Nestled in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains and anchored in the shadow of Pikes Peak, Distillery 291 is a small-batch whiskey maker with a restless, pioneering spirit. Founded by Michael Myers, a former New York City fashion and beauty photographer turned Western whiskey visionary, the distillery aims to recapture the smells, tastes, and legends of the Wild West through each bottle. Myers built his first still from copper photogravure plates, once used in his photography work, and on September 11, 2011, he drew off the first whiskey that would become the foundation of 291 Colorado Whiskey.
From the very beginning, 291 set out to do everything in-house: grain to barrel to bottle, by hand. The distillery sources grains from the Colorado plains, uses water collected from reservoirs fed by Pikes Peak, and crafts whiskeys with a fierce attention to detail. Their aging protocol includes deep-charred American white oak barrels finished with toasted Aspen staves harvested from local land. Their mash undergoes open-air souring, they cut proofs with clean mountain water, and their proprietary “El Paso County Process” sees a fraction of previous stillage recycled into new mash batches, an audacious twist on tradition.
Over the years, 291 has expanded its whiskey family into a robust portfolio including Barrel Proof Rye and Bourbon, Single Barrel expressions, experimental “E” releases, and bourbon-rye hybrids like High Rye and Bad Guy. Their limited-edition releases, batch E13, ALL RYE 100%, and anniversary XII, among them, exemplify both technical courage and storytelling through flavor. In 2023, they released three E-series batches (their most in a single year), including a bold new American Single Malt expression.
The accolades have come in force. 291 has earned recognition as Brand Innovator of the Year in 2024, been crowned World’s Best Rye (2018) and World’s Best Wheat (2021), and repeatedly won Best American New Make awards. They have accumulated Double Golds in San Francisco’s World Spirits Competition, multiple Liquid Gold designations from The Whisky Bible, and countless others across global judging circuits. The distillery also holds the title 2022 American Craft Producer of the Year.
At their Colorado Springs tasting room, visitors are invited to explore the magic behind 291. Tours reveal the copper pots, fermenters, barrel rooms, and finished bottlings; guided tastings include flagship and rare special releases available nowhere else. The lounge hosts cocktails, live music, and whiskey-centric events in an environment that marries rugged ambiance with artisan precision.
What defines 291 is not just the awards or the innovations but the intent woven into every step. From the stills hewn from photographic copper to the Aspen-finished barrels, to the hand-bottling and corking, the brand remains unapologetically rugged, refined, and rebellious. 291 Colorado Whiskey lives by the creed “Hardmade the Colorado Way.” Each sip is an echo of mountain air, frontier grit, and bold experimentation, a whiskey made for those who seek depth, character, and stories in their glass.
