Smooth Sippers

Colorado whiskey clubs serve up education and exclusive offerings

By Kalene McCort

Whether shared around a blazing campfire or savored within a mint julep at Churchill Downs, whiskey always elevates an experience. Robust, full-bodied and nuanced, the barrel-aged goodness has served as the liquor of choice for various glass-raising occasions. From rustic to refined, whiskey continues to gain popularity among those looking for a distinct sensory experience, and the Front Range is no stranger to complex and strong pours.

The West End Tavern, a Boulder watering hole on Pearl Street for 37 years, recently brought back its popular Whiskey Club to the delight of patrons. After a hiatus, membership is booming, with more than 100 folks signing up in the initial months it resurfaced. At just $15 for a membership, that’s something to toast. 

“We had a huge whiskey collection and a lot of bottles in our liquor room, so I really wanted to get those bottles out to be tasted,” says Ashley Millikin, West End Tavern’s general manager and the creative force behind the eatery’s varied events. “I crafted the whiskey club in 2017 around my wanting to learn as much as I could about whiskey and to get it in the mouths of everyone.”

For Millikin, the magic is about educating members on the variety from scotches to ryes. Beyond the typical Jack and Coke, folks are tapping into the finely crafted aromatic varietals that enhance cocktails and are also enjoyed neat. 

“A lot of people have this sort of tunnel vision when it comes to whiskey,” Millikin says. “Over time, the distillers are so creative with their whiskey. It’s a long project. It’s the long game because some whiskey is aged for twenty years.”

Different barrels deliver different flavor profiles. One of Millikin’s top picks is Angel’s Envy, finished in a sherry cask. Club members can sip on a selection of Colorado-made offerings, like Breckenridge Bourbon, which boasts notes of graham cracker and vanilla cream. Enthusiasts can also enjoy pours from Ireland, Iceland, Japan and other locales. 

West End Tavern’s menu boasts flavorful bites to complement a potent sipper. The disco fries—topped with tender pulled pork—offer a creative take on poutine. “Our program here is smokehouse,” Millikin says. “Barbeque and whiskey go so well together.”

The eatery’s sauces and desserts even boast whiskey. In previous years, Millikin organized a whiskey ice cream social, where Sweet Cow owner Drew Honness created customized ice-creams to pair with select whiskeys. 

On Wednesdays, starting in June, club members can enjoy a social hour where small bites are paired with whiskey from Colorado-based distillers. From 5–6:30 p.m., members can enjoy the latest pours while experts from area distilleries tell them the history and details of each one tableside. Professionals from Spirit Hound Distillers in Lyons, Peach Street Distillers in Palisade, Laws Whiskey House in Denver and Boulder Spirits are set to visit. 

In addition to weekly events, West End invites club members to whiskey dinners, serving mouthwatering fare alongside creative libations. Members also enjoy happy hour drink pricing all the time, anytime. The club has three tiers that feature unique tastings, prizes, access to events and sips from rare special-release bottles.

To complete tier three, which comes with the honor of having one’s name etched on a small silver plate displayed on a barrel on the restaurant’s stair landing, members must try 36 whiskeys. However, they can go at their own pace—stretching it out over months or even years. 

“The club is a great way to try something you’ve never tried before,” Millikin says. 

Spirit Hound Distillers has established an in-house women-only whiskey club aptly named Whiskey Wenches Spirits Society, which Amanda Engelhorn, the wife of head distiller and founder Craig Engelhorn, formed. 

“They taste, learn and have developed, distilled and bottled two gin recipes. Now, they are developing their own malt whisky recipe and doing the mash, distillation and barrel filling,” Craig Engelhorn says. 

Spirit Hound has also brought back its Barrel Members Club, an elite and high-end program attracting aficionados throughout the state. 

“Members get occasional super-exclusive access to events with me at the Spirit Hound Library, which contains bottles from single barrels we’ve bottled from our American Single Malt barrel number 1 all the way up to barrel number 460,” Engelhorn says. “It’s our history in a tangible form.”

Abbott and Wallace Distillery in Longmont has a membership program for $100 a year. “While the program includes perks like discounts and access to barrel tastings, what means the most to us are the friendships we’ve built,” says Stephanie Young, sales maven and wife of the distillery’s co-founder John Abbott Young. “These are the people we dream with, brainstorm with and share the journey of shaping the distillery’s future.”

For the truly dedicated, there is Abbott and Wallace’s $500 lifetime membership. “We created it as a way to bring people closer to the heart of the distillery,” Young says. “We knew there were folks out there who’d want to be more deeply involved, and this was the perfect way to make that happen.”

Whether after discounts on your favorite brands or the camaraderie from sipping and learning with new friends, there’s a perfect whiskey membership to meet your needs while you support Colorado’s growing community of distillers. 

Resources: thewestendtavern.com, spirithounds.com, abbottandwallace.com