History

Hogback Distillery was founded in 2016 in Wheat Ridge, west of Denver, by Graeme Wallace, who moved to Colorado to pursue his dream of making whisky in the Scottish style in the USA. The name Hogback is inspired by Dakota Hogback Ridge, a mountain range running along the entire Colorado Rockies. With over twenty years of experience with traditional Scottish whisky techniques, Graeme Wallace's approach combines American craft and Colorado's unique terroir. Hogback has been distilling in Colorado since 2018 and moved to Boulder in 2019. Premium malt whisky on a full-malt basis was released for the first time in 2020. The philosophy is based on the idea that creating whisky is a meeting of two worlds and that blending and finishing can create a more balanced and complex whisky.

Production

Hogback is a micro-distillery that began in 2016 and gained larger capacity through an upgrade: Two 265-gallon copper Alembic stills from Portugal, and later a 1300-gallon copper pot still from Scotland. They are based on traditional Scottish techniques and American craftsmanship, as well as uncolored Colorado spring water, which contributes to a soft and pleasant mouthfeel. According to their story, they more often use used casks rather than virgin casks for maturing whisky in the Wallace Collection, which follows the principle that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. They focus on malted barley from Scotland, which is peated to achieve a fruity, medium-peated style, and primarily age in used casks. Emphasis is placed on distillation, aging, and finishing as important parts of the process, and their products include American single malt and blends.

Products / Whisky Series

• High Wheat Bourbon – a bourbon series with a high wheat character.
• High Rye Bourbon – a bourbon with a high rye character.
• Oak & Aspen Bourbon – a third bourbon variant.
• Rye Whiskey – a grain-based rye whiskey.
• Peat Smoked American Single Malt Whisky – 100% malt whisky that is peated and produced as an American single malt.
• Rich Roast American Single Malt Whisky – another American single malt in the same malt focus.
• Eclipse – rye whiskey finished in rum casks (Rum Cask Finished Rye Whiskey).
• Enigma – Four Grain Whiskey (a multi-grain approach; shown as one of their specialties).
• Wallace Collection – Single Malt Whisky (release-series with individual barrel progressions and finishes; several releases such as Release 21:1, 22:1, 22:2, 23:1, 23:2, 23:3, 24:1, 24:2, 24:3).

Their approach involves primarily producing American single malts and experimenting with blends and finishes to highlight different grains and wood types. Wallace Collection involves cask-finishing and intentionally uses used casks for maturation. Their products emphasize both Scottish elements and American craftsmanship.

Visits / Experiences

Hogback Distillery is a micro-distillery located in Boulder, Colorado, and they invite guests to visit to learn how the whiskies are made. They have a tasting room in Estes Park and offer some cocktails, as well as the option to taste whisky neat at the strength at which it is bottled. Their website also describes a range of experiences and events: - Visit and tour of their distillery and tasting room. - Midnight Cask Society (Midnight Cask Club) – a membership program where members can participate in distilling their own whisky in a 53-gallon or 15-gallon cask and gain access to special releases and events. - Wallace Malt Room – a members club that provides access to a lounge area, discounts and special releases as well as events and tastings. - A Rocky Mountain Auld Lang Syne (January 24, 2026) – a Robert Burns-affiliated event in Estes Park with dinner, whisky tasting at Hogback Distillery and whisky lore that celebrates Scottish culture in the winter season. The event also includes tastings of Hogback’s own single malt styles. - Twister Challenge Ride – a charitable motorcycle event in support of Sophie’s Neighborhood, where participants ride through canyons and mountains and receive a bottle of Hogback Bourbon with accompanying apparel and prizes.

Philosophy

Hogback describes its approach as Scottish & American Traditions in Harmony – the combination of traditional Scottish whisky techniques and modern American craft, as well as Colorado's dynamic terroir. They emphasize using Scottish peated malt and Colorado spring water to achieve a fruity and smooth flavor profile, and that aging and finishing in otherwise used casks contribute to more balanced and complex whiskies. They highlight that the sum of components can be greater than any single element and apply blending and finishing as central parts of their whisky-making process. Hogback also stresses that they often use used casks in maturation, which aligns with their Wallace Collection and their approach to further developing flavor profiles.