We had the good fortune of connecting with Joe Koscove and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Joe, what do you attribute your success to?
To push hard. I find that most people do not really realize how much hard work it takes to start, run, and grow a successful business. Pushing hard has many different meanings. We are always pushing for a better customer experience. Which comes from great customer service, pushing to make the best spirits (not only in taste, but ingredients), and making it memorable. But pushing hard also means getting up at 4am to be fully prepared for a 14-hour day. Full heartily believe in Opportunity/Success favors the well prepared! We strive to go that extra mile no matter what it takes. Push hard day in and day out, be honest to yourself and to others and success will follow!

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
My story starts in a different world than most would think. I started in the metal recycling world. I own, Koscove Metal, a metal recycling facility in Colorado Springs, Colorado. I have grown that business with the same principles. Honest business equals better business. We work hard, treat everyone with respect and honesty, and our customer service is top notch. I then started one of the largest landscaping businesses in Colorado that focuses on government contracts. Which we carried on the customer service focus. Then in 2019 we saved Bluefish distillery from going under. We renamed the distillery to Blackhat Distillery and officially re-opened September 19th 2019. Our focus has always been customer service and making the absolute best spirit with the best ingredients. In our first year we won gold or silver on all of our spirits in one of the largest spirit contests in the world. We believe and focus on making spirits the correct way and only use ultra-high-quality ingredients and not covering up the taste with sugar. We also focus our spirit on the hearts of the distilling process; which means we only take the best of the best of our own product. In the distillery industry, companies sacrifice quality for making a larger profit. We at Blackhat Distillery are not focused on making a profit, but rather we focus on making the best spirit we can make.  We will not put out a product that we do not feel is of the highest quality.  This is true for both our Elevate line of Duelers (100% Blue Agave), Duelers Dark (100% Blue Agave distilled on French oak), Royals and Rebels (Cuban style Rum), Lucciola (authentic Italian limoncello); and our Everyday line-up of Bluefish Whiskey, Rum, Agave, Vodka, and Gin.  Our passion is to make the best thing you can put into a Glass!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
This city has grown up a lot in the last 3-5 years. I guess that is what happens when a city grows a couple of hundred thousand in a few years.

– Food and a good hang out- Public House @ The Alexander. They have the best food for every day eats! Great customer service as well. Lots of room and always fun stuff going on.
– Steaks and date night- The Tavern @ the Broadmoor. Food and service is top notch!
– Cider- Boxing Brothers Cider. Colorado’s hidden gem. They also focus on incredible quality.
– Views- Garden of the gods. It is that beautiful!
– Other things to do – Go for a walk around the Broadmoor lake. Go to the top of Pikes Peak. Go for a drive on the Gold Camp road at night.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My Shoutout would be towards my family. Our father was tough on us kids. My Mom is the sweetest woman on the planet, we were taught at a young age that hard work pays off in the end. My brothers and sister all took the lessons we learned and now are all business owners. We have each pushed each other to be better and grow our own businesses. When we have ran into problems we have all been there for each other. For me especially my little brother Mike Koscove and my Sister Michelle Squibb. The have both been my rock when life or business or the sky is falling around me. Some times it is the little things- ” you got this bro” or “I love you and believe in you!” Some times it is a helping hand or 2 that they provide. But they always have my back and want me to succeed. Love you guys!!! You are my everything!

Website: Blackhatdistillery.com

Instagram: https://instragram.com/blackhatdistillery

Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/TheBlackhatDistillery/

Yelp: https://yelp.com/biz/blackhat-distillery-colorado-springs

Other: Google Land page- https://g.co/kgs/q4u75i

Image Credits
The two photos with myself and Joselyn Auxer (girlfriend) and the Photo of Kim and Jess are all -Spawology Productions. Luke Hayner Rest were taken my myself

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutColorado is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.