Along with the world-class museums, historical landmarks, and top-notch restaurants, the friendly and traditional city of Denver is also home to a selection of first-rate distilleries which have received national recognition for just how many unique and enticing spirits, cocktails and beers they offer visitors.

You also can’t talk about Denver without talking about how accepting and welcoming the people are, and that goes for the distilleries too which have some of the friendliest teams imaginable who are ready to show you the ropes of distilling while providing answers to any questions or queries you might have about the process and its history within Denver.

Here are 10 Denver distilleries that are definitely worth visiting so you can get a taste of some delicious and authentic Denver cocktails and spirits.

1. Rising Sun Distillery

Location: 1330 Zuri Street, Denver

While the Rising Sun Distillery along Zuni Street could easily be mistaken for a cozy cafe or bar because of its casual and laid-back appearance, it is actually most well known for its award-winning craft spirits including vodka, gin, brandy, and even eau de vie, all hand-crafted using local ingredients and pure glistening Colorado water (see also ‘15 Unmissable Distilleries In Colorado You Should Check Out‘).

Rising Sun also offers visitors the opportunity to take a guided tour around the relaxed and colorful building where they can then try up to ten spirits of their choice once the tour is over.

2. Leopold Bros. Distillery

Location: 5285 Joliet St, Denver

While you will have to make a reservation in advance to test taste the spirits in this distillery and to partake in the guided tour, it is more than worth it, being one of the largest distilleries in all of Denver which is run by a local family, pairing a friendly atmosphere with top-level distilling equipment.

Because this distillery was first founded back in 1999, you can be sure that they have built up an extravagant menu of hand-crafted drinks and cocktails for you to choose from whether it’s their signature Leopold’s Summer Gin, a Maraschino Liqueur or a smooth and rich tasting Rocky Mt. Blackberry Whiskey, there’s no shortage of delicious options to choose from.

3. Mythology Distillery

Location: 3622 Tejon St, Denver

Colorful, vibrant, and a great mixture of drink and food for visitors to enjoy while chatting with locals and the friendly staff, Mythology Distillery really is in a class of its own when it comes to providing guests with everything they could want to make a visit as memorable as possible.

This distillery specializes in crafting classic Colorado whiskey and gin which can be enjoyed either as part of a cocktail at the bar, or in the tasting room along with a side of pretzels, caramel, pita chips, and even locally sourced meat, giving you plenty of options depending on your taste preferences.

With a fantastic 30-minute tour that gives you a full detailed rundown of all the equipment used in distilling spirits and the fascinating history of the distillery itself, you are guaranteed to leave this distillery satisfied and with a lot more knowledge on the distilling process in general.

4. Bear Creek Distillery

Location: 1879 S Acoma St, Denver

A true grain-to-bottle distillery, Bear Creek settles on nothing less than the very best when it comes to their hand-crafted premium spirits which are all blended with natural mixers to give each drink an incredibly refreshing and unique taste that you can tell an enormous amount of time and effort has been poured into making.

This distillery was actually first established by a group of friends with a dream to make some of the finest spirits across all of Colorado, and since those humble beginnings, it has expanded into a highly renowned and very popular distillery that has become a local hangout spot for locals all around Denver.

Their whiskey rye is some of the smoothest and downright delicious in the business, be sure to take a bottle or two home with you after you finish the tour.

5. Ironton Distillery And Crafthouse

Location: 3636 Chestnut Pl, Denver

If you like the idea of enjoying a meaty feast while experimenting with a few hand-crafted beers or one of the six premium cocktails all topped with whipped cream and a handful of ice, this distillery doubles as a crafthouse which makes it feel a lot more laid back and casual than many distilleries.

While the amount of food on offer is simply staggering, featuring the likes of steaks, pizzas, and desserts such as the mouthwatering house-made hummus, there are many menu items that actually combine the food with the delicious high-grade spirits that Ironton is so well-known for, whether this is part of a meal, or even all as one food such as the warm and delightful whiskey ice cream.

Ironton’s take on the old-fashioned is also a huge fan favorite thanks to the aged hand-crafted whiskey which gives the popular cocktail an even richer and slightly more bitter taste.

6. Denver Distillery

Location: 244 S Broadway, Denver

The Denver Distillery is well known around the entire city for providing visitors with some of the highest quality tasting spirits you can find, especially their signature dark rum which is made from a combination of raw honey and black pearl molasses sugar canes that lend an incredible amount of sweetness to the overall flavor of the otherwise fairly strong rum.

The tasting room serves an incredible variety for you to choose from including a traditional menu for drinks such as spiced rum or some warm and sweet bourbon, or you can take your pick from one of their classic cocktails with their most popular being the floral and slightly herby Smoked Manhattan.

7. Stranahan’s Whiskey Distillery

Location: 200 S Kalamath, Denver

Ever wondered how some of the top distilleries mix their most popular and delicious cocktails?

At Stranahan’s Whiskey Distillery, you can partake in a fun hands-on cocktail class where the expert staff of distillers will guide you on how some of the most popular cocktails are made including what spirits work best together, the quantity of each drink, and any garnishes that can take your cocktail recipes up a notch.

They also provide visitors with 30-minute tours and guided whiskey-tasting sessions where you and your friends can freely experiment with the many different variations of the small-batch whiskey that the distillery has become so highly praised for.

8. Laws Whiskey House

Location: 1420 S Acoma St, Denver

Whether you’re a fan of the slightly spicier rye or smoother bourbon, Laws Whiskey will not disappoint you when it comes to serving up some of the finest-tasting whiskey sourced from the surrounding area including the San Luis Valley.

When taking the guided tour, you can immediately see why their “quality over quantity” motto applies so well since rather than seeing rows of oak barrels stretching as far as the eye can see, there are far fewer with instead many more bottles full of whiskey already prepped and ready to be tasted.

This isn’t just any whiskey either since many people argue it is the most profound and well-made in all of Colorado, especially their limited-release set which includes premium wheat-bonded and malt-bonded whiskey that is a little pricier, but still incredibly delicious.

9. Archetype Distillery

Location: 119 S Broadway, Denver

As the home of the almost mythical “official gin of red rocks”, the Archetype Distillery has built a reputation for combining some of the most unique flavors and ingredients into their drinks.

Their gin is incredibly unique as it is made using freshly pressed grapes, granting it a much fruitier and colorful taste that goes great as part of a smokey, lavender, or ginger-scented cocktail, which are just a few examples of the incredible variety of locally-crafted beverages you can try for yourself in this fun and casual distillery.

The building itself is actually the early 20th-century Webber Theatre that has been transformed which gives the building a very 1920s retro atmosphere, making the experience all the more memorable.

10. The Block Distilling

Location: 2990 Larimer St, Denver

Located in the River North Arts District, The Block Distilling not only features guided taste testing sessions where you can try out the many seasonal gins, whiskeys, vodka, and other spirits that are all well aged and crafted within the building, they also serve many non-alcoholic drinks that taste just as refined and well-made such as the No Name which is topped off with some smoked rosemary.

While enjoying one of their signature cocktails such as the pear-flavored West of Eden, it’s never a bad idea to take a moment out of your day to relax in the wide social space provided for you with all the comfy leather chairs and couches laid out across the ground floor where you can relax after the tour.

Summary

Whether you’re looking to take an in-depth and fascinating tour around the distillery, or you want to try out a few experimental flavors while relaxing with some friends or making new ones, there’s a distillery in Denver to fit everyone’s preferences.