Starting March 31, Lyons, Colorado’s Spirit Hound Distillers will be releasing its cult-favorite Straight Malt Whisky for the first time to retailers along Colorado’s Front Range.

As you may recall, the first and “flood-proof” bottles of Straight Malt Whisky were released last August and were only available at the Spirit Hound distillery. We landed some hearty print and TV coverage for the release of the whisky, and it helped power the sale of over 500 (hey-oh!) bottles of Straight Malt Whisky on the release day. The remainder of the bottles were gone in just a few weeks.

But now Spirit Hound has filled its second batch of Straight Malt Whisky bottles from barrels in the distillery. The cause for the delay in these barrels reaching the two-year mark, of course, was the flood that wiped out Lyons and did severe damage to much of the state.

To celebrate the arrival of these bottles at Colorado retailers, on April 2 &3 Spirit Hound is hosting a two-day party at the distillery with bands, food trucks and more.  The Spirit Hound distillery and tasting room is located at 4196 Ute Highway (State Road 66), 1 mile east of downtown Lyons.

Why should you grab a bottle of Straight Malt Whisky from your local spirits vendor?

For starters it’s made entirely from Colorado-grown malt from Colorado Malting Company (in Alamosa, Colorado), and the spirit’s grain bill includes a dash of homegrown peat-smoked malt. Straight Malt Whisky is also exceptionally delicious. It features aromas of oak and toffee, flavors of caramel, turbinado sugar and light smoke, and a silky body. The SRP for Straight Malt Whisky is $60 and worth every penny.

Spirit Hound’s grain-to-glass spirit was double distilled at Spirit Hound on two handmade, built-from-scratch stills designed and built by head distiller and co-founder Craig Engelhorn. Very unique, those stills.

Look for the bottles starting late next week. Let me know if you’re a journalist, blogger or whisky evangelist and you’d like more info or an interview with the Spirit Hound crew.