While it just took a while, everyone has been willing to work through issues and make things happen, even when things didn’t go as planned. “We did have one comical experience working with the State. They decided that they wanted us to pay the taxes due before they had even given us a permit to operate. Needless to say, we had a couple of humorous phone conversations about that one,” he laughs. Less than two months since opening their doors, Wood’s High Mountain Distillery has already become a fixture in downtown Salida. Their first bottle was sold to one of the local liquor stores, The Jug, on February 28, 2013, and it’s been an ongoing adventure since then. Woods has three bottlings available: a traditional, dry Gin, a barrelrested Gin, and a barrel-aged whiskey. For now he uses a single still – he has plans to add a separate stripping still that will significantly increase his capac-
ity. He uses a steam generator to heat his wash, a process that creates a very controlled, consistent heat that eliminates any danger of scorching. For his gins, he uses exclusively Colorado juniper berries, smaller and more complex than the widely-available Hungarian varieties. His careful selection of his botanicals, coupled with his custom-built 4-plate column provides for exceptional smoothness and heady botanicals in the final product. “For me the botanicals are essential to balance the spiciness of the rye I use while getting a caramel smokiness throughout,” he emphasizes. As PT was walking us through the distillery tour, several patrons had come in and were warmly invited to join. By the time we were back up front, PT’s younger brother Tim was busy trying to keep up with the customers sidling up to the bar. We glanced at the two open stools at the end of the bar, and peered at the sun shining outside the window. Yes, we ignored the agita-
tion of the windmills across the street. After all, it was spring in the Rockies. What’s a bit of wind? Alas, all good things must end. As we headed down the mountain in front of the growling storm, we reflected on the weekend’s events. No single thing could define the connections formed with the people and places we had visited. It was a complex mixture of the warm smiles from the people dropping by to say hello or sample a cocktail; the sounds of classic Johnny Cash or Willie Nelson coming from an old Magnavox tube stereo rescued from the dumpster; the eclectic artwork found in hidden nooks and crannies; fragrances coming from the mélange of juniper, cassia, star anise and coriander awaiting their introduction to the next batch; someone’s long board leaning up against the bar. It was a feeling that these places had been around for a long time -and would be for a long time to come.