Branch & Barrel Distilling has released its first Straight Rye Whiskey, made with hard winter rye grown in Colorado’s San Luis Valley. The expression is available now in limited distribution across Colorado and through the distillery’s tasting room in Centennial.
The Colorado-based producer is best known for its award-winning Colorado Bourbon. Straight Rye Whiskey marks its first move into the rye category.
The whiskey is made with water from the Arapahoe Aquifer, a Colorado groundwater source fed by Rocky Mountain snowmelt. The water is naturally filtered through sandstone and shale over millions of years. The initial release is aged for three years in Colorado’s high-altitude climate.
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READ THE STORYBranch & Barrel has opted for a corn-forward mash bill of 51% rye, 40% corn, and 9% barley. The recipe reflects the distillery’s roots in bourbon-making.
“This is a bourbon-lover’s rye,” said Mitchell Nester, Branch & Barrel’s master blender. “Straight Rye Whiskey has all the dynamic flavor attributes you’d expect, but with the smoothness and balance of bourbon.”
Nester added: “The time spent aging this spirit in Colorado’s dramatic climate has resulted in a profile that showcases more sweetness than your typical rye, adding dessert-y crème brûlée flavors atop notes of herbs and spices.”
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According to the official notes from the brand, the whiskey carries flavors of crème brûlée alongside herbs and spices.
“This build is a bit corn-heavy for a rye, but we’re bourbon people, so we’re bringing those bourbon sensibilities to this bottle to create something uncommonly smooth and drinkable,” Nester said.
Sustainability is built into the whiskey’s supply chain. Hard winter rye is grown as a cover crop through Colorado’s winter months, helping prevent topsoil erosion between growing seasons.
Colorado has emerged as a growing hub for American craft whiskey. High altitude, Rocky Mountain water, and local grain sourcing have fueled a wave of distilling activity across the state. The state is home to established producers such as Stranahan’s, which opened in Denver in 2004 as one of the first legal distilleries in Colorado since Prohibition.
Branch & Barrel said the new release adds to the case that Colorado’s climate and agricultural diversity are reshaping what American whiskey can taste like, and where it can come from.
