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Whiskey Business

DIEHARD BOURBON LOVERS ARE HAUNTED BY STELLAR OLD ELK SPIRITS CRAFTED IN FORT COLLINS

 BY JOHN LEHNDORFF

Old Elk has always gone out of its way to stay in the shade.

The Fort Collins distillery has never allowed tours or tastings at its facility. Other Colorado distilleries produce far more whiskey and are much better known than Old Elk within the state.

Only six years ago, Old Elk finally opened a separate tasting room, The Reserve at Old Elk Distillery, in Old Town Fort Collins. However, if you mention Old Elk Distillery to true bourbon fanatics across the nation, you will hear a blissful sort of sigh in response. From its flagship Blended Straight Bourbon Whiskey to its celebrated Port Cask Finish Straight Bourbon, Old Elk spirits are genuinely coveted. That cozy Northern Colorado tasting room is a bucket list destination for international whiskey devotees because of the rare spirits poured on the premises.

The reason for this reverence is pretty simple, according to Old Elk’s CEO, Luis Gonzalez.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY OLD ELK DISTILLERY

“As consumers across the country become more educated about what actually makes bourbon ‘bourbon,’ and whiskey ‘whiskey, they are less interested in where it’s from, and more on how it’s made. In the end, the proof is in the bottle,” Gonzalez says.

Old Elk’s whiskies are famously sipable, well-rounded and not at all raw, fiery and harsh. Old Elk’s grain blends, choice of barrels and a “slow cut” process that adds spring water to whiskey over the course of weeks all work to balance and defuse the peppery edge of some grain spir- its while retaining the subtle flavors, according to Gonzalez.

Old Elk Distillery has quietly made America’s whiskey lovers pay attention with a parade of prize winners over the years.

Most recently, Old Elk Port Cask Finish Straight Bourbon was named one of the “most exciting” whiskeys across the globe in 2023 by the experts at Whisky Advocate magazine. Old Elk’s products have consistently won honors at the nation’s most prestigious competitions including a slew of gold medals at the 2024 World Spirits Competition.

It’s not a surprise that Old Elk’s longtime Master Distiller, Greg Metze, won the Master Distiller/ Master Blender of the Year Award at the 2024 Icons of Whisky event. Metze is the nose behind Old Elk’s highly collected bottlings in its Cask Finish, Master’s Blend and Limited Edition Series.

According to Gonzalez, Old Elk’s top sellers include affordably priced Blended Straight Bourbon Whiskey, Wheated Bourbon, and Wheat Whiskey but some of the most anticipated are the twice-yearly Cigar Cut releases.

“It’s a different premium blend each time of our various whiskeys aged again in sherry, port or cognac casks,” he says.

Old Elk’s not-so-secret weapon is Nooku Bourbon Cream Liqueur, a luscious combination of two-year-old bourbon and fresh cream with no additives, sugar or preservatives. “Restaurants across the country use it in after-dinner coffees, to make whipped cream or drizzled over a dessert,” he says.

Nooku is what Bailey’s Irish Cream wants to be when it grows up, according to Gonzalez.

WHERE THE HIP TRIP TO SIP

When you visit Old Town Fort Collins, the folks in the bustling stores and eateries seem, well, happy. It helps to know that the area inspired Fort Col- lins-born artist Harper Goff who designed Disneyland’s famed Main Street.

The neighborhood is a perfect setting for The Reserve at Old Elk, a bar, eatery and patio that exudes a well-established vibe. The ambiance goes down as smoothly as the whiskeys it spotlights.

Because the bar is stocked with every Old Elk offering and staffed by a serious group of whiskey nerds, The Reserve is an ideal destination to order a flight – a sampler of four spirits – and find one to love.

“Having a guide on hand to tell you a little bit about the whiskies can help. They won’t tell you what you’re supposed to taste or smell, because everyone is different, but they can point out some possibilities,” he says.

The Reserve also offers special items only poured on the premises including “ginskey – gin finished in a whisky barrel, as well as infused spirits and cordials like limoncello.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY OLD ELK DISTILLERY

The Reserve’s bartenders shake cocktails ranging from a Classic Old Fashioned to a Bourbon Margarita rimmed with salted lime foam. The fall-friendly Dreamcatcher mixes Nooku Bourbon Cream with chai spices, bitters, sage and orange oil.

