Ever tasted a river? Swirl Animas Whiskey Co.’s brand-new quinoa pour and you’ll catch the high-country water, Four Corners soil, and a whisper of roasted almond in one pepper-kissed sip. This is Durango’s first quinoa whiskey experiment—small-batch, boundary-pushing, and only a ten-minute drift from your campsite at Junction West.
Key Takeaways
• Animas Whiskey Co. in Durango is making a brand-new quinoa whiskey, the first of its kind in town.
• A 2018 rule change lets distillers use grains like quinoa, amaranth, and buckwheat.
• The quinoa comes from nearby Four Corners farms, so it stays fresh and lowers truck miles.
• Taste notes: toasted almond, gentle pepper spice, and a light, silky feel in your mouth.
• Small 15-gallon barrels help the whiskey age fast; first full bottles arrive next fall.
• Tours hold only 12 people—reserve online early to secure a spot.
• The distillery is 6.4 miles from Junction West campground; bike trail, shuttle, or rideshare all work.
• Pack closed-toe shoes, an ID, water, and a few tip dollars for your visit.
• Quinoa itself is gluten-free, but the mash also has barley, so some gluten remains.
• A tasting flight of four pours costs about $12; groups of six or more can save 10% with code RIVERCREW..
Durango’s latest grain gambit is more than a novelty pour. It’s an invitation to taste local agriculture, follow the trail from field to still, and claim bragging rights before the rest of the whiskey world catches on. Keep those takeaways in your back pocket as you read—they’ll turn your tour into a pro-level adventure and prevent rookie mistakes like forgetting closed-toe shoes or missing the last shuttle back to camp.
If time is tight, scan the bulleted list once more before you go. Those quick facts cover everything from transportation hacks to tour capacity, so you can dodge sold-out slots and surge-price rideshares. Consider it the cheat sheet that frees up mental bandwidth for savoring pepper-laced aromas instead of stressing logistics.
Why Quinoa, Why Now?
A rule tweak back in December 2018 opened the floodgates for experimental grains. When the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau updated its standards to include quinoa, amaranth, and buckwheat, craft distillers from coast to canyon suddenly had legal cover to pour these pseudocereals into the mash bill, as reported by KUNM News. Quinoa’s moment isn’t confined to Colorado; Adventurous Stills in Arizona rolled out a 51 percent quinoa bottling noted for chili-pepper kick, proving the grain brings drama to the dram (Breaking Bourbon).
Durango, however, has an edge: the Four Corners plateau already grows quinoa for health-food shelves, so Animas Whiskey Co. can drive a truck—not a semi—straight to nearby farms. Short supply chains mean fresher grain, fewer emissions, and a terroir story every bartender loves to pour. Add Durango’s alt-grain reputation—Dry Land Distillers upstate plays with heritage wheat (303 Magazine)—and the question becomes less “why quinoa?” than “why did it take so long?”
Meet the Makers: From River Guides to Grain Geeks
Animas Whiskey Co. sits two blocks off Main Avenue in a brick-and-timber building that once stored railroad parts. Founders Jamie Ortiz and Caleb Trujillo met guiding rafts through Smelter Rapid; a decade later they’re steering 100-gallon copper stills instead of rubber boats. Their ethos is grain-to-glass, Southwest-first: blue corn from Towaoc, barley malt from Alamosa, and now quinoa from Mancos fields where red-rock mesas frame the rows.
The quinoa pilot mash lands at 60 percent quinoa and 40 percent malted barley. Quinoa’s natural saponins demand triple rinses before milling, or the fermentation foams over like a sitcom science project. After a slow, fruity ferment, the white dog rests in 15-gallon char #3 barrels; smaller oak means deeper color and rounded edges in only 12–14 months. The first public release is penciled for next fall, but the distillery already offers unaged “quinoa white” half-ounce tastes after tours so guests can track the maturation journey from grain to rickhouse.
