Ramble Colorado
Denver & The Front Range
The High Rockies
Southwestern Colorado
The Western Slope
The Eastern Plains
Big Things & Other Road Art
Debauchery & Other Sins
Grub & Sleeps
Urban Bison: The Rocky Mountain Arsenal
Taking Pause for All Hallows' Eve
Heeney: Fishing with Dad
Three Days on Broadway
Temple of Music: Red Rocks Amphitheatre
Day Hike Destination: Staunton State Park
Wildflower Power in Crested Butte
Breaking ABQ
Colorado Cheap Sleeps
Camping Clash: The Great Outdoors vs. The 2nd Amendment
The Happiest Block in the West
Dunes, Gators, and UFOs: The San Luis Valley
Denver's Marijuana District
Ramble Manifesto
Creator's Note
"It's the happiest block in the Western United States," says Josh Nestler.
Nestler, a retired Army veteran, handles tours and tastings at Peach Street Distillers in Palisade, 12 miles east of Grand Junction and 37-¾ miles east of the Utah state line.
It's not just the distillery catalyzing smiles. Next door is a winery and tasting room. Around the corner: a medical marijuana dispensary that could go recreational if the town gives its blessing. And right down the street is Palisade Brewing Co., one of the better breweries in the state.
Ten years ago, this block was not nearly as happy. Peach Street took over a feed store and a machine shop and the brewery reopened in 2010 at the same location as its predecessor, Palisade Brewery.
The area dates back to pre-Prohibition 1915, when it was the fruitpacking district for the town. It's right next to the railroad and used to have its own short spur line to load crates of fruit bound for Denver and elsewhere.
A patchwork of orchards and vineyards and residential blocks, Palisade is still known for its fruit, particularly peaches, and its grape-friendly climate -- it's home to about 15 wineries in Colorado, a third of the state's total.
Many of the local winemakers have won medals at competitions, but they'd be hard-pressed to top Peach Street's accolades. It was the American Distillery Institute's Distillery of the Year in 2012.
Rory Donovan worked as a fishing guide before he launched Peach Street Distillers in 2005 with Bill Graham and David Thibodeau, the co-founders of Ska Brewing in Durango.
"When we first started, we were one out of three distilleries in the state," says Donovan. "Now we have the longest running Colorado brands on the shelf since Prohibition."
The original passion was bourbon, but bourbon requires a couple years of aging, so the founders made Goat Artisan Vodka out of the famed sweet corn from the nearby town of Olathe and Jackelope Gin, infused with locally picked juniper berries. Those took off and the distillery moved into brandies, grappa, agave-based spirits and whiskeys in the years since.
Now about 20 employees strong, Peach Street goes through a lot of local Palisade peaches making that diverse selection -- about 100,000 pounds in recent years. Sales have grown at a steady 25 percent a year.
Featuring a shady patio, black-and-white photos of the area, and a copper-topped bar with a footrest made from the old rail spur, the slick tasting room opened in 2012 and it's turned into a much bigger and more profitable operation than anticipated, paving the way for new distilling equipment and assorted expansions. It accounted for $1 million in revenue in its first year in operation, one-third of it direct bottle sales, and serves everything from jalapeno-infused Moscow mules to margaritas to old-fashioneds.
"We're not plotting world domination," says Nestler at the end of the tour, "but it's headed that way."
Peach Street Distillers is open from noon to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, noon to midnight Friday and Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Sundays. Book a tour here.
Eric Peterson / June 2014
big things & road art
all content (c) eric peterson www.ramblecolorado.com rambleusa@gmail.com