Cocktails and mocktails can be paired with a menu that includes dishes featuring the company’s namesake and spirit animal. Starters range from meat and cheese boards to deviled eggs with bacon jam. The BLTG fills a grilled brioche bun with candied bacon, tomato jam, arugula and goat cheese.

Elk is spotlighted on the Reserve’s menu in several guises. The Swisshito Burger layers an elk patty with shishito peppers, mushrooms, caramelized onions, Swiss cheese and bourbon mayo on a brioche bun.

Comfort comes in the form of elk sausage wrapped in a flaky puff pastry blanket as well as elk sausage crowning the creamy Ranger Mac and Cheese. Smoked salmon tacos, veggie quesadillas, a fried rockfish hoagie, and flatiron steak with blue cheese cream sauce round out the menu.

Some diners simply enjoy a glass of Old Elk spirits while sharing an order of warm bread pudding topped with Walrus’s Ice Cream’s Old Elk Bourbon and caramel ice cream.

ONE CEO’S WHISKEY LEARNING CURVE

There wasn’t any whiskey around the house when Luis Gonzalez was growing up in Baton Rouge in a large Cuban immigrant family.

“When I was old enough, my first drink was probably whiskey and Coke. I can’t tell you what whiskey was in it. I’m not sure it mattered,” he says with a laugh.

Before joining Old Elk almost eight years ago, the 38-year-old executive enjoyed a long career in consumer electronics. Gonzalez’ admittedly steep learning curve connects him to the experience of consumers who are new to whiskey appreciation.

“When I started here, I only knew two things about whiskey. One: I enjoyed drinking it. Two: I really enjoyed it on game day,” he says.

It took tasting with the distillery’s core team to help Gonzalez appreciate what the bourbon buzz is all about.

“It’s like every other competency in your life. It takes practice, right? You have to train your brain and senses to really be able to pick up tasting notes. When I started, all I could smell was alcohol. Now, it’s an exercise we do on a weekly basis to stay sharp.”

WHISKEY FOR NEWBIES: SNIFF, SIP, REPEAT

Whether you are sipping at a tasting room or at home, start with room-temperature spirits in the glass, according to Gonzalez.

“Two things I learned really changed my tasting experience. First, always sniff the whiskey with your mouth open to allow those aromas to come through. Second, always take a really small first sip. Let it coat your mouth and breathe in and out a little bit. Then go in for that little larger sip,” he says, adding a bonus tip: Avoid applying excessive cologne or perfume before you are going to taste.

That said, Gonzalez likes to pop the balloon of pretension and ritual that surrounds whiskey tastings. “People always ask me, ‘How am I supposed to drink Old Elk?’ My answer is: Enjoy it how you like it, whether that means a large cube, mixed with Coke, in a cocktail, or straight up,” he says.

The perception of Colorado whiskey has gradually changed in a world where Tennessee and Kentucky were perceived as the motherland of American spirits.

“Colorado is now on the map as far as whiskey and bourbon is concerned. The state has an incredibly vibrant distilling community and well-educated tasters. There is also a strong foodie environment,” Gonzalez says.

WHERE THE YOUNG ELK ROAM

According to Gonzalez, there is an overemphasis in the whiskey world on processing instead of on people. “There is this misconception in our industry that the barrel does all the work. A barrel may make good whiskey great, but it will not make bad whiskey good. Staying true and not cutting corners is incredibly important to us,” he says.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY OLD ELK DISTILLERY

He compares the evolutionary process that gradually transforms grain mash into a winning glass with a good round of golf. “If we start the front nine in great shape, we will carry momentum into the back nine and end up with a good score,” he said.

The Old Elk executive plays rounds regularly – but not often enough, at the wealth of golf courses near Fort Collins.

“I play whether I’m good or not. If I have that one great hole, it brings me back for 18 more,” he says. “I’m great at getting on the green in three and then six-putting.”

Gonzalez often plays at Highland Meadows and Harmony Golf Club, but Loveland’s Mariana Butte may be his favorite course. “It’s so beautiful. Sometimes, you get lucky enough to be delayed on the tee box because there are fourteen elk on the course,” he says.

The Reserve by Old Elk Distillery, 253 Linden St., Fort Collins, oldelk.com

 

John Lehndorff is the Food Editor of Colorado AvidGolfer and the Boulder Weekly and host of Radio Nibbles on KGNU-FM.

Colorado AvidGolfer Magazine is the state’s leading resource for golf and the lifestyle that surrounds it, publishing eight issues annually and proudly delivering daily content via coloradoavidgolfer.com.

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