Distillery 291 — Local services in Colorado Springs

I have been speaking recently with the local wizard about the efficacy of using whiskey on the gums to soothe a teething baby.

We both agreed it must work. Our parents used it and obviously there were no deleterious effects; and so the clear next step was to sample some local fare to see whose whiskey was the superior baby balm.

Distillery 291 came up immediately, being both award winning and locally owned. These are two qualities my 5 month old holds in great esteem. I booked a tour for Saturday afternoon

When I arrived the bar was fun, casual, and stylish — again, things my baby looks for — and the employee who greeted us was friendly and encouraging. She said there were containers of pretzels and bottles of water to cleanse our palate between tastings, and we were free to take any pictures and ask any questions

“Do you find that babies prefer the rye or the bourbon?” I asked

She looked at me and laughed uncomfortably which I did find a little unprofessional as she specifically stated only moments before that we could ask any question.

“The rye I suppose.”

She showed us the mashing tanks and let my friend ascend the ladder. A man dropped his water bottle and everyone laughed at him. It spilled everywhere.

“Do you think baby would like this whiskey chilled or at room temperature?”

Again, the response was slow and confused

“This isn’t for babies.”

I do not know why but I sensed the group turning against me in that moment, and so I held my questions through the rest of the tour, until we were finishing up in the labeling room

“Can you screw nipples onto these bottles?” I slurred, having at this time become slightly buzzed from the delightful tastings.

I was then asked to leave.

That was fine. I picked up a bottle of their American whiskey the at a local liquor store that evening, and since then, the little one has been sleeping like a dream. She also grew a...

In a "post-covid" world where all things hospitality have seemingly gone down the tubes, this establishment stands out head and shoulders above others. The owner has either found the right people or trained their people right; either way, their customer service was top notch and their attention to detail, creativity and passion for whiskey are stellar. Ben did an outstanding job on the distillery tour, relating to us and adding a very personal, yet professional touch to the tour. Initially, we arrived on the wrong day for our tour and the bartender-Candy-was gracious and comped us a drink, even though it was our mess up. Talk about customer-oriented service. Then on the actual day of our tour, Lauren was super attentive and professional, she did an outstanding job, as did Ben. With inflation and the surging popularity of bourbon over the last 4-5 years, I don't think their prices are out of line at all! The folks at 291 are creating Art, it just happens to be drinkable art. I would suggest giving these folks a visit if you're anywhere near Colorado Springs. Do a tasting and treat your senses to their fine line of whiskeys and...

I cannot adequately sum my words to express the experience that myself and my bachelor party had at Distillery 291. Even upon entry, one can tell that craftsmanship, quality, and experience are the driving forces of this business from the atmosphere all the way through the product. Our tour was informative, light hearted, and fascinating. It swayed between the history of the company and knowledge of distilling seamlessly- no question from my group was too detailed for our guide, and never did it feel that we were being recited a script and just waiting to move on. My group contained everything from previous bar owners to novice whiskey drinkers, and each and all had the time of their life. The experience has created not only lifelong customers, but new sproutling whiskey enthusiasts. 291 made that day for me. A note- all of this review is based on the tour. There is not space in this review to speak of their whiskeys. But know that every drop of passion and artisanship they put into this setting and this tour is reflected tenfold in their drams. I cannot recommend...