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This Carbondale distillery won the Coolest Thing Made in Colorado award

Sarah Girgis
The Aspen Times
Connie Baker, head distiller, Marble Distilling Co. Courtesy
Courtesy photo

The Colorado Chamber of Commerce announced that Marble Vodka 80 was named the Coolest Thing Made in Colorado for 2022 in the Best Food and Beverage category — an honor Head Distiller and Founder Connie Baker couldn’t be more thrilled about.

“Even though we have won over 40 awards in our first few years, this award is so exciting and fun to be recognized in Colorado. It’s just a fun one,” she said.

Baker came to distilling as a hobbyist when she decided to attend distilling school in 2010 and fell in love with the process. It took her five years to find the perfect spot before she landed at what would be Marble Distilling Co.’s location on Main Street in Carbondale. From there, she and her team have built a model they hope other producers of spirits will replicate.



“We are proof that you can make a high-quality product in a sustainable fashion. When people drink with us, they are contributing to saving energy resources and water,” she said.

Their motto is “Drink Sustainably,” and it’s a core part of their business. By most measurable accounts, a typical bottle of vodka made in the United States uses about 100 bottles of water to produce. For the western part of the country, which is looking down the barrel of a water crisis, that model cannot be maintained indefinitely. To combat this, Marble Distillery recaptures 100% of its process water and re-uses the energy harvested from the distillation process to heat the facility. Because of this, it only takes one bottle of water to make an equal size bottle of their spirits. And, she says it’s completely scalable.

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“Through this process, we save more than 4 million gallons of water annually and capture enough energy to heat 20 homes,” Baker said.

100% of the products used at Marble Distilling Co. are grown or made in Colorado.
Courtesy photo

Not only that, but 100% of the products they use are grown or made in Colorado, fueling the local economy as well.

“Smaller craft distilleries are coming up with unique flavor profiles and spirits and changing the spirits movement in the U.S. It’s fun to try new and creative things that come from where we live,” she said.

The tasting room at Marble Distilling Co.
Courtesy photo

To that end, Marble is launching their fall/winter menu and will highlight a variety of hot drinks like the Campfire Martini garnished with marshmallows, as well as honey-forward liquors and cocktails with honey harvested from three of their four beehives, including a 94 proof rye with honeycomb. If espresso martinis are your thing, their inaugural spirit, Moonlight EXpresso, is comprised of vodka and coffee based on a recipe from Baker’s childhood that her mother made around the holidays. They are also releasing the only barrel of peach brandy made from Paonia peaches and aged in a third-generation cask.

First the barrel-aged bourbon, then Gingercello, and, finally, the brandy, which will be available right before Thanksgiving.

Moonlight EXpresso
Courtesy photo

“I want people to know that, by supporting us, they are not only supporting a local small business and the environment, they are also contributing to local ranchers who grow our grain, Colorado beet farmers who supply us with beet sugar, and local coffee roasters who roast our beans — they can imbibe, enjoy, and feel good about it,” she said.


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