How far is the distillery from Louisville?

Neeley Family Distillery is about 45 minutes northeast of Louisville in Sparta, Kentucky. It's in Gallatin County, off the main Bourbon Trail routes, so plan for a bit of a drive through rural Kentucky.

What makes their bourbon different from larger distilleries?

The Neeleys grow some of their own corn right on the property and handle most of the production themselves as a family operation. You're tasting spirits made in small batches with direct family involvement from grain to bottle, rather than mass-produced bourbon.

CRAFT DISTILLERY

Colorado

Branch & Barrel Distilling

Centennial,

Colorado

— Bourbon, Rye, Vodka

TASTINGS

RESERVATIONS

BOTTLE SALES

DISTILLERY SNAPSHOT

📞 (720) 663-0468

🌐 https://www.babdistilling.com/

📍 15353 E Hinsdale Cir STE C, Centennial, CO 80112, USA

ABOUT THIS DISTILLERY

Branch & Barrel Distilling sits in a business park in Centennial, about 20 minutes south of downtown Denver, where founders Jeff Lindauer and Nick Heinzel turned their home distilling hobby into Colorado’s newest craft spirits operation in 2018. Both guys came from corporate backgrounds—Jeff in finance and Nick in engineering—but they’d been perfecting recipes in garages and basements for years before deciding to go legit. The 3,000-square-foot facility houses custom copper stills and a small tasting room where they focus on bourbon, rye, and vodka, along with seasonal spirits that show off their experimental side. What started as weekend warriors making spirits for friends has grown into a operation that’s earning respect among Colorado’s crowded distillery scene. You’ll find them in a converted warehouse space that feels more like a working lab than a polished tourist destination, which is exactly what Jeff and Nick were going for when they decided to prioritize production over pretty tasting rooms.

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WHAT SETS THEM APART

These guys are doing something different with their grain sourcing—they work directly with Colorado farms to get heritage corn and wheat varieties that most distilleries skip because they’re harder to work with but create more complex flavors. Jeff’s background in finance means they’ve approached scaling differently than most startups, building out production capacity first rather than betting everything on tasting room traffic. Their rye whiskey uses a mash bill that’s 95% rye, which is aggressive even for rye lovers, and they’re aging everything in 30-gallon barrels instead of standard 53-gallon ones to speed up the wood interaction without using artificial aging tricks.

THE VISITOR EXPERIENCE

The tasting room feels like you’re visiting someone’s really well-equipped garage—concrete floors, exposed ceiling, and the smell of grain and oak hanging in the air. Jeff or Nick usually handle tastings themselves when they’re around, and they’re the kind of guys who’ll geek out about mash bills and fermentation temperatures if you show interest. Tastings run about 30 minutes and include four pours, starting with their vodka and working through whatever whiskeys are ready to drink. The space is small enough that you’ll hear the stills running and can peek into the production area without a formal tour.

IS IT WORTH VISITING

If you’re looking for Instagram-worthy mountain views and polished hospitality, keep driving to one of the bigger Colorado distilleries. But if you want to taste spirits from guys who actually know what they’re doing and don’t mind a no-frills environment, this is worth the trip to Centennial. The whiskeys show real promise—especially that high-rye bourbon—and you’ll get to try stuff that isn’t distributed widely yet. It’s perfect for spirits nerds who want to discover something before everyone else does, but casual tourists might find it too rough around the edges.

⚠️ VISITING TIPS

Call ahead or check their social media before making the drive—they sometimes close for production or private events without much notice on the website. The business park location is easy to miss, so look for the address numbers on the building rather than trying to spot signage from the road. Parking is right out front and free. If Jeff’s pouring, ask him about the heritage corn project—he gets genuinely excited talking about it. Don’t expect cocktails or food, but they’ll sell you bottles of anything you taste if you want to take some home.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Branch & Barrel Distilling — Visitor FAQ

Do I need to make a reservation for tastings?

Yes, definitely call ahead. Jeff and Nick are often focused on production and the tasting room isn’t always staffed. They prefer to schedule tastings when they can give you proper attention rather than having you show up to a locked door.

How do I find the distillery in the business park?

Look for the building numbers rather than signs—it’s in Suite C of 15353 E Hinsdale Circle. The business park can be confusing, but there’s plenty of parking right in front once you find the right building.

What’s the story behind their high-rye whiskeys?

Jeff and Nick are both rye whiskey fanatics, so they developed a 95% rye mash bill that’s more aggressive than most distilleries attempt. They use heritage grains from Colorado farms and age in smaller barrels to speed up the wood interaction without shortcuts.

GETTING THERE

Find Branch & Barrel Distilling

📍15353 E Hinsdale Cir STE C, Centennial, CO 80112, USA

—

📞 (720) 663-0468

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