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Nearly a year after retired Vail ߣÏÈÉú Patrol dog, Henry, picked the barrel that would be used in a special collaboration with 10th Mountain Whiskey & Spirits Company, Avy Dog Bourbon is ready to be released to the public.

Chris “Mongo” Reeder, Henry’s owner and director of Vail ߣÏÈÉú Patrol and his friend, Mike “Kanger” Kang came up with the idea to honor Henry’s legacy in some way while drinking a glass of bourbon, but they just didn’t know how to make the bourbon. That’s when they enlisted the help of Ryan Thompson, owner of the Eagle County-based 10th Mountain Whiskey & Spirits Company.

“A couple of times a year we get asked to do a white label program and the answer’s always been ‘no’ but when Mongo and Kanger approached me and told me about their project it was an immediate ‘yes.’ I didn’t have to think twice about it,” Thompson said.

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Last May, Mongo and Kanger went to the 10th Mountain Whiskey & Spirits Company’s distillery in Gypsum to sample various barrels. They narrowed it down to two barrels and Henry ultimately picked the barrel that would be used for the inaugural edition of Avy Dog Bourbon. His paw print is on the actual barrel, like a stamp of approval.

Henry crossed the rainbow bridge to doggie heaven last fall but his legacy lives on in this new collaboration.

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“Just looking at his paw print on the barrel over there, it’s all pretty nostalgic for me and I didn’t realize until I was sitting here that it would bring back some of these memories,” Mongo said. “I certainly feel a strong connection to this. It was a fun process and is something that is aligned with the nature of how Henry lived his life and so I feel really good about carrying on his legacy in this way.”

Mongo and Kanger were at the distillery last week putting labels on the first bottles that will be offered to the public this weekend. 10th Mountain Whiskey & Spirits Company will be selling the bourbon at its tasting room on Bridge Street in Vail and at the distillery in Gypsum. Stop by the Bridge Street location on Saturday at 3 p.m. and get a sample.

Henry is featured prominently on the label, along with a 10th Mountain Division soldier climbing the Gore Range.

“Henry was a pretty photogenic dog. He lived his whole life on top of Vail Mountain in the public eye and there are thousands of pictures in homes across the world. I think people will see the label and recognize that it is Henry and it will create a special connection,” Mongo said.

Since Henry was a dedicated service dog, Mongo and Kanger plan to give a portion of the proceeds from Avy Dog Bourbon back to charities that benefit service dogs, such as K9s for Warriors, which provides highly trained service dogs to veterans suffering from PTSD and other traumas. 10th Mountain Whiskey & Spirits Company supports veterans’ organizations as well, which solidifies this partnership even more. Learn about their philanthropic efforts at and .

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The barrel Henry picked will produce about 300 bottles of Avy Dog Bourbon and since Henry is no longer here to select subsequent barrels, Kanger and Mongo will need to be up for the task.

“Henry trusted me his whole life, so I’m sure he’d trust me with this,” Mongo said.