Candied grapes | Apricot | Cherry | Orange blossom | Lemon zest | Cinnamon churro | Toasted oak

Candied raspberry | Cranberry | Black cherry | Vanilla bean | Sweet oak

Grape sports drink | Black tea | Light tobacco | Mild clove

Mile High Spirits is based in Denver, Colorado, and was founded in 2011 by Wyn Ferrell, Joe Von Feldt, and Chase Campbell, drawing on their beverage industry and private-label spirits experience. In 2014, they opened a space featuring a distillery, tasting room, and live music venue blending craft production with community-centered entertainment. Many of their whiskeys use a unique blend of grains, elevating them from just another craft whiskey to something much more memorable and distinctive.

For the number of years Mile High Spirits has been producing, they have largely stayed away from wine-finished whiskeys. They previously released a port-finished bourbon, and in 2026, they are expanding their Barrel Finish Series to include a cabernet sauvignon and pinot noir finished bourbons. Both releases were aged 5 years, with 2 of the years spent in their respective finishing barrels.

The amount of time this bourbon spent in pinot noir barrels is evident right from the start. A big candied grape scent emanates from the glass, followed by a wide range of fruits. The palate and finish veer into a traditional pinot noir flavor profile dominated by red fruit. Notably, the sip is extremely sweet with its fruit notes leaning more towards fruit candy than the actual fruit itself. This is slightly offset by notes of black tea, tobacco, and clove during the finish, which you’d expect from a Mile High Spirits whiskey.  

For years, producers have been working to find the perfect balance in their wine-finished whiskeys, it seems like now, more and more are seeing how far they can push their finishes. Fireside Bourbon Barrel Finish Series: Pinot Noir’s 2 years spent in its finishing barrel results in a pinot noir-finished bourbon on steroids. Though lopsided at times, it seems that was the end goal here. Big flavor, extremely sweet, and pulling no punches.