The Heart Distillery made a clean sweep of the Gin category at the 2019 American Distilling Institute’s Judging of Craft Spirits, the oldest and largest competition dedicated to craft spirits. The Heart Distillery’s Gin received the highest three medals a spirit can get: Double Gold, Best in Category, and Best in Class – a trio of accolades unheard of for most distilleries, but even more so for one that has only been open for just over six months.
The Judging of Craft Spirits mission is “to recognize excellence in the glass, promote distillers and blenders that are producing the world’s finest quality artisan spirits, and to give participating producers valuable, unbiased, third-party feedback on the quality and process of their spirits.” Over 1,000 spirits were submitted in this year’s competition to be tasted by over 50 industry-renowned judges over the course of 3 days.
Spirits that receive awards are announced at the conclusion of the American Distilling Institute’s Craft Distiller’s Conference, hosted this year in Denver, Colorado. These prestigious new awards for The Heart Distillery come hot on the heels of another Best in Class and Double Gold medal for The Heart Distillery’s Gin received at the 2018 Craft Distiller’s Spirits Competition in California. The distillery’s sister brand, High Hops Brewery, has also recently won a prestigious gold medal at the 2018 Great American Beer Festival for their sour beer, Puckerberry. You can find The Heart Distillery’s Gin in Colorado both in their tasting room and in liquor stores throughout the state.
The Heart Distillery opened its doors in August of 2018. The Heart is the newest member of the family to Pat and Amanda Weakland, founders of The Windsor Gardener and High Hops Brewery. The distillery was the latest for the Weaklands and family to continue with their “do it yourself” attitude and entrepreneurial spirit. Zach Weakland, son to Pat and Amanda, is both the brewer and distiller and has a strong philosophy in balance, sustainability, and even in taste. His insatiable curiosity and hard work have already paid dividends with beer; now he and the rest of the distillery are producing amazing spirits like Trinity Absinthe, The Heart Gin, Vodka, and currently aging both Bourbon and Rum. The Heart even boasts a ‘bourbon barrel program” where patrons can reserve barrels and witness the aging process personally.
