Durango Craft Spirits is Durango’s first grain-to-glass distillery since prohibition, hand-crafting spirits in downtown Durango using regional grains including Non-GMO white corn from the Ute Mountain Ute tribe and grains from Colorado Malting Company. Founded by Michael and Amy McCardell, the distillery shares stories of Durango’s vibrant past through each spirit, with cocktails featuring fresh herbs and locally sourced ingredients in their tasting room.
Aged in new American Oak charred barrels for two years with first batch released December 1, 2017, named after ‘Cinder Dick’—a slang railroad term for a railroad detective. This bourbon has earned multiple medals including Gold from 50 Best Bourbons, Silver at ADI 2018, Bronze at the Denver International Spirits Competition, and Gold at the New York International Spirits Competition.
Named after Mayday Mine in the La Plata mountains west of Durango, where after prohibition was passed in Colorado in 1916 and the silver market crashed, moonshiners hid stills in abandoned mines. This spirit has won multiple awards including Bronze at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, Bronze at the North American Bourbon and Whiskey Competition, and Gold Medal with Best of Category at the ADI Conference in Baltimore.
Named after Durango’s historic ‘Ladies of the Night’—the brothels of the Red Light District that played a vital role in the city’s establishment. At the turn of the 20th century, brothels thrived between Main Avenue and the Animas River, with fines from these establishments providing income for Durango’s first schools and police department, entrenching the roots of the community that blossomed into modern Durango.