DENVER, CO - The founding distiller behind two of Colorado’s most iconic whiskey brands is gearing up to launch a new whiskey-centric Arvada-based distillery. But before bottles begin rolling out for this larger endeavor, Jake Norris is excited to announce the more imminent debut of a specialty side project releasing next month. 

Norris, the founding Master Distiller behind Stranahan’s Whiskey and Laws Whiskey House, has partnered with a team of industry and hospitality experts to launch a forthcoming Arvada-based distillery focused on producing its own small batch craft whiskey, with the added capacity to support external contract distillation projects. 

However, as all great whiskeys take at least two years to mature, the team will initially mark Norris’ return to Colorado whiskey with the launch of a specialty barrel-finished whiskey offshoot titled The Curated Barrel Project. Anchored by a 7-year-aged base high rye bourbon recipe developed by Norris and distilled in Statesville, NC, at Southern Distilling Company, The Curated Barrel Project will consist of eight quarterly releases, taking place across the span of two years. Bottles will be available to purchase exclusively online via CBP’s web shop with the option to add tickets for a pairing dinner at the distillery, and bottles will be sent directly to consumers. 

The first release in the series will take place on April 2, 2026, featuring The Curated Barrel Project’s base 7-year-aged Straight Bourbon Whiskey, consisting of a mashbill of 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley. Following that initial release, the base whiskey will be transformed through exotic cask finishes through the use of Rum, Cognac, Sherry, and Port barrels, to name a few, for additional releases every three months. 

As the pioneer who developed and launched Stranahan’s celebrated Snowflake program, Norris was the first to employ additional cask maturation as a vehicle for adding enhanced flavor components to American craft whiskey. With The Curated Barrel Project, Norris is excited to showcase how his innovative approach toward cask-finished whiskey has evolved. However, where specialty releases like Snowflake have leaned into the hype around waiting in line and collecting rare whiskies, Norris is hoping to inject life back into the experiential ritual of prioritizing sharing whiskey with friends. 

“I think whiskey can be an incredible medium for shared experiences. It can deepen conversations and help to foster authentic connections,” said Norris. “Every aspect of The Curated Barrel Project is designed to retrain how people interact with whiskey.” 

In an effort to further drive more analog experiences, every bottle release from The Curated Barrel Project will be accompanied by a physical zine created by Norris, comprised of a series of short articles, stories, tasting notes, and a musical playlist to pair with its corresponding whiskey. Additionally, anyone who purchases a bottle will have an opportunity to add-on tickets to attend a special whiskey pairing dinner featuring a series of local celebrated chefs, taking place approximately a month after each release at the distillery. Each dinner will be designed to encourage conversation among attendees with additional surprise elements that further promote the goal of infusing whiskey with humanity. 

“Great whiskey is meant to be shared,” explained Norris. “It becomes 'real' when it is opened, poured, and experienced together." 

The Curated Barrel Project will also offer whiskey fans an opportunity to join its membership program, which guarantees a minimum of eight bottle releases, first access to join for its whiskey dinners, and a commemorative branded tote bag. Tickets for the first release in the series go on sale April 2, 2026, at 10 a.m. Mountain, and will be available to be shipped nationally. 

“We hope to infuse whiskey with humanity again by encouraging our customers to pop open their bottles and share the experience with friends. Part of what makes this brand so special is that it’s truly a finite project,” said Norris. “Each release is a one-off, one-of-a-kind exotic barrel finish release. Like a great dinner with friends, once we run out of whiskey, the party is over, at least in this iteration of the project.” 

“Whiskey should be fun, creative, and communal,” continued Norris. “If you treat it like a museum piece, you’re missing the point. There’s a delicate balance of appreciating the artistry and time that went into producing a well-crafted bottle of whiskey, and using it for its intended purpose, which is for tasting and sharing. Simply put…shut up and DRINK IT!”

Tickets for The Curated Barrel Project’s first bottle release will go live on April 2, 2026, at 10 a.m. Mountain. Get updates for that bottle release from www.thecuratedbarrelproject.com 

ABOUT THE CURATED BARREL PROJECT 
Founded in 2026, The Curated Barrel Project is an offshoot of a forthcoming Arvada-based whiskey distillery helmed by iconic Denver-distiller, Jake Norris, alongside partners, Scott Kerkmans and Nate Grimm, and CBP’s Executive Creative Director, Ryan Carver, rounded out by project engineer, Gene “JB” Salem, who previously served as master distiller for Destilería Serrallés, which produces Don Q rum. 

Across his 22-year distilling career, Norris is credited as the founding distiller behind Stranahan’s Whiskey and Laws Whiskey House. His achievements include a tally of over 100 industry recognitions and awards, the distinction of pioneering Colorado’s first bottled-in-bond whiskey, as well as single-handedly launching the additional cask maturation movement through Stranahan’s Snowflake release. 

Centered around a base whiskey recipe developed by Norris, and distilled in Statesville, NC, The Curated Barrel Project will feature eight quarterly releases across two years, showcasing different barrel-finished versions of that base whiskey in Rum, Cognac, Sherry, and Port barrels, to name a few. Designed around exploration over collecting, The Curated Barrel Project aims to encourage shared experiences through sharing and opening bottles instead of allowing them to collect dust. Each release will be accompanied by a zine and the opportunity to attend a whiskey dinner showcasing a celebrated Denver chef. The Curated Barrel Project will release its first bottle on April 2, 2026, and a limited number of two-year subscriptions are currently available. Learn more at http://www.thecuratedbarrelproject.com