What to Expect in Your Glass
Sip neat and you’ll meet toasted almond, light pepper, and a roasted-grain backbone that sits between bourbon caramel and rye spice. The mouthfeel rides lighter than corn bourbon—think silk scarf, not wool blanket—yet coats the palate longer than most wheat whiskeys thanks to quinoa’s gelatinized starches. A tulip-shaped glass pinches aromas skyward so the nutty notes stay front and center.
Drop three or four beads of water after the first taste. Suddenly a hint of dried apricot and sweet almond pastry floats up, proving the pepper zip isn’t the whole story. For a DIY comparison, line up a familiar bourbon beside the quinoa dram; alternating sips spotlights what the pseudocereal adds and what it leaves behind. Buy a bottle? Store it upright, away from that blazing campfire, and between 60 °F and 70 °F to keep oxidation from muting the subtle grain chorus you’ve just discovered.
How to Lock In Your Tasting Slot
Animas caps tours at twelve people, so online booking is your friend—especially in shoulder seasons when hours flex around festivals and snowstorms. Snagging a prepaid reservation guarantees pour counts and lets staff pull the right barrel thief or white-dog sample before you even arrive. Aim for a 75-minute production tour followed by a 25-minute flight; the timing flows naturally and still leaves daylight for farmers-market browsing or trail miles.
Pack closed-toe shoes and a light layer; copper stills radiate sauna heat even when mountain winds whistle outside. Bring a valid ID—Colorado checks anyone who could remotely pass for under fifty—and consider tucking a couple of singles in your pocket. A dollar or two per pour (or 15–20 percent of your flight cost) is the unspoken “thank you” that smooths karma in every craft tasting room west of the Mississippi.
Easy Moves From Campsite to Copper Still
Junction West Durango Riverside Resort rests 6.4 miles upstream—ten car minutes, but who wants to volunteer as designated driver during vacation? Rideshare apps blanket Durango until about 11 p.m.; schedule your return trip before barrels blur into streetlights. Local shuttle operators bundle multiple tasting rooms and often score guests a flight discount, turning transportation into an unofficial brewery-and-distillery crawl.
Feeling pedal-powered? The Animas River Trail links campground to downtown in a leisurely 30-minute bike, gentle grade all the way. Just remember Colorado’s DUI laws apply to handlebars, too. If you drive, steer into the 2nd Avenue Garage or E. 5th Street deck; both keep your rig shaded and sit an easy three-block stroll from the still house. No matter the mode, carry a reusable water flask—high elevation skews alcohol absorption quicker than flatlanders expect.
A 24-Hour Durango Flavor Loop
Start dawn with a riverside walk straight from your cabin door, snowmelt mist flicking at your ankles. Grab espresso from the campground kiosk, then point shoes toward the Saturday farmers’ market (late May through October). Chat with quinoa growers who may well have provided the grain in your afternoon pour; you’ll pick up tasting-note clues before the first sip.
Mid-afternoon is tour time—your prepaid slot slides you past the walk-ins while the fermenter room hums. Afterward, head across Main for green-chile pork tacos and a quinoa-whiskey highball, a collab special shaking lime, honey, and a dash of mole bitters. Night settles; fill an insulated, legally sealed growler with the distillery’s signature cocktail, wander back to Junction West, and pour quiet drams into silicone tumblers as the river hushes. Remember the 10 p.m. curfew—respectful campers make happy neighbors.
Pro Tips for the Extra Mile
Volunteer a half-day at a regional quinoa farm and you’ll sometimes earn a coupon toward your bottle purchase—farmers love seeing grain fans track the process seed-to-snifter. Pack silicone tumblers; glass is discouraged near picnic tables along the Animas, and break-proof cups survive both bike baskets and RV cabinets. Feeling culinary? Whisk quinoa whiskey with maple and a pinch of green chile powder for a glaze that turns local trout into riverside legend.
Traveling light? Slide a collapsible water bottle, mini sunscreen, and spare phone charger into your daypack—the trifecta that keeps altitude, sun, and battery drain from cutting your adventure short. And don’t forget the code RIVERCREW when your crew tops six people; the saved dollars translate nicely into a souvenir 375 ml once the aged bottles drop next fall.
