About Us
I’m Zach, and I’m the owner and self appointed whiskey expert here at Mile High Bourbon and Rye. I would like to emphasize self appointed expert here. I feel I know a lot about whiskey and spirits, but there are people who know significantly more that I do, which means I get to keep learning more everyday.
My wife Angie and I started this page out of a mutual love for Colorado based Wines, Beers, and mostly spirits. Back in 2014, I was able to try AD Laws 4 Grain Bourbon when they were still young, only having opened in 2011, and I was just starting to get into Whiskey. I was blown away, my understanding at the time of Bourbon was that it was only good if it came from Kentucky. This was a game changer. So I started looking into more Colorado Distilleries. I knew the breweries were great, but I had just discovered the craft spirits scene. As I started looking into it, my wife and I came across Elkins Website, and decided to head up there. We found Spirit Hound on the Way, and the next thing we knew, we had spoken to a few people at 2 distilleries who were knowledgeable, eager to share, extremely excited to do so, and most of all over the top inviting.
This was the trend that we discovered. Not only was everyone making great products, there were always great conversations, and seemingly endless wells of Knowledge.
This led to the birth of Mile High Bourbon and Rye in 2015.
As we both discovered how much we were enjoying visiting these distilleries, wineries, and breweries, we decided we wanted to put out our (self-proclaimed) expert thoughts while encouraging others to share their thoughts as well. We wanted discussion, and we wanted to create friendships and relationships with people working in the industry, and people who just love the product. One thing we really wanted to make known was that all of this is a lot more approachable than people seem to think, and it’s important to find what you like.
When tasting any beverage, be it whiskey, beer, wine, or whatever you prefer to drink, there are no right or wrong answers on what you like, or what you taste. The correct answer to what you taste, is what you taste.
The other thing we have both seen that we don’t agree with is saying how something should be drank. Should you drink that whiskey neat, with ice, or with a splash of water? However you prefer. Do you want in a rocks glass, shot glass, or Viking Drinking Horn? Totally up to you.
The only things we suggest for whiskey are the following:
- Try it multiple ways to determine how you like it best. (Different Glasses, with or without water/ice, etc.)
- Try as many new things as you can. (Although preferably not at once. Always be responsible)
- Enjoy it with your friends! This one is the most important, as it has been scientifically* proven that all beer, wine, and spirits test better when enjoying them with friends or family!
*Scientific here refers to the fact that I enjoy drinking with a friend, while sharing stories and thoughts. It’s clearly definitive science.
I was born and raised in Colorado, and Angie grew up in the state. We both love Colorado. I am huge Broncos and Avalanche fan, we both love the mountains and hiking, and we both love the people. It only made sense to us to find a way to help even more people discover another amazing thing about the beautiful state of Colorado.
Here at Mile High Bourbon and Rye, I also want to always be sure I am giving back. Through raffles, donation projects, partnering with distilleries and various Non-Profits for auctions and events, and more, we have been able to raise thousands of Dollars for local charities. Whenever you purchase one of our products, use our affiliate links, or donate directly to paypal, you’re supporting this site and local charitable organizations as well.
We also just want to take a moment here to acknowledge that we do occasionally receive sample bottles to review and post free of charge. (Although most that we try we purchase on our own.) When we get these free samples, they are with the understanding that our review will still be honest, and not influenced by the fact that we didn’t have to pay for the bottle. Price is not a factor in the final rating of a product. (Even if we do tell you a great value when we find one!) We also have not, and will never, accept payment to influence a product’s rating. We take this very seriously, it’s one of the few things that we do.
If you want to reach out to us, ask us a question, tell us of a product to try, something you tried, or just want to say hi, head over to our Contact Us Page!
We hope you all enjoy this site as much as we enjoy making it!
Sláinte!
Mile High Bourbon & Rye
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Coming out about once a month to start, coinciding with our podcast episodes. We’ll include events that concluded in the last month, upcoming events, releases, reviews, links to the podcast, and other happenings in Colorado! I look forward to expanding the content from the site to bring even more Colorado Craft right to your inbox.
As I said, most of the reviews I do on this site are bottles purchased on my own. In addition to that, I pay for server time, SSL certificates for the website, and put a lot of time into this. The links below are all ways to help support the site. If you’ve enjoyed reading, listening, or interacting with us, consider purchasing some merchandise, using our affiliate links, or sending a few dollars through pay pal.
Remember, part of all proceeds will be donated to local charities.