Michael Myers has built Distillery 291 into one of the more distinctive names in American craft whiskey by combining a strong sense of place with an unconventional approach to production and brand identity. Based in Colorado Springs, Myers has shaped 291 around bold, high-proof whiskeys that reflect Colorado through local grains, mountain water, and the distillery’s signature toasted Aspen stave finishing. His path into whiskey was equally unconventional; before founding Distillery 291, Myers worked as a fashion and beauty photographer in New York, bringing a creative mindset that continues to influence how he approaches distilling, packaging, and storytelling. As the American whiskey category becomes more competitive, standing out now requires more than quality alone, with bartenders, buyers, and consumers increasingly looking for authenticity, versatility, value, and a clear point of difference. In this conversation, Myers discusses how Distillery 291 has evolved, what defines its house style, the role of high-proof whiskey behind the bar, the importance of bartender engagement, private barrel programs, changing consumer preferences, and what independent distilleries need to do to remain relevant in the next chapter of American whiskey.

Looking at Distillery 291 today, how has it evolved as both a whiskey producer and a brand, and what helps it stand out in an increasingly crowded American whiskey market?

When I started 291, I had a very specific whiskey in mind: bold, expressive, and unmistakably from Colorado. Fifteen years later, we’ve learned a great deal about our barrels, our grain, and how to bring those flavors together, but we’ve stayed committed to making the whiskey ourselves in Colorado Springs. What stands out to me is the flavor. There’s rye spice, richness from the barrel, and a finish that keeps unfolding. I want someone to taste 291 blind and know they’ve found something different.

You have always been determined to create a whiskey with a distinctly Colorado identity. What does “Colorado whiskey” mean to you today, and how has that identity developed over the years?

Colorado whiskey has to be more than whiskey made at a Colorado address. I wanted ours to have the intensity and character I feel living here. We make it grain to barrel to bottle in Colorado Springs, and we finish many of our whiskeys with toasted Colorado Aspen staves. Over time, “Colorado whiskey” has become a clearer expression of our own house style: big flavor, a strong sense of place, and enough balance that you want to go back for another sip.

The toasted Aspen stave finish has become one of 291’s signatures. What does Aspen bring to the whiskey stylistically, and how important is that point of difference when bartenders encounter the brand for the first time?

Our whiskey gets its foundation from aging in heavy-char American white oak. The toasted Aspen finish adds another dimension to that foundation. To me, it brings a distinctive wood character and helps tie the sweetness, spice, and oak together through the finish. It’s especially useful when introducing 291 to a bartender because they can taste the difference for themselves. The Aspen gives them a story to tell, but what matters is whether they like the whiskey in the glass.

Your background was originally in photography and the creative world. How does that visual and artistic instinct still influence the way you approach whiskey creation, packaging, and the overall identity of 291?

As a photographer, I learned to pay attention to every part of the frame. I still work that way. When I taste whiskey, I’m thinking about how the first impression, the middle, and the finish work together. I want the flavor to have contrast and depth, the way a good image does. The packaging matters to me for the same reason: it should make you curious enough to pick up the bottle, then the whiskey has to justify that attention.

291 is known for bold, higher-proof expressions. From a bartender’s perspective, what opportunities do high-proof whiskeys offer when building cocktails, and what does it take to use them successfully?

A high-proof whiskey gives a bartender more to work with. The rye spice, barrel sweetness, and oak can remain present when you add ice, vermouth, citrus, or bitters. But you have to respect the proof. I’d rather see a bartender taste the whiskey first and adjust the recipe around it than simply swap it into a standard spec. The right dilution can open up flavors that might be less obvious in a neat pour.

USA Spirits Ratings evaluates spirits on mixability, balance, taste, value, and packaging. Which of those factors do you believe is hardest for a whiskey producer to get right simultaneously?

Value may be the hardest, because it asks you to look at the whiskey from the bartender’s side of the bar. I can be proud of what went into a bottle, but the bartender has to decide whether its flavor, performance in a cocktail, and cost per pour work for their program. Taste and balance have to come first. Then the bottle has to make sense as something they can actually use and sell.

Price has become an increasingly important consideration for bars managing tighter margins. How do you balance craft production and premium positioning with the need to offer genuine value to an on-premise buyer?

I know a bar can’t buy a whiskey on passion alone. They need to know what it brings to the menu and whether guests will order it again. For 291, I think the value is in a flavor that makes itself known, whether it’s served neat or used as the backbone of a cocktail. We have to be honest about the cost of making whiskey the way we do, while listening carefully to what buyers need at different price points.

Beyond appearance, how important are practical considerations such as bottle shape, weight, visibility, and ease of pouring when designing packaging for a working bar environment?

They’re very important, and it’s something you understand better when you watch a bartender work during a busy service. A bottle needs to be recognizable on the back bar, but it also needs to be comfortable to handle and easy to pour. I care deeply about how 291 looks. I also want its design to help the person using it, because a bottle that gets in the way won’t earn a lasting place behind the bar.

You have previously spoken about a possible contraction in the whiskey industry and the challenges facing smaller distilleries. How do you see the American craft whiskey landscape developing over the next few years?

I think there will be a contraction. There are a lot of whiskey brands competing for limited shelf space, limited menu space, and consumers who are watching what they spend. That’s a hard environment for a small distillery, even one making excellent whiskey. The businesses that make it through will need to know who they are, manage their costs, and build real demand one account and one customer at a time. I still believe people will seek out distinctive whiskey; we have to give them a reason to come back to it.

With so many whiskey brands sourcing liquid from the same major producers, how important will authentic production, provenance, and a recognizable house style become in differentiating craft distilleries?

They matter because a buyer should be able to understand what makes one whiskey different from another. There’s nothing inherently wrong with sourced whiskey, but producers should be clear about what they’ve made and what they’ve bought. At 291, we make our whiskey ourselves, and that lets us keep working on a flavor that is recognizably ours. The strongest proof of provenance isn’t a paragraph on the label. It’s tasting a whiskey and recognizing its character.

Source: Distillery 291

Private barrel programs have become an important way for bars and retailers to create something exclusive for their guests. What have you learned from 291’s private barrel program about what professional buyers are looking for today?

Professional buyers want to choose something their guests can’t get everywhere else, but they also want to be proud of what’s in the bottle. When we taste through barrels together, the conversation quickly becomes specific: one has more spice, another more sweetness, or a different finish. The best pick is the one that fits that bar or retailer and gives their team something they’re excited to pour and talk about.

Finally, if you were advising a spirits producer hoping to earn long-term support from bartenders, what matters more than simply making a technically excellent spirit?

Technical excellence is the foundation. The art is knowing what to do with it: when to push the spice, when to let the sweetness come through, and when the finish needs more time. A whiskey can be technically flawless and still leave you with nothing to remember. I want 291 to have balance, but I also want it to have character that a bartender can taste, work with, and get excited to share. Then you have to listen to those bartenders and show up for them. That’s how a great spirit becomes one they keep pouring.

Header Image Source: Distillery 291

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