The new year brings new whiskey and new bottles for State 38 Distilling in Golden, something owners Don Hammond and Sean Smiley have been working on during the slow months of the pandemic.
"Our philosophy will always be to tweak things. We are adventurers, tinkers and doers; we aren't happy with the status quo," says Smiley, adding that the pandemic has given the team plenty of time to think about where the distillery is going and how to make it better.
The bottle change happened for one simple reason: Bartenders found the previous rectangular bottles awkward when grabbing off the shelf while mixing cocktails. While the handsome rectangular bottle sure looked nice on the shelf, being able to quickly grip and pour a product is important, says Smiley. "The last thing we want to do is discourage a bartender from using our products because of ergonomics," he adds.