At first glance, Little Wolf doesn’t quite make sense. The space, formerly home to Cafe Brazil, is packed with mid-century modern decor, as well as a few Tiki flourishes and photos of tropical islands. There are also antiques and photos depicting the local rockabilly scene.
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It’s the kind of motif you might expect from a whiskey bar, especially one that includes about 100 different bottles of American single malt — what owners Clarke Boyer and Jonathan Odde believe is one of the biggest collections of American single malts in the country.
But these disparate elements are anything but chaotic; in fact, they come together to form something greater than the sum of their parts. “I wanted to follow a different muse,” said Odde. “We started talking about the eclecticism of the restaurant. Our lives are eclectic.”
Boyer and Odde are both longstanding whiskey aficionados and professionals.
Odde, who also owns The Burns Pub and Restaurant in Broomfield, has loved the stuff since his youth and is currently a judge at the North American Bourbon and Whiskey Competition and the Denver International Spirits Competition. The Burns, which opened in 2011, has more than 600 bottles of whiskey, mostly single-malt Scotch, on the shelves.
Clarke’s love for single malt was cemented on a month-long trip to Scotland, where he and a friend rode 1,000 miles on bicycles to visit 15 of the country’s top distilleries. Since then, he’s acted as both distiller and barrel manager at Stranahan’s in Denver, worked as a supplier and rep for William Grant and Sons, bartended at Linger, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot and Finn’s Manor. He’s also a national brand ambassador for Glenmorangie and Ardbeg.
Little Wolf, which is also a restaurant, opened in May, and while the menu isn’t limited to American single malts, that is the focus — something that turned out to be very good timing.
Since American single malt was officially recognized as a new whiskey category by the Alcohol and Tobacco Trade Bureau in December 2024, its popularity has surged. And while the owners say they opened the spot ostensibly as a neighborhood joint, there has still been a surge of national and international visitors who come by to ogle the pilgrimage-worthy back bar.
The food menu is as eclectic as the decor. Items like bao sliders with choices of tempura shrimp, karaage chicken or barbecue jackfruit, sit comfortably next to whipped black garlic and goat cheese butter with house marinara over warm ciabatta. There’s also a Cubano, tiki salmon, charcuterie boards, and French fries covered in sliced linguiça sausage.
The Brazilian-style Xtudo Burger — with a buttery patty, linguiça sausage, bacon, Swiss cheese and crispy potato straws — is a nod to Cafe Brazil, which operated at Little Wolf’s address, 4408 Lowell Blvd. in Denver, for 32 years before closing at the end of 2024.
“It’s worldly comfort food. We wanted the food to pair really well with the whiskey and the cocktails,” said Boyer, adding that the menu has written pairing suggestions. A whiskey-based cocktail menu features classics like Old Fashioneds, Manhattans, John Collins and sours.
The global inspiration for the food (and cocktails) is intertwined with the massive variety of flavors found in single malt, so the menu will change as the whiskey selections rotate.
“It’s kind of like a marriage,” Odde said. “You can’t say the husband comes first or the wife comes first. It’s all about the unity.”
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