Carl’s Whiskey Collection Soars Like Its Namesake Norwegian
Whiskey connoisseur? You won’t find a better selection than Carl’s Tavern downtown, which features a whopping 300 whiskeys at any given time. “From what suppliers tell me, we’re one of the top four whiskey bars in the state,” says owner Scott Engelman, who also owns Truffle Pig on the mountain.
Carl’s also prides itself on their own single-barrel bourbons, including their top-selling Blanton’s, 10-, 12-, 15-, 20- and 23-year Pappy Van Winkles, George T Stagg and William Larue Weller, all in the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection. “We also sell bottles that you can’t get anywhere else,” he says. “We have people driving up from the Front range, and even Utah and Wyoming, to pick them up. Some are impossible-to-get whiskeys, but we get them.”
The trick, he says, is having relationships with the brands, who appreciate their wares being seen on the shelf. “They want the visibility, and we provide that,” he says, adding that the restaurants have 14 different single barrels of whiskey, tequila and rum. Don’t want it straight up? Try a single barrel Knob Creek or Blanton’s Old Fashioned, with handcrafted bitters, tinctures and simple syrup.