denver is buzzing on a chilly Tuesday afternoon in December. The crowd is here to sample, for the first time, what the owners have been working toward since they hatched the idea of a distillery six years ago: Bear Creek Straight Bourbon and Wheated Bourbon. The bar lights glow red and green, reflecting the holiday, and festive seasonal cocktails flow from the bar to appreciative
112
drinkers. Next door in the rentable party room, founder and owner Jay Johnson enthusiastically serves samples of Bear Creek’s new bourbons to the myriad guests with a broad bearded smile. Both creator and consumers look pleased. Neatly lined on the shelves above the bar are Bear Creek spirits, each bottle displaying the medals the contents have won since the distillery opened. Will these bourbons bring home any hardware in 2018? WWW.ARTISANSPIRITMAG.COM