Every distillery has a story, Michael McCardell says. Some parts are truth, other parts fiction. But over time, they become consecrated gospel.

“This is a true story of Amy and I’s dream to open this distillery, the first legal distillery in Durango,” he said.

He and his wife, Amy McCardell, own Durango Craft Spirits. The story in question is printed on the back of the limited edition bottles of whiskey released at a party Friday in the couple’s tasting room, above their distillery.

In an intimate gathering of loyal patrons, McCardell was sparse with words.

“Thank you all – cheers,” he said, as the crowd sampled McCardell’s Private Reserve American Single Malt Whiskey.

The spirit is the distillery’s first single-malt whiskey and the first limited release. The 4-year old pet project has yielded just 500 bottles of what the spirit maker says is his best whiskey yet.

The Cinder Dick Straight Bourbon and Tinhorn Blue Corn Bourbon Whiskey, the distillery’s two flagship spirits, are distilled from 65% corn and aged, like all bourbons, in new charred oak barrels.

In true fashion, the private reserve whiskey is made with ingredients sourced within the state. The malted barley – the only grain used in the process – was crafted by Colorado Malting Co. in Alamosa.

He worked with the Cody family, which owns the malting company, to select the Lambic malt and said he’s unaware of anyone else using it.

“When I made this, distilling it, it was the most incredible smell in the distillery I’ve ever had,” McCardell said.

The private reserve whiskey sat in used Cinder Dick barrels for four years. As the temperatures in his rickhouse fluctuated each day, so too did the porous oak of the barrels, contracting and expanding, absorbing the spirit and flushing it back out.

It makes “ideal conditions for aging whiskeys,” the distiller said.

McCardell gives the final product a rave review. It’s smooth and light, with hints of smoke and fruit. And the 100-proof spirit goes down “like drinking water.”

Of course, the real reviews are up to the professionals, and McCardell is excited to hear what they have to say.

“Those guys really know their palates and don’t sugarcoat it,” he said. “If they don’t like it, they’ll let you know.”

Many of the attendees at Friday’s release were longtime friends of the distillery, and had been sampling the whiskey over the years. Still, patrons were eager to taste the final product.

“Smooth,” “velvety,” “like a light scotch,” drinkers said from around a table.

Despite his pride for the product, McCardell was shy about putting his own name on the bottle.

The idea came from a friend, he said, and became a reality as time ran short and no other obvious name emerged. While the names of their other spirits reference Durango’s historic characteristics – the train, mining and a once-thriving sex trade – McCardell says the eponymous branding speaks to the mission he and his wife set out to accomplish.

“Our whole goal when we opened this was to produce the best-tasting spirits we could possibly produce,” he said. “And I think we’ve lived up to that. I think we’ve produced some spectacular spirits.”

McCardell eloquently gushes when describing his “grain-to-glass” operation. Too many distilleries buy product from large producers, blend it with something else and put a new name on it, he said.

If the awards draped over bottles in a case by the tasting room door are any indication, the McCardells’ purist attitude is paying off.

With just two casks of the new release in his so-called private reserve, McCardell expects the 500 bottles to sell out within about two months, or perhaps even by the end of the year.

Once it sells out? Well, McCardell says customers will have to wait another four years. He intends to make another private reserve batch, this time with more smoky flavor and a few more barrels to go around.

Bottles of McCardell’s Private Reserve American Single Malt Whiskey cost $100 and are available for purchase only at the distillery and tasting room on the corner of East 11th Street and East Main Avenue. The bar will serve the single malt whiskey as well, although only neat and or over a rock.

“I’d hate to screw up the flavor of this by putting any kind of mixer in it,” he said. “A lot of work went into just getting this dialed in.”

rschafir@durangoherald.com