Wood’s High Mountain Distillery sits at 7,083 feet elevation in downtown Salida, Colorado, making it one of the highest distilleries in North America. Founded in 2012 by Lee and Pat Wood, this operation started when Lee, a former contractor, decided to combine his love of whiskey with his construction skills in a historic 1800s building on First Street. The Woods spent years perfecting their craft before opening to the public, turning what began as a passion project into a legitimate mountain distillery producing bourbon, rye, and specialty spirits. The journey wasn’t simple. Lee had to learn distilling from scratch, starting with a small copper still and gradually building up production capacity. Pat handles the business side while Lee focuses on production, and together they’ve created something genuinely unique in Colorado’s craft spirits scene. The high altitude affects everything from fermentation to aging, and they’ve had to adapt traditional techniques to work in their mountain environment. Their building retains its historic character with exposed brick walls and original timber, but houses modern distilling equipment that Lee installed himself. Visitors get an authentic look at small-batch distilling without the corporate polish you’ll find at larger operations. You’re likely to meet Lee or Pat during your visit, and they’re happy to explain how altitude changes the distilling process. The tasting room feels like stepping into someone’s well-appointed garage workshop, which isn’t far from how this whole thing started. They’re producing real whiskey with patience and attention to detail, not rushing anything to market.