Meet Josh Hunt | Vice President

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

Hi Josh, can you talk to us a bit about the social impact of your business?
As a whole, the state of Colorado is a pretty dominant player in the national craft distilling scene. In fact, we’re usually somewhere around #6 in the country for most distilleries. Within our borders, many of our craft spirit producers are concentrated in the greater metro areas, such as Denver, Fort Collins, and Colorado Springs. Branch & Barrel is based in Centennial, which is relatively underrepresented in the distilling scene. By putting down roots here, B&B has helped to cultivate our own little craft spirits community right here in the Southeast Metro.

A big part of our company mission is to make whiskey culture accessible to everyone, and one of the primary ways we do that is by creating a warm and welcoming environment at our tasting room. Whether you’re a seasoned veteran or brand new to the world of whiskey, you can always stop by and enjoy a pour or cocktail with our friendly and well-educated staff. We’re happy to walk you through the spirit style, our own unique approach to distilling, and offer suggestions on how to best get to know the liquid in your glass. Our portfolio features everything from award-winning Bourbon to a variety of barrel finishes, such as honey or cinnamon/vanilla/maple. We have never been afraid to walk the path less traveled with our releases, and we have found that this tends to create more entry points to the whiskey genre, especially for newer drinkers.

As we continue to help bolster the local whiskey community, we try our best to give back to the metro community as a whole. We feature a unique “Charity Cocktail” every month for a different cause, and participate in as many fundraising events as we can. We have donated to or participated in everything from numerous local school auctions to charity golf tournaments. We have also engaged in fundraising single barrel projects in partnership with local organizations like the South Metro Firefighters and Arapahoe Fraternal Order of Police.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I apologize in advance, as I am choosing to take a slightly different direction with this prompt. Rather than discussing my own challenges, I would like to call attention to the challenges that are currently facing the Colorado craft beverage community as a whole.

Many of you may already be aware of the ripples that emanated from the change in Colorado liquor law in 2023 that allowed grocery stores to carry wine. Our locally owned and operated liquor store families were able to whether the storm back in 2019, when full-strength beer became available in grocery, but wine has been an entirely different story. Over the last 12 months, Colorado has lost over 30% of its “Mom and Pop” booze shops to closures. Some of these stores shared an unfortunate proximity to grocery chains, while others were simply forgotten about in favor of convenience or savings.

What many shoppers fail to consider is that by shifting your business away from these local stores, you are also harming Colorado’s many wonderful craft breweries, wineries, and distilleries. Many chain retailers are difficult to work with for smaller brands, and as the local stores continue to close, valuable sales channels are being shut off to those who cannot penetrate the national brand market.

One of the things that has historically made Colorado such a healthy environment for craft brewing and distilling to thrive is the support of our locally owned and operated liquor retailers. For many of us, these folks were/are the primary means for getting our bottles in front of the public, and losing them is extremely detrimental to the diversity of the craft community. Grocery stores will always have your grocery business; please try to support local for your beer, wine, and spirits when you can!

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.
Last time I was interviewed I focused mostly on the South Metro, so I’ll throw out some Denver recommendations this time around!

Distilleries:
Bear Creek
Laws
Denver Distilling
The Block
Deviation

Breweries:
TRVE
Great Divide Barrel Bar
Our Mutual Friend
Ratio
Woods Boss
Jagged Mountain

Cocktails:
The Tartarian
Ok Yeah
Room For Milly
Nearby Bar
Yacht Club
The Local Drive
The Marigold
Welton Room
Senor Bear
Lady Jane
Run for the Roses
The Devil’s Drink

Food:
Dimestore Delibar
Mead St. Provisions
BurnDown
Call Your Mother
Uptown & Humboldt
Agave Taco Bar
Perdida
Homegrown Tap & Dough
Senor Bear
Barolo
Ash’Kara

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?
This time around, I’d like to offer a massive shout-out to the small business community as a whole. Having worked in this sector for the better part of my life, I can say beyond the shadow of a doubt that small businesses feature the most passionate and innovative human beings you’ll ever have the pleasure of encountering. This is particularly true of businesses that are authentically locally owned and operated. I owe the development of my customer service, sales, operations, and managerial skills to the many wonderful small businesses I have worked with over the last 18 years, and I wouldn’t trade those experiences for anything.

Every situation is unique, and without the strict codes of conduct and roles/responsibilities that often accompany corporate job titles, you get the benefit of seeing so many more beautiful successes and educational failures in a small business environment. Whether you get to experience these things first- or second-hand, they contribute to your development as a professional, and set you up for success in any future endeavors.

If you have ever made the decision to visit a local coffee company or restaurant rather than a national chain, or chosen to enjoy a Colorado craft beer or spirit over a national brand, you have likely experienced the difference in quality and passion that “local” really makes. There are tons of amazing small business experiences just waiting to be discovered, and your attention and patronage means the world to them.

Website: https://www.babdistilling.com

Instagram: @babdistilling

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