Leopold Bros.

Leopold Bros. is a family-owned American distillery based in northeast Denver, Colorado. The business was established in 1999 by brothers Todd and Scott Leopold, initially as a brewpub on South Main Street in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The original operation combined brewing with an environmentally conscious production model and later added a small distilling component. In 2008, the Ann Arbor site closed and the company moved to Denver, where it abandoned brewing and concentrated on distillation. The Denver facility was designed to support substantially greater production than the former Michigan site while preserving a high degree of in-house control. Leopold Bros. handles the principal stages of production at its single distillery, including malting, milling, mashing, fermentation, distillation, maturation, blending, and bottling. Its Denver plant is particularly associated with traditional floor malting, using Colorado barley and a large malting floor regarded as one of the most substantial of its kind in the United States. This vertically integrated approach distinguishes the brand from many spirits companies that purchase finished neutral spirit, malt, or flavor components from outside suppliers. Leopold Bros. markets more than twenty hand-numbered small-batch products. Its portfolio has included American and Maryland-style rye whiskies, flavored whiskies, American gins, vodka, absinthe, aperitifs, amaro, rum, pisco, and fruit, coffee, herbal, citrus, and maraschino liqueurs. Product availability has changed over time, and some earlier offerings, including its pisco and Thomas & Leopold Single Barrel Dark Rum, are identified as discontinued. The company emphasizes scratch production, natural ingredients, traditional techniques, and distinctive botanical treatment. For several products, individual botanicals are distilled separately before blending and final distillation, allowing the distillery to control the contribution of each flavoring ingredient. The Leopold brothers bring complementary expertise to the enterprise. Todd Leopold trained in brewing and distilling, including study at the Siebel Institute of Technology and distilling education in Kentucky, while Scott Leopold’s environmental-engineering background informed the design of the original eco-oriented brewery and its efforts to reduce wastewater and other production by-products. Although the company began with beer, its contemporary identity is that of an independent craft distillery. Leopold Bros. products have received medals and other recognition in international spirits competitions, including awards for gin, absinthe, fruit liqueurs, coffee liqueur, and other categories. The American Distilling Institute named it Distillery of the Year in 2015. Distribution has extended across more than twenty U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and selected European markets. The brand’s positioning rests on independence, small-batch manufacture, control over raw materials and processing, and an unusually visible connection between malting, distilling, and bottling.

Leopold Bros. was founded in 1999 by brothers Todd and Scott Leopold in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Their first operation was a brewpub established in a renovated brake factory on South Main Street. The business was conceived as an environmentally responsible brewery, using organic hops and barley and equipment intended to limit wastewater and other waste streams. Todd Leopold led brewing and later distilling work. His training included study at the Siebel Institute of Technology in Chicago, internships at German breweries, and formal distilling education in Kentucky. Scott Leopold, an environmental engineer, contributed to the technical and environmental design of the operation. The Ann Arbor business later expanded into micro-distilling. This allowed the brothers to apply their interest in traditional production methods to spirits while retaining the small-scale, experimental character of the original brewery. The company developed a diverse portfolio rather than concentrating on a single category, producing gin, whiskey, vodka, absinthe, liqueurs, and other spirits. A number of these products received medals in competitions such as the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, the Beverage Tasting Institute, the London International Wine and Spirits Competition, and the Good Food Awards. In spring 2008, Leopold Bros. closed the Ann Arbor location and relocated to Denver, Colorado. The move marked a major strategic change: brewing was discontinued and the company became a dedicated micro-distillery. The Denver facility was built with approximately three times the production capacity of the previous site. It also incorporated a substantial traditional malting floor, an unusual feature for a distillery outside Scotland. The plant enabled Leopold Bros. to carry out a large share of its manufacturing process internally, from malting Colorado barley through distillation, aging, and bottling. The Denver operation became the foundation of the brand’s modern identity. Leopold Bros. is known for producing hand-numbered small batches and for maintaining control over its raw materials and processing. The distillery has described a method in which flavoring botanicals may be distilled separately before being blended and subjected to final distillation. This approach is especially relevant to its gin, absinthe, herbal spirits, and liqueurs, where botanical balance is central to the finished product. Over time, the portfolio has included American Small-Batch Whiskey, Maryland-Style Rye Whiskey, flavored whiskies, American Small-Batch Gin, Summer Gin, Navy Strength American Gin, Silver Tree American Small-Batch Vodka, Absinthe Verte, Fernet Leopold, fruit liqueurs, coffee liqueur, Three Pins Alpine Herbal, American Orange Liqueur, Maraschino Liqueur, rum, and pisco. Some products listed in earlier accounts, including Thomas & Leopold Single Barrel Dark Rum and pisco, were later discontinued. The company’s distribution expanded to more than twenty U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and parts of Europe. Recognition from spirits competitions and the American Distilling Institute helped establish Leopold Bros. as a notable independent craft distillery. Its 2015 Distillery of the Year award reflected the company’s standing within the American craft-distilling sector. The business remains associated with the Leopold family, Denver production, traditional floor malting, and a broad range of spirits made in small batches.

