Branch & Barrel Distilling's Flagship Bourbon Review (Batch 34)

How many times have you heard folks say, “How hard can it be,” when it comes to distilling? That’s more common than you think! Some start their own distillery and fail miserably. Others source and blend and (again) miss the mark. They don’t last very long in this business.

Then some are hyper-focused and incredibly creative. Perhaps they put together a stunning mishmash of equipment (including a turkey fryer!) never meant to be used for distilling, that a master plumber just made it work, including their first still used to make moonshine, a compact water heater. Or, they could have charred tree branches found around town to “age” the newmake in mason jars.

Yeah, the team at Branch & Barrel Distilling did all that. That was back in 2010, and it isn’t some tall-tale BS backstory; I visited the distillery on April 23, 2026, and saw it for myself.

It took six years from when tinkering began to when reality set in. In 2016, the founders, Ryan Morgan, Tom Seilaff, and Scott Freund, built their distillery in Centennial (a Denver suburb) from a former auto body shop and still employ that experimental approach to making whiskey, and their first spirits were available the following year.

They still work their day jobs; Tom is a general contractor, Ryan a residential homebuilder, and Scott a master plumber and HVAC technician. The distillery is open Thursday through Sunday. They’ve learned what works and what doesn’t, and remain unafraid to do what nobody else has (or at least not successfully). They are big on transparency, as with many whiskey aficionados, the marketing-speak didn’t sit well with them.

Branch & Barrel purchased food-grade equipment at auctions across the country to make their distilling and fermenting equipment. For example, the first “real” still was a former Campbell’s Soup maker. They used it exclusively until 2017, when it basically fell apart. That led to the purchase of an 800-gallon combination still, which they call Rosalinda, named for two women (Rosa and Linda) who were very dear to the team. Growth required a second still, which is named Delta (meaning change). They’ve upcycled stainless steel condiment makers, water plant tanks, petroleum vessels, and other, seemingly random, non-distilling equipment.

All of the grains Branch & Barrel uses are grown on Colorado farms: corn from Wiggins and barley, rye, and wheat from Monte Vista. Even the water comes from their own well in nearby Elizabeth.

Here is where things begin to get crazy. On the very first day of distillation, their brand-new head distiller discovered he had a severe barley allergy. Rick Warren, the building’s electrician, conveniently, was interested in distilling and stepped in. Branch & Barrel’s current master distiller is Ted Smith, who started as an assistant distiller in 2021 and earned his current title in 2025. Ted is a master of all things fermented, with experience in brewing, distilling, winemaking, and pickling.

That brings us to Master Blender Mitch “The Thumb” Nester. Like everyone else at Branch & Barrel, he stumbled into the job and is self-taught. His moniker was a humorous tip of the hat to Nancy Fraley (known throughout the whiskey world as “The Nose”).

If you’ve not yet figured it out, everything that Branch & Barrel does focuses on innovation and explores what-ifs, and is done in-house by trial and error – it leads to learning and new ways of doing things.

Here’s where things get even more mind-boggling: All of the spirits are made using sweet mash, meaning there’s no backset, which translates to every batch being unique.

This team of rogue whiskeymakers is some of the friendliest people you’ll run into. I spent a few hours chatting (and tasting) with Mitch. We didn’t just talk about what Branch & Barrel is making; we delved into Scotch and Irish whiskies, then moved on to other Colorado distilleries. Branch & Barrel even collaborated with Mile High Spirits, Root Shoot Spirits, and the Whiskey Slickers to create a whiskey called Skill Check.

The team is big on giving back to the community, supporting charities through auctions, sponsorships, and cocktail sales.

After the fun times I had geeking out with Mitch, he gave me two whiskeys in exchange for my no-strings-attached, honest reviews: their Flagship Bourbon and Plumwood. Today, we’ll explore the former, and the latter will come at a later date.

Flagship is distilled from a mash of 80% corn and 20% malted barley. Branch & Barrel employs a slow distillation process, followed by a slow fermentation that takes five days. After distillation, barrels are filled at 52% ABV (104°), which is unusually low for the industry. Choosing the lower entry proof leads to a consistently softer, more well-rounded, creamy mouthfeel, and there are fewer tannins from the oak to deal with, which creates sweeter whiskeys. Most distilleries use between 110° and 115°.

Bottled at 46% ABV (92°), Flagship is non-chill filtered and has a suggested price of $52.99.

Are you ready to find out if Flagship Batch 34 is any good? Let’s #DrinkCurious!

Whiskey Type: Bourbon
Distiller: Branch & Barrel Distilling
Age: Minimum of 4 years (5 per website)
Mashbill: 80% corn, 20% malted barley
Cooperage: New, 53-gallon #3 char, medium toasted oak barrels
Alcohol Content: 46% ABV (92°)
Price per 750mL: $52.99
Non-Chill Filtered, Batch 34

Appearance: I used a Glencairn glass to explore this Bourbon neat. The topaz color was inviting. A huge rim formed widely-spaced, thick, syrupy tears.

Nose: I allowed my usual 15-minute wait before starting my nosing journey. During that time, the air was filled with the scent of honey and biscuits. When I brought the glass beneath my nostrils and inhaled, I found notes of chocolate, vanilla, strawberries, raw almonds, and pastries. As I pulled that vapor into my mouth, that’s when the honey became evident.

Palate: Flagship possessed an incredibly creamy texture. That’s the low entry proof talking! There was no palate shock whatsoever. On the front, I tasted buttercream, toffee, and milk chocolate. My mid-palate pulled strawberries, almond nougat, and a kiss of honey. There were flavors of oak, cherries, and mild clove on the back.

Finish: Things started mild and slowly (very much so) crawled to a finish with a brief intensity of clove and oak. At the same time, almond nougat, cherries, and chocolate successfully subdued those spice notes. It had a slight drying effect. The duration lasted 1:06, making for a medium finish.

Bottle, Bar, or Bust: Firstly, I should admit that I had a decent idea of what I was getting into, as this was one of the whiskeys I tasted during my visit. I didn’t dive deep that day; I took a quick taste, but I enjoyed what was in my glass enough to want to review it.

In many ways, Flagship was a dessert whiskey; it was mostly sweet and mildly spiced. The mouthfeel made my eyes roll back and caused me to smile. That’s such an overlooked quality in today’s market. It is well-balanced and proofed correctly (there is a 110° version that I tried that is also excellent).

For a bunch of guys who thought they had no idea what they were doing, they sure do make great whiskey. I’m thrilled to have this in my whiskey library; it steals my Bottle rating. Cheers!

Stay tuned for my review on Plumwood…