Quinoa in your glass, the Animas at your feet, and a crackling campfire just steps from a clean shower—Durango doesn’t get more “only-in-Colorado” than that. When the tasting room closes, your riverside cabin, glamping tent, or full-hookup RV pad at Junction West is less than ten minutes away, waiting with Wi-Fi, fresh linens, and a front-row seat to the stars. Ready to toast innovation by day and drift off to river music by night? Check real-time availability at Junction West Durango Riverside Resort and reserve your basecamp now—we’ll keep the s’mores kit handy and point you straight to the next bold pour.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What makes quinoa whiskey different from regular bourbon or rye?
A: Quinoa brings a naturally nutty, light-bodied character that shows up as toasted almond and subtle pepper, so the spirit feels silkier than corn-heavy bourbon yet carries more warmth than wheat whiskey; because Animas Whiskey Co. runs a 60 percent quinoa mash, the flavor is unmistakable without straying into novelty territory.
Q: Is the quinoa whiskey smooth enough for first-time tasters?
A: Yes—char #3 barrels round off most of the grain’s sharper spice, so even newcomers report an easy sip that starts soft, blooms with gentle pepper, and finishes clean, making it approachable neat, on ice, or in a highball.
Q: Can I tour the still house and taste the quinoa whiskey right now?
A: Animas offers a 75-minute production walk-through followed by a four-pour flight that currently includes an unaged “quinoa white” sample; spots cap at twelve people, so pre-booking online is essential if you want to guarantee a pour of the experimental grain.
Q: How do I reserve and what does it cost?
A: Hit the “Book a Tour” button on AnimasWhiskey.com, choose your time, and prepay the $20 fee, which covers the guided tour plus the four-pour flight—tipping your host a buck or two per pour keeps the craft-spirit karma flowing.
Q: Is quinoa whiskey gluten-free or easier to digest?
A: The quinoa itself is gluten-free, but the recipe includes 40 percent malted barley, so trace gluten remains; many sensitive drinkers find it gentler than straight-barley scotch, yet anyone with celiac disease should sample cautiously.
Q: What’s the simplest car-free route from Junction West to the distillery?
A: Grab a cruiser or e-bike and roll the Animas River Trail for thirty scenic minutes door to door, or hail a rideshare for a ten-minute hop—just schedule the return trip before 11 p.m. when app coverage thins in Durango.
Q: Which Junction West cabins or RV pads make walking or biking easiest?
A: Sites along the lower river loop sit closest to the trail spur, letting you slip onto the paved path in under two minutes and avoid crossing U.S. 550, perfect for both cyclists and strollers.
Q: Are tastings seated and relaxed for retirees or anyone with mobility concerns?
A: Yes, the flight portion happens in a climate-controlled tasting lounge with backed stools and low tables, and staff happily swap you into a regular chair if bar stools feel unsteady.
Q: Can our adventure crew score group discounts on whiskey flights or resort lodging?
A: Parties of six or more get 10 percent off tasting flights with the online code RIVERCREW, and Junction West extends bundle pricing when you book two or more adjacent cabins or three RV pads—just call the front desk for the current rate grid.
Q: Will there be food nearby after we wrap the tour?
A: Step across Main Avenue for green-chile pork tacos, snag a rotating food-truck plate in the distillery courtyard on Friday and Saturday evenings, or grab a cocktail growler to pair with your own campfire cookout back at the resort.
Q: Is this quinoa bottling a limited release I can buy to take home?
A: Only a few hundred 375 ml bottles will hit the gift shop next fall; join the distillery’s email list or follow @AnimasWhiskeyCo and you’ll get first dibs along with pickup or shipping instructions to compliant states.
Q: What should international or budget travelers budget for a tasting?
A: A four-pour flight runs $12 USD, roughly €11 or ¥1,600, and Durango Transit’s Route 30 bus drops you two blocks from the front door, so you can sample frontier grains without draining either your wallet or your phone’s data plan.
