How a Volunteer Fireman Found Success In a Bottle Stranahan's co-founder Jess Graber's passion for whiskey was born in a barnyard fire fight.

By Dan Bova

The Whisky X

Stranahan's was the first legal whiskey made in Colorado and boasts a loyal drinker-ship that spans the globe. And with good cause: not only does Stranahan's have an amazing origin story, it is also incredibly delicious.

I know because I was lucky enough to sneak into the barrel room at Stranahan's Distillery in Denver and raise a glass (or four) with the entrepreneur behind this amazing brand, Jess Graber.

Related: 'Bar Rescue' Star Jon Taffer Shares the One Thing That Helped Him Find Success

In the above video, Mr. Graber explains how Stranahan's came to be (spoiler: it involved putting out a fire in the barn of George Stranahan, founder and owner of Flying Dog Brewery) and how the company has expanded since they first started distilling in 2004.

Future whiskey entrepreneurs take note: distilling is harder than it looks, but by the ever-present smile on Mr. Graber's face can attest, it sure beats being stuck behind a computer all day long.

Cheers!

Dan Bova

Entrepreneur Staff

VP of Special Projects

Dan Bova is the VP of Special Projects at Entrepreneur.com. He previously worked at Jimmy Kimmel Live, Maxim, and Spy magazine. His latest books for kids include This Day in History, Car and Driver's Trivia ZoneRoad & Track Crew's Big & Fast Cars, The Big Little Book of Awesome Stuff, and Wendell the Werewolf

Read his humor column This Should Be Fun if you want to feel better about yourself.

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