Spirits · Vail / Gypsum, Colorado

10th Mountain Whiskey & Spirit Co.

Colorado whiskey honoring the WWII ski soldiers who trained near Vail.

Founded: 2014
Founded by: Ryan Thompson, Christian Avignon
Based in: Vail / Gypsum, Colorado

Shop all 10th Mountain Whiskey & Spirit Co. (1)Our featured pick

Making it since

2014

Their story

During World War II, the Army's 10th Mountain Division trained for alpine combat at Camp Hale, near present-day Vail. After the war, many of those soldiers came back to the mountains and helped found ski resorts like Vail and Aspen.

Christian Avignon's grandfather was a medic with the division, and he told his grandson to go west, work hard and ski harder. Christian settled in the Vail Valley in 1998, met Ryan Thompson, a fellow local and ski devotee, and together they opened a distillery named for the division.

The company donates part of its sales to veterans' causes, including the Vail Veterans Program and the Wounded Warrior Project, and a Vail Village tasting room keeps the history front and center. Ryan now runs the business.

How it's made

10th Mountain distills in Gypsum, Colorado, using Colorado grains and potatoes. The flagship bourbon is made from a corn, rye and malted barley mash and aged in new charred American oak, and all barrels are aged on site. The range also includes rye, single malt and an unaged corn moonshine.

Our featured pick

Rye Whiskey (750ML)

$54.99

MASH BILL WITH 75% RYE.APPEARANCE: GOLDEN AMBERNOSE: AROMAS OF OAK, DARK FRUIT AND LIGHT CARAMEL WITH A HINT OF CINNAMONPALATE: SPICY, FULL BODIED, TOUCH OF TOFFEEFINISH: DRY FINISH WITH LINGERING.

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