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The Scotsman Making American Whiskey in Colorado

Mike Gerrard Bars, Boulder, Cocktails, Colorado, Distilleries, Rum, Travel, USA, Whiskey

Travel Distilled checks out the distillery scene in Boulder, Colorado, and meets a Scotsman making American whiskey.

Strange things happen when you fall in love. It would make The Proclaimers walk 500 Miles but for Alastair Brogan, originally from Motherwell in Scotland, it took him 4,500 miles to Colorado where he decided to make whiskey with an ‘e’. In the telling he makes it sound simple.

Alastair Brogan of Vapor Distillery in Boulder, Colorado — Alastair Brogan

‘I married an American,’ he says, ‘and sold my business in Glasgow. My wife said “Let’s go to America.” We came here to Boulder for a month. I’d been here before, for the skiing. So we rented a house for a month, and loved it so much that we bought it. I didn’t yet have my Green Card so I applied for that and we came out here to live.’

Boulder’s known for healthy living, in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, but it also has a healthy interest in drinking. There are twenty breweries, six wineries and four distilleries in this city of fewer than 100,000 people. Maybe the fact that one-third of those people are students helps. The distilleries include the one that Alastair now owns, The Vapor Distillery.

At Vapor Alastair works with his Head Distiller Ted Palmer and the team already produces two gins, a vodka, a 30% proof pumpkin liqueur and, inevitably for a Scotsman, a single malt whiskey.

The Traditional Scottish Spirits Safe at the Vapor Distillery

‘My intention was always to start a single malt distillery in the USA,’ Alastair says, even though he had no background in distilling. After becoming a Junior International in both rugby and water polo, he served in the RAF for ten years and then joined the family firm, Brogan’s Fuels.

‘I’ve always had an interest in whisky and when I moved to the States and looked at what was going on in the craft distilling revolution here, and the market, I decided to follow my passion. We went round all the distilleries in Colorado, looked in and saw what they were doing. I then spent a month at Isle of Arran Distillers with James MacTaggart, and I’ve several distillers in Scotland who are mentors. Most importantly, though, my Head Distiller here, Ted Palmer, has been distilling and brewing for 25 years and is creative, passionate and has a proven track record.’

True to his roots, Alastair bought a Forsyth still, and invested £8,000 in a traditional Scottish spirits safe. He tried to buy grain in the USA but ended up buying in Scotland as it was both cheaper and better.

‘48% of Scotch whiskey uses a particular yeast,’ Alastair adds, ‘which is not available in the USA, so I’m importing it. But we’re not copying Scottish whisky, it is very definitely a US-style whiskey.’

Alastair Brogan isn’t the only one following his passion in Boulder, where distillery tours are as popular with locals as visitors. A few minutes drive away is JL Distilling, which was opened in 2013 by two friends, Seth Johnson and Justin Lee. The two met through the Boulder Home Brew Club, where they were the only ones who were also interested in distilling.

‘That was back in 2000,’ says Justin, whose background is in chemical engineering. ‘But when federal law changed in 2006 and made it easier to distil alcohol, we started to talk about having our own distillery.’

When JL opened in 2013 there were no more than five distilleries in the whole of Colorado. Now there are 65.

Part of the JL Distilling Spirits Portfolio

‘People in Colorado are hungry for locally-produced anything, especially in Boulder,’ says Justin. ‘We’re already going to be doubling our square footage at the end of the summer so we can also produce bourbon, whiskey, rum and absinthe. The first bourbon into the barrels will require two years of aging, but we might have some rum by Christmas. We make all our own mixers and syrups for the tasting room bar, as well.’

JL also makes a gin infused with beetroot, which sounds bizarre but tastes divine, especially in the Beet Down cocktail where it blends with ginger, tarragon honey, lemon juice and a simple syrup. All JL’s bottling is done by hand, and despite being new kids on the block they were voted Colorado Distillery of the Year at the New York Spirits Competition.

Back with Alastair, is there any chance he’ll be exporting his American whiskey to the Auld Country?

‘I’m working on it,’ says Alastair with a smile.