The story behind Big Blaze Bourbon is as remarkable as what’s inside the bottle
Most award-winning bourbons come with a backstory about heritage, family recipes, or some remote grain source. Big Blaze Bourbon from Denver-based Locke + Co. Distillery comes with something entirely different — the charred remnants of one of the most destructive wildfires in Colorado history.
Image credit: Locke + Co.
The second release of this limited-edition bourbon just picked up two of the most respected honors in the spirits world: a Double Gold at the 2026 Denver International Spirits Competition and a Gold medal at the 2026 Ascot Awards. The Double Gold didn’t come easy — it required a unanimous score from a blind-judging panel of industry professionals, meaning every single judge tasted it without knowing what it was and still gave it top marks…