Todd Leopold

Coming Up

Training at Siebel Institute of Technology and Doemens School gave Todd Leopold the technical base for a practice built on precision, not speed. Those institutions helped shape a distilling approach that favors careful method, clean execution, and a preference for doing things the hard way when that is the better way. Today, Todd is founder and distiller of Leopold Bros.

Where They Are Now

In Denver, Leopold Bros. Frames distilling as process first: grain, still, and source material are treated as working parts of the final spirit, not as scenery. Todd Leopold’s approach keeps production history in view, using older methods as reference points rather than decoration. The result is a house style defined by patience, close attention, and a respect for what each step can change. Todd Leopold describes the connection plainly: “Steve’s respect for the old ways of winemaking correlates perfectly with my penchant for old spirits geekery.” The line matches the work itself—research-heavy, methodical, and interested in how older practices can still be useful on a modern floor. The Wermut makes that method easy to read. “Our collaborative Wermut harkens back to the aromatized wines of centuries ago while adding in our own distinctive styles and philosophies,” Todd Leopold has said. Then comes the clearest statement of intent: “We both look to the past in order to move forward.” At Leopold Bros, revival is not treated as reproduction; it is a working method for making something current.

Signature

Todd's signature wines include Leopold Bros Three Chamber Rye and Leopold Bros Matthiasson Sweet Wermut. Together, they reflect the range of his interests: one rooted in the technical possibilities of distillation, the other in the layered, aromatic world of wine and aperitif traditions. Each carries the same sense of deliberate craftsmanship that runs through his broader body of work.

In Their Words “Our collaborative Wermut harkens back to the aromatized wines of centuries ago while adding in our own distinctive styles and philosophies.” “Steve’s the old ways of winemaking correlates perfectly with my penchant for old spirits geekery.”

Honors

Todd Leopold has been named a James Beard Award semifinalist. The recognition sits alongside a body of work centered on revival, re-engineering, and a steady insistence that technical history can show up in the glass as clearly as flavor.