The city of Black Hawk is giving away free land — with a catch. The offer is available to distillers, craft brewers and entrepreneurs as a development incentive for its Artisans’ Point project.

According to officials, Artisans’ Point is a visionary development in the City of Black Hawk, encompassing approximately 22 acres of space for distillers, craft brewers, and entrepreneurs to create and innovate.

The project reached a significant milestone with an open house event Thursday as the Rick Thomas Distillery opened to anchor the development.

“The Rick Thomas Distillery embodies the City’s vision of Artisans’ Point — a place where creativity flourishes and traditions are honored. This distillery is not just a space for producing exceptional craft spirits; it represents the spirit of our heritage and the dedication of artisans to their craft,” Black Hawk Mayor David D. Spellman said in a news release. “I am proud to see our vision for Artisans’ Point come to life, and I believe that this new development will contribute to the unique character of our city.”

According to the distillery’s website, Rick Thomas Distillery produces a whiskey that uses shared production methods with scotch whiskey.

“To really bring tradition into distilling, our stills are the classic pot-style used to produce whiskey in Scotland. This style has been used to make complex and smooth whiskey for over a thousand years,” the website explains. “Nearly all whiskey made in America uses a column style still, which is a very accurate process. These column style stills typically produce a very clean whiskey, while our pot style stills leave many oils and flavor compounds in the spirit to produce a more robust whiskey. Either process can be used to make incredible whiskeys, they just have different characteristics.”

Rick Thomas Distillery’s footprint encompasses 2.83 acres of the 22-acres of space allotted for Artisans’ Point. Adjacent to the site, Proximo Spirits (owner of Stranahan’s Whiskey, Jose Cuervo, and several other brands) is preparing to relocate their Tincup Whiskey operation to the new, over 300-acre, $50 million Lake Gulch Whiskey Resort, with infrastructure development currently underway.

The new resort “will include a hotel, a distillery, camping grounds, restaurants, event space, retail, an outdoor amphitheater and outdoor activities such as hiking trails, ziplines and a farm,” according to constructionjournal.com.

There’s a third development in the area. Construction of Hawk’s Landing — immediately north of the beverage community by developer Club Vista Properties II, LLC — has commenced. Hawk’s Landing will offer an Airstream and Geodesic Dome Campground.

For business owners looking to take advantage of Black Hawk’s free land offer, opportunities remain. With the Artisans’ Point infrastructure now complete, the city of Black Hawk continues its search for partners to develop the remaining lots. Municipal incentives include a commitment from the city to contribute the land, as well as waive water user fees for one year, waive water tap and water system development fees, use tax rebates on construction materials and fixtures, furniture, and equipment.

“This is just the beginning for Artisans’ Point. The City of Black Hawk is willing to extend a good measure of camaraderie and collaboration for future development with several municipal incentives, including free land at Artisans’ Point,” Spellman said in the release. “We look forward to welcoming future distillers, craft brewers, and entrepreneurs who will call this place home. The establishment of the Rick Thomas Distillery is a testament to the potential that Artisans’ Point holds, and I am eager to witness the growth and innovation that will continue to unfold in our city.”

For more information on development opportunities at Artisans’ Point interested parties contact the city of Black Hawk’s City Manager, Steve Cole at 303-582-2200 or e-mail: [email protected].