How Peach Street Brought Colorado Its First Legal Bourbon Since Prohibition
Every year on December 5, we raise a glass to one of the most important—and frankly, most celebratory—dates in American spirits history: Repeal Day, the end of Prohibition.
For Peach Street Distillers, nestled here in Palisade on the Happiest Block in North America, this day carries a special weight. Repeal Day isn’t just a chapter in a history book—it’s the beginning of the long road that eventually led us to produce and release the first legal Colorado bourbon post-Prohibition. And like many great Colorado stories, this one is full of grit, perseverance, and a whole lot of local flavor.
A Quick Look Back: When America Went Dry
In 1920, the 18th Amendment and the Volstead Act ushered in Prohibition, banning the production and sale of alcohol nationwide. Colorado, surprisingly, had already gone dry four years earlier—making it one of the earliest states to outlaw alcohol.
During this period, the landscape of spirits in Colorado essentially flatlined. Breweries shuttered, wineries pulled up vines, and distillation—once an important part of agricultural communities—disappeared. Skills were lost. Equipment vanished. Generations grew up without local, legal distilling knowledge being passed down.
When Prohibition finally ended on December 5, 1933, the country exhaled, but Colorado’s distilling revival didn’t immediately follow. And there’s a reason for that.
After Repeal: Why Spirits Didn’t Bounce Back in Colorado
Most people assume that the second the 21st Amendment was approved, America went right back to making booze. But for spirits—especially whiskey—that wasn’t the case, and certainly not in Colorado.
Here’s why:
1. Distilling Is Capital-Intensive—Especially for Whiskey
A proper bourbon needs years in a barrel. Unlike (questionable) beer or even (some not-so-good) wine, you can’t distill on Monday and sell by Friday. Big national brands were already positioned to meet demand, and Colorado’s small businesses couldn’t compete with their scale, equipment, or distribution networks.
2. Regulations Were Complicated and Expensive
Post-Prohibition laws were tough on small distillers. Licenses were pricey. Compliance was overwhelming. Insurance and equipment weren’t easily accessible. For many would-be local producers, it simply wasn’t worth the risk or investment.
3. Drinkers Didn’t Expect Local Spirits—Yet
For decades, Americans assumed spirits came from Kentucky, Tennessee, or Scotland. Colorado wasn’t on anyone’s radar as a place where great whiskey could be born. That meant there was no local demand to support smaller producers, even if they had managed to start up.
The result? Colorado went nearly 70 years without a single legal distillery producing bourbon.
And that’s where Peach Street comes in.
A New Era in Colorado Spirits—Born in Palisade
In the early 2000s, when the craft beer revolution was well underway, the founders of Peach Street Distillers looked around at Palisade—its orchards, its grain, its creative spirit—and asked, why not us? Why not here?
We believed Colorado deserved its own grain-to-glass spirits. Not something blended or shipped in from across the country. Not sourced from a factory. Something real. Something grown by local farmers and shaped by the desert sun, mountain air, and the hands of people who call this valley home.
So we rolled up our sleeves and laid the groundwork for the state’s modern craft distilling movement—barrel by barrel, harvest by harvest, and a thousand lessons learned.
And then, in one of the proudest moments in our distillery’s history, we released the first legal Colorado bourbon made and sold in the state since Prohibition.
It wasn’t easy. It wasn’t fast. But it was worth every second.
Why Repeal Day Matters at Peach Street
December 5 isn’t just a historical anniversary for us—it’s a reminder of how far Colorado spirits have come.
It honors:
- The farmers who give us the grains and fruit that set Colorado spirits apart
- The dreamers and doers who revived an art form nearly lost to history
- The locals who crowded our bar, swapped stories, lifted glasses, and ultimately helped put Peach Street—and Colorado craft spirits—on the map
Repeal Day is a celebration of freedom, resilience, and community. And we celebrate it the best way we know how: with award-winning, grain-to-glass Colorado spirits made right here in Palisade.
Join Us in Raising a Glass
This Repeal Day, stop by Peach Street Distillers and toast to:
- The end of Prohibition
- The beginning of modern Colorado craft distillation
- The bourbon milestone that we’re proud to call our own
- And you, our community that made this dream a reality by enjoying our craft spirits.
Great spirits. Better friends. The happiest block around.
Local drinkers always welcome.
