Branch & Barrel Distilling has earned two medals at the Denver International Spirits Competition, with its Wheated Bourbon scoring 96 points for a Double Gold designation and its High Rye Bourbon taking Gold at 91 points. The Centennial, Colorado-based independent distillery received the awards in April 2026, adding to a growing list of international accolades for its Colorado-made bourbon lineup.
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READ THE STORYThe Wheated Bourbon’s Double Gold builds on a strong competitive record. The expression previously earned Gold at the 2025 London International Spirits Competition, where it ranked as the world’s second-best scoring bourbon.
Additional recent honors include Double Gold at the 2024 International Wine and Spirits Competition, Double Gold at the 2024 America’s Best Spirits Competition — where it was named "Best Wheated Bourbon of the Rockies" — and Gold at the 2025 Bartender Spirits Awards.
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Official tasting notes from the brand describe the Wheated Bourbon as offering "balanced flavors of milk chocolate, honeyed red berries, cashew and caramel cream, and notes of marshmallow reminiscent of banana brûlée." It is a three-grain whiskey crafted with all-Colorado grain and water.
The Gold-medal High Rye Bourbon is a limited-release, three-grain rye whiskey made with Colorado-sourced San Luis Valley Rye and aged five years in oak barrels. The brand’s official notes cite flavors of "spiced walnut, lemongrass, cocktail cherry, and lemon custard."
"We got our start aging spirits on branches during our experimental days in the late 2000s. By the time we opened our distillery in 2016, we had moved on to using barrels, but even today, our mindset hasn’t changed," said Mitchell Nester, Branch & Barrel’s Master Blender. "We still honor an authentic and hands-on approach as we’ve grown."
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"We focus on designing equipment and processes intentionally, leaning into the Colorado environment," Nester added.
Branch & Barrel began experimental distilling in the late 2000s before opening its distillery in 2016. The operation is rooted in local land ownership, water rights, and long-standing grain relationships.
Colorado’s high elevation and dry climate influence barrel maturation differently than traditional American whiskey regions, a factor the distillery leans into as a point of differentiation. The state’s whiskey producers have gained increasing national recognition in recent years.
Bottles of Branch & Barrel are available at craft spirits retailers across Colorado. Visitors can also experience the range at the distillery’s Tasting Room in Centennial.
