Leopold Bros

Short overview of the distillery

Leopold Bros is a family-owned distillery in Denver, run by brothers Todd and Scott Leopold. The distillery stands out for on-site floor-malted Colorado grains, a mix of traditional distillation methods—including a rare Three Chamber Still—and a pronounced environmental consciousness that permeates both production and warehousing.

History

The history of Leopold Bros begins with the brothers' professional backgrounds: Todd with a malting & brewing education from the Siebel Institute (1996) and experience from Doemens School in Munich; Scott with technical and environmental training in industrial design and environmental engineering. In the mid-2000s they moved their activities from Michigan to Colorado to focus on distilling. After starting in a small rented workshop, they purchased four acres of land and built a facility with a malting floor, kiln, dunnage warehouse, tasting room, and an education center. The current distillery opened in 2014 and has since produced a wide range of craft spirits.

Raw materials and production

The production revolves around local raw materials and traditional techniques. The distillery floor-malts its own Colorado grain and uses barley and rye from regional growers, as well as local fruits and botanicals. They follow pre-Prohibition approaches by mashing and fermenting at lower temperatures for longer times than is common today, and they ferment mashes to produce their own neutral grain spirit rather than buying it. The distillation takes place in a total of eight alembic stills across five different still types; among them a unique Three Chamber Still. The combination of hand-malt, long fermentation, and multiple still types gives the distillery's spirits a craft character.

Aging and barrel types

The aging room is a dunnage-style barrelhouse with space for around 2,000 barrels. The aging house is naturally lit by skylights and runs without mechanical climate control to reduce energy consumption. In addition to traditional casks, the distillery uses larger vessels such as French oak foeders to 'marry' blends; a concrete example is a release where they combined their own barrels with a 6-year-old wheated bourbon from MGP in a French oak foeder before bottling.

Whiskies

The portfolio spans around two dozen different spirits produced on site, from neutral grain spirits via whiskey to fruit- and botanical-based distillates. Releases include both distillery releases and special projects, including Foeder Series blends where the distillery works with larger wooden vessels to mature and assemble blends. The specific names and age statements of the range are presented primarily with individual releases and at distillery events.

Whisky style and flavor profile

The overarching style emphasizes fruitiness and floral tones, combined with elements of creamy sweetness and warm spices in certain blends. These directions are highlighted both as part of the house style and in descriptions of specific releases, where fruit and bloom meet sweetness from wheated bourbons and a subdued spice.

Visit the distillery

The distillery has a tasting room in Denver with Saturday hours from 11 AM to 5 PM, and an age limit of 21+. Tours are offered but require booking; tasting experiences and visitor facilities are available on-site, and you can contact the distillery via their sales email for bookings and information.

The stated hours are Tasting Room: Saturdays 11 - 5 PM. Age limit 21+.

Philosophy and craft

Leopold Bros operates with a craft-focused and conservation-oriented approach: they prioritize the best methods over the easiest, seek balance in their products, and aim to revive traditional artisan skills while integrating sustainable solutions such as water reuse and composting.

Sustainability

Working toward a zero-waste facility with water reuse and composting.
Design choices such as a climate-control-free warehouse and natural lighting to reduce electricity and water usage.
Background in environmental engineering for the co-founder and donations to nature-conservation organizations in connection with releases.

Latest news

Claiming Your Leopold Bros Bottles – Jan 14

Introduction of Proof-it tags on new whiskey bottles, which allow scanning and 'claiming' bottles to receive special offers and messages from the distillery.

Leopold Bros Partners With Colorado National Monument Association – Jun 10

Announcement of a Foeder Series release named after Monument Canyon Trail: a blend of straight bourbons consisting of 6-year wheated MGP bourbon and Leopold Bros' own high-rye barrels, married in a French oak foeder. 10% of sales donated to Colorado National Monument Association; VIP event and general release announced.