Dancing Pines Distillery – Loveland, Colorado

The past few years we’ve enjoyed a quiet Christmas home in Seattle. No stress, no fuss, but also no family. This year we bit the bullet and traveled to be with Adam’s family in Fort Collins, Colorado. At the airport, I expected the full holiday nightmare of endless lines, clueless travelers, and screaming children. Amazingly, though, it was all just fine! We even got a lovely view on the way out.

Awhile back, my father-in-law had sent us a picture of a distillery in nearby Loveland, Colorado, and I knew we’d have to check it out during the holidays. Dancing Pines Distillery is owned by a husband and wife team, and has been in business for five  years. Their space was great – a good mix of rustic and modern design. They have quite the range of spirits and liqueurs: rum, vodka, gin, whiskey, and many liqueurs. For tasting, of course, we started with their whiskeys. I didn’t take copious notes, so forgive the brevity!

Bourbon Whiskey

Nosed like a very standard bourbon. Vanilla, caramel, and oak. Tasted exactly like it smelled.

Awry Whiskey (100% rye)

Spicy, dry, hints of fruit…both in smell and taste.

Glen Pines Single Malt

Very bright on the nose. Almost piney. The palate had a little spice, hints of the pine, but no caramel or fruit sweetness. Not very dynamic, but still smooth and quite different than most Scotches I have tasted.

Black Walnut Bourbon Liqueur

This one was really interesting. The nose is sweet walnuts and caramel. It tasted almost syrupy sweet. Bourbon with toasted walnuts. A dessert whiskey liqueur. Delightful.

Next, we sampled a few more of their liqueurs.

Creme Brûlée Liqueur

Wow. The nose on this was incredible. It smelled and tasted exactly like creme brûlée. The burnt sugar flavor couldn’t be missed and it had a creamy mouthfeel. I really wanted to use it as a topping over some vanilla ice cream.

Chai Liqueur

It smelled divinely spicy with a hint of sweetness. It tasted exactly like chai tea and just needed some foamed milk for it. I’m sure it could be really fun in cocktails.

All in all, I was most impressed with their liqueurs. The other spirits were fine and well-balanced, but not overly dynamic. Their liqueurs were well blended and had incredible flavors. I’d like to try the others that are fruit-based, too.

A fun holiday trip to a distillery. 🙂