As a whiskey maker, Al Laws is no stranger to waiting.
Laws, president and founder of Laws Whiskey House in Denver, distilled his first batch of liquor on July 4, 2011. But because time is an essential ingredient in whiskey, it wasn’t until October 2014 that he released the first bottles.
That said, it’s been more than six years since he began the journey to renovate the distillery’s tasting room. Both he and local drinkers may soon see the project get to the finish line.
Laws Whiskey House anticipates debuting its new space at 1420. S. Acoma St. to the thirsty public in late August or early September. When it does, the space will be significantly bigger – about 4,000 square feet compared to the previous 300 square feet, Laws said – and include a bar shaking up cocktails with house spirits and mezzanine seating.
The distillery has long had what it calls a “whiskey church” – an area outfitted with pews where folks go to learn about and pay homage to whiskey, Laws said. The new tasting room design leans into that ethos with a new, two-story gothic window that lends an elegant feel to the space, he added.
“It’s a great place, but it’s not gonna be open ’til 2 a.m. It’s a place you come for pre-dinner drinks or you have a date or you have a friend in town or you have a quick business thing,” Laws said.
The bar will serve only house-made spirits, but that doesn’t mean the menu is limited to whiskey. Over the years, Laws Whiskey House has no doubt honed its namesake spirit, using only Colorado-grown grains. But the distillery has also made other liquors like vermouth, rum and agave that it plans to integrate into the bar program.
To that end, there will be certain spirits that drinkers can only find in the taproom alongside longtime staples like Four Grain Bourbon Cask Strength, which was recently named the best small-batch bourbon made outside of Kentucky at the World Whiskies Awards.
Part of the expansion includes revamping the Laws Whiskey House tour and eventually adding a rooftop deck where drinkers can take in vistas of the mountains and Mile High City.
But first, Laws simply wants to open. As the distillery’s 13th anniversary approaches, he feels cautiously optimistic about the project coming to fruition.
“The fact we’re so close, it’s a weird kind of hum in your head: ‘Like, are we really? What’s going to keep us from opening?’ That’s the way we think about it now,” he said. “You just can’t feel joy about it until it’s done.”
Originally Published: June 27, 2024 at 6:00 a.m.
