Hogback Distillery Store & Tasting Room
Scotch-style whisky tasting bar and bottle shop on West Elkhorn, Boulder-made
- (720) 357-9320
- hogbackdistillery.com
- 253 W Elkhorn Ave, Estes Park · downtown
- Open now · closes 6pm
About
Bourbon and old fashioneds come up more than anything else in this tasting room, which is a funny outcome for a distillery built on Scotch tradition. The whisky is made east of central Boulder by Graeme Wallace, who left Scotland for Colorado in 2016 to make Scotch-style whisky in the States. This West Elkhorn room is where it meets Estes Park.
Three things share one small space: a bottle shop, a tasting bar for the single malts, and a cocktail bar with drinks built around specific whiskies. The house advice is to try each one neat first, at bottle strength, and give it a minute to breathe like a red wine. Peat fans will find something smoky, and the whiskey books in the room are worth a browse between pours.
Friendly owners are the other thing people remember. It sits right by The Water Wheel and Park Tavern, a short walk from Bond Park. It is a daytime room that closes before dinner, so treat it as an afternoon stop rather than a nightcap. Bottles and gift cards travel well, and the Midnight Cask Society is there for anyone who wants a cask of their own.