1. 2015Distillery of the Year

   The American Distilling Institute named Leopold Bros. Distillery of the Year.

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2. 2008Move to Denver

   The Ann Arbor site closed and the company relocated to Denver, ending brewing and becoming a dedicated micro-distillery.

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3. 1999Founding in Ann Arbor

   Todd and Scott Leopold opened a brewpub in a renovated former brake factory in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

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Independent, vertically integrated American craft distillery emphasizing traditional floor malting, natural ingredients, scratch production, botanical precision, and hand-numbered small batches.

• American Small-Batch WhiskeyWhiskey

  A core Leopold Bros. whiskey expression representing the distillery’s small-batch American whiskey program. It is produced within the company’s integrated Denver operation, where the distillery controls key grain-processing and spirit-making stages.

• Maryland-Style Rye WhiskeyRye whiskey

  A rye whiskey inspired by the historical Maryland style. It forms part of Leopold Bros.’ broader effort to explore regional American whiskey traditions through in-house grain processing, distillation, maturation, and bottling.

• American Small-Batch GinGin

  A small-batch gin that has received international competition recognition. Leopold Bros. is associated with separately distilling botanicals before blending and final distillation, a technique intended to give the distiller greater control over botanical character.

• Navy Strength American GinGin

  A higher-strength gin expression from the American gin range. It has been recognized by the Beverage Tasting Institute and the Good Food Awards and is positioned as a robust spirit for cocktails or concentrated gin service.

• Absinthe VerteAbsinthe

  Leopold Bros.’ green absinthe expression, included among the distillery’s botanical spirits. It received medals at the London International Wine and Spirits Competition and the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

• Fernet LeopoldAmaro

  A bitter herbal spirit in the fernet and amaro tradition. The product demonstrates the distillery’s interest in layered botanical formulations and has received a gold medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

• Rocky Mountain Blackberry LiqueurFruit liqueur

  A fruit liqueur built around blackberry flavor and associated with the distillery’s flavored-spirit program. It has received recognition from both the Beverage Tasting Institute and the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

• Three Pins Alpine HerbalHerbal liqueur

  An alpine-style herbal liqueur made as part of Leopold Bros.’ botanical portfolio. Competition medals have been reported from the Beverage Tasting Institute and the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

• Silver Tree American Small-Batch VodkaVodka

  A vodka expression produced under the Silver Tree name. It received gold and silver competition recognition in the mid-to-late 2000s.

• Thomas & Leopold Single Barrel Dark RumRum

  A single-barrel dark rum formerly associated with the Leopold Bros. portfolio. It is identified as discontinued.

• PiscoPisco

  A formerly offered pisco that received a gold medal at the 2009 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. The expression is identified as discontinued.

• 2008Relocation and distillery-only strategyStrategy

  The Ann Arbor operation had developed from a brewpub into a combined brewery and micro-distillery, while demand required greater production capacity.

  What changed. Leopold Bros. closed the Michigan site, moved to Denver, discontinued brewing, and opened a larger distillery with expanded capacity and traditional malting infrastructure.

  Aftermath. The move established Denver as the company’s sole production base and shaped its identity as an integrated craft distillery.

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• 2015Leopold Bros. receives Distillery of the Year recognition

  The American Distilling Institute recognized Leopold Bros. as Distillery of the Year.

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• 2008Leopold Bros. relocates from Michigan to Denver

  The company closed its Ann Arbor brewpub and moved its operations to Denver, where it shifted from combined brewing and distilling to a distillery-only model.

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1. Leopold Bros.
2. Leopold Bros. official website