Jenna Young jokes that she is “neither to be thanked nor blamed” for Fraser Valley Distilling’s existence.

Her parents Barry and Debbie Young had moved to Colorado from Atlanta, Georgia in 2011 to retire, and her brother Michael had worked in Grand County kitchens over the years.

Truth be told, the only person left to convince was her sister Rebecca, who still resided in Atlanta. But somehow, Jenna’s persistence won them all over. Soon, the entire Young family was on board with the idea of starting a business.

“It took about three years from having this crazy idea to us opening our doors,” Jenna said.

Each family member took on a different role.

Barry, who had experience as a home brewer, took on all things distilling. Michael’s passion for the culinary arts led to a position as chief distiller and kitchen creator. While Rebecca ran the social media and marketing side of things, Jenna became the general manager covering day-to-day business operations, and Debbie helped all around.

With all hands on deck, the restaurant and distillery had its grand opening in late 2018, and the business has been evolving ever since.

“We keep making new things,” Barry said.

Many distilleries of Fraser Valley’s size have anywhere from three to 10 types of products while theirs boasts nearly 30, excluding the unpackaged spirits stored in barrels in their back room, where all bottling happens by hand.

“We’ve allowed craft and innovation to be part of how we go about things,” he said, adding that the crew is always trying new things inspired by travel, word of mouth or what sounds good in the moment.

Last fall, Jenna and Michael started a fall harvest whiskey series — in collaboration with local Colorado farmers — by sourcing freshly harvested grain from nearby farms and using it in their whiskey blends to create a strong grain-forward flavor reminiscent of autumn.

Their whiskey gets its unique grain-forward flavor due to cooler weather in the high-elevation climate of Fraser Valley. The taste is distinct from oaky Kentucky bourbon, which ferments at lower elevations.

“Whiskey at 8500 feet is going to taste very different than something made in Kentucky or even Denver,” Barry said.

Whiskey is a top seller, but so are gin, rum and agave spirits. Customer favorites include the juniper and lavender gin, and aged agave products.

The cocktail menu reflects the same curiosity and attention to detail that goes into their spirits. One of Jenna’s most surprising successes is a carrot cocktail inspired by her travels to Maine that blends carrot juice, lemon, vodka, tomato liqueur and house-made cumin syrup, for a result is both unusual and refreshing.

“It’s definitely one of the weirdest things we have on the menu,” she said. “I had a customer tell me it tastes different than the sum of its parts.”

To round out the Fraser Valley’s offerings, Michael designed a scratch kitchen menu for a full dining experience. Nearly every item is made in-house, including sauces and salad dressings. Their Belgian-style fries have become a signature, often landing as the first thing on a table when locals bring friends.

In everything they do, quality is the family’s guiding principle.

“We’d never serve something we didn’t love ourselves,” Jenna said. “That’s the standard. That’s what makes it ours.”