Earlier this week, Scott Yeates couldn’t help but smile as he watched construction workers begin the process of transforming the former Butcherknife Brewery building into the new home of Mythology Distillery.

“Oh, it’s so nice to see some activity out here,” Yeates said as he walked through the old Butcherknife facility and talked about the changes.

Mythology, a craft distillery that had been based out of Denver, purchased the property at 2875 Elk River Road in November 2021 with the intent to turn it into the distillery’s new campus, complete with a production facility big enough to handle the demand for Mythology’s spirits, a tasting room, and an outdoor whiskey garden .

Yeates is optimistic that Mythology Distillery will be making craft spirits in Steamboat by summer 2023, and he is also hoping the entire campus will open then.

The tasting room will be located in the existing 5,000-square-foot building and will be the heart of the Mythology Distillery campus. The tasting room will nearly double in size, and offer guests a more refined sampling experience. Visitors will be able to see through a window into the spirit-making process.

Outside, the campus will offer a whiskey garden that is close to a quarter acre and includes a large outdoor fire pit, an Asian dumpling restaurant, outdoor bar, game area and an upper terrace built into the hillside with slides to race down.

There will also be a 4,200-square-foot rack house where whiskey can go through a process called sonic aging, which uses sound waves to amplify flavor.

The group is also working with Steamboat Creates and plans to have large murals on the production building as well as the rack house.

The parking lot will be expanded, but Mythology Distillery plans to offer a shuttle service to bring people to and from the downtown area, as well as some of lodging providers.

The owners will offer tours of the facility once finished, providing insight into the process of Myhtology Distillery’s craft spirits.

“I think a lot of people probably think that (construction) fizzled out,” Yeates said with a laugh. “People asked me all the time when we’re going to be done. It’s probably going to be summer next year — I mean I would love to have it sooner — but we want to do it right. We want to build a really cool, active space and we don’t want to rush it.”

For Yeates, there is no question the experience is centered on the whiskey garden, which he’s hoping will be a gathering place featuring live music, games, and community events. The quarter-acre space, which was inspired by the natural environment setting found at the Odell Brewing Company in Fort Collins, will be built behind the existing building.

“We’re huge fans of Odells,” Yeates said. “I went to college at CSU and Odells was still in a double wide when I graduated. But we loved it, we followed their progression and they built that really cool outdoor space. There’s a little bit of inspiration from them, and we just kind of look up to them, so it’s like ‘let’s take that cool, natural environment and create something similar here.’”

Mythology Distillery is currently located in Denver, where it has a distillery and cocktail bar as well as a secondary production facility. The spirits maker will continue to operate a tasting room at its Denver location, but will consolidate production in Steamboat Springs.

Yeates, Scott Burg and Mike Zakhem — all Colorado natives — founded Mythology in 2018 with a passion to bring people together to share stories while enjoying whiskey and gin cocktails. Since then, Mythology has become one of Colorado’s fastest growing distillers and expanded distribution of its Best Friend Bourbon, Hell Bear American Whiskey and Needle Pig Gin to California, Tennessee, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Michigan and Montana.

Yeates has lived in Steamboat Springs since 2017, and is thrilled to bring Mythology Distillery closer to home.

“If you want a really casual atmosphere — maybe hanging out with your dog, or hanging out after a bike ride, or you want to bring friends to hang out around the picnic tables, or maybe listen to some live music — then the whiskey garden might be your thing,” Yeates said. “But if you’d like to go inside, have some cocktails, hang out with friends and family or maybe have a date night, we can offer that as well. We want to create a fun space where people want to come and hang out.”

To reach John F. Russell, call 970-871-4209, email jrussell@SteamboatPilot.com or follow him on Twitter @Framp1966.

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