Jake Norris to Part Ways With Laws Whiskey House: What’s Next for Mr. Whiskey?

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Jake Norris has been with Laws for the past four years.

CHELSEA KEENEY | JULY 22, 2016 | 2:33PM

In the past decade, Jake Norris has become practically synonymous with whiskey in the Denver food and beverage scene. The founding distiller for two well-known names in whiskey, Norris has decided to take a step in his own direction and part ways with his current distillery, Laws Whiskey House, makers of A.D. Laws Four Grain Straight Bourbon and Secale Rye, among others. With exciting plans for the future, Norris gave us a few hints as to what’s in the immediate future as well as further down the road.

In 2004, Norris was a partner and the founding distiller for a little whiskey start-up called Stranahan’s, one of Colorado’s oldest operating distilleries. He stayed with the company and helped it grow until 2010, when the distillery was sold to Proximo Spirits (Jose Cuervo). After that, he caught the attention of Al Laws, who brought him on to help start Laws Whiskey. Starting production in 2012 and launching 2014, Norris’s role with Laws has evolved from founding distiller to marketing and director of sales. While both distilleries have been great experiences, Norris says he’s excited to start something of his own.

Naturally, opening his own distillery seems like the logical move for Mr. Whiskey. But Norris says that’s a few years down the road. He wants to keep distilling, but the immediate future will involve a passion project. A man of many hobbies, the distiller also dabbles in Asian cooking and is part of the Ramen Mafia (which throws pop-up ramen parties), has a collection of his art going on exhibit at TRVE Brewery starting August 5, and occasionally enters BBQ competitions. With so many interests, where else could he possibly spread his passion? Norris chuckles and says, “I’m working on a location right now, but I’ll be making some moves pretty quickly and then will disclose what I’ve got up my sleeve.”

While the move from Laws, effective as of September, is sad for both sides, they are positive about the separation and excited for the future. Norris speaks fondly of his experience at the distillery and of his team there. And for his part, Al Laws adds “It’s bittersweet on both sides, definitely, and we really appreciate how much he’s done for us, but we are a mutual support for what he does next, and I think that there is a lot of opportunity for Jake in Denver right now.”

Norris says he’ll be a phone call away and happy to help out if Laws needs him. He’ll be doing a little consulting while getting his new project up and running — and of course, he’ll be drinking some whiskey.

 

Laws Whiskey House a new Denver bourbon distillery

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 October 30, 2014, 10:16 am

At Laws Whiskey House in Denver, owner Al Laws (left) works with head distiller Jake Norris to create a four-grain bourbon.

At Laws Whiskey House in Denver, owner Al Laws (left) works with head distiller Jake Norris to create a four-grain bourbon. (Courtesy Al Laws)

Colorado’s burgeoning distillery scene has a new addition: Laws Whiskey House is open at 1420 S. Acoma St., making and selling a premium bourbon.

A.D. Laws Four Grain Straight Bourbon is the brainchild of its namesake, Al Laws, a native of Alberta, Canada who moved here at the turn of the century — that would be the 21st — to work in the financial end of the oil and gas industry. The 45-year-old has teamed with master distiller Jake Norris for the signature bourbon. The stuff is sold at the distillery ($65 a bottle) and also dispensed in a growing number of Denver restaurants and liquor stores.

“Bourbon is real important to me,” Laws says with a laugh. “I’m a whiskey collector. I have more than 600 in my house and they’re open, too.”

Laws wanted the challenge of a four-grain bourbon. By law, bourbon must contain at least 51 percent corn. Laws and Norris augment theirs with rye, barley and wheat. The flavor profile: When you take a sip, it opens with rye notes, then shifts to mellow wheat, and finishes with the barley flavor.

“It’s very nicely balanced but there’s complexity to it,” says Laws, who plans to open a tasting room at the distillery in November. “The challenge is to keep the rye from overpowering the other grains.”

Laws’ interest in whiskey took him to Kentucky to explore the “Bourbon Trail.” There he met Bill Friel, a 40-year industry veteran and member of the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame, who became his friend and mentor. It took three years of trial-and-error to develop Laws’ whiskey.

Production is done in-house at the distillery, with the grain coming from the family-owned Colorado Malting Co. in Alamosa and corn from Briess Malting in Wisconsin. The whiskey is double-distilled in a 550-gallon copper pot/column still made in Missouri and aged for at least two years in new oak barrels. The distillery has 1,000 of the 53-gallon barrels in their aging racks.

“There are no shortcuts to truly great whiskey,” Laws says. “It’s a passion-influenced spirit.”

The Laws label joins a growing number of Colorado distilleries, such as Stranahan’s and Leopold Bros.

The secret is out….

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Jake Norris’ Operation Gargoyle unveiled as Laws Whiskey House

CHRIS MEEHAN | THURSDAY, MARCH 13, 2014
Whiskey Distillers at DSTILL Workshop

Whiskey Distillers at DSTILL Workshop

CHRIS MEEHAN

“You guys are the first people outside the distillery to drink the whiskey and the first outside the distillery to hear the name,” says Jake Norris speaking during the DSTILL Whiskey Workshop at Ste. Ellie on the night of March 12.

Norris, first Head Distiller at Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey, left Stranahan’s in 2011. Since then he, investor and owner Alan Laws, and the team of Stephen Julander, Alex Alexander and Jason Mann have been operating under the guise of Operation Gargoyle as Norris says, “To ward off evil spirits.”

“The name of the distillery is Laws Whiskey House,” Norris says. He explains, “It’s the last name of Al Laws, the extraordinarily passionate person that gave me the opportunity to make whiskey. The name of the whiskey is A.D. Laws Four-Grain Bourbon.”

Four-grain bourbons, which contain a blend of corn, rye, barley and wheat, are particularly difficult to make, according to Norris. He only knows of one other distillery that is making it, Tuthilltown Spirits out of Gardiner, N.Y., makers of Hudson Whiskeys. Tuthilltown distiller and brand ambassador Gable Erenzo, was also at the event.

The new whiskey isn’t ready for public release — yet. “We’re going to release the whiskey sometime late summer,” Norris explains. “I’m expecting that rye note to get a certain tone. It’s going to manifest itself in a very particular way at which point we will release the whiskey.”

Still, it’s already a lovely — if young — whiskey with a taste that lingers on the tongue. It reveals itself in complex notes tinged with toffee and already hints of the spicy rye notes that Norris anticipates will soon increase their presence in the liquor.

Norris has kept the project largely under wraps for a while now, but insists it was partly for the purity of the project. “It was about doing this right from the beginning. Zero compromise, zero cheating and lying, we had nothing to hide,” he says. “Everything we do is completely honest, completely above board, no sourcing no NGS [i.e., neutral grain spirits], no buying other people’s shit and labeling it.”

Contact Confluence Denver Innovation & Jobs News Editor Chris Meehan with tips and leads for future stories at chris@confluence-denver.com.