The Spirits of Boulder, Colorado: A Boulder Distillery Tour

boulder co distillery

Boulder has spirits. There’s the ghost that haunts Macky Auditorium. Then the ghostly, avid music lover that’s been seen catching shows at the Boulder Theater for decades. There’s the long-time residents of Boulder that roam the Columbia Cemetery at night. But Boulder is home to more than just the spirits of resident ghosts. Boulder is also home to spirits of a much more welcoming variety.

Spirits like vodka, and gin, and rum. And the best (and also possibly worst) thing about these spirits, is they’re all located in the same location.

Starting with Roundhouse Spirits, Boulder’s oldest distillery, opened in 2008 at 5311 Western Avenue, Suite 180. Roundhouse is all about the gin, which they’re serving up in tasters and in cocktails at their Speakeasy bar located inside of the distillery. They’re also sending bottles of gin to bars and liquor stores all across Colorado as well as several other parts of the country and select places overseas. Roundhouse is open Wednesday through Saturday from 2:00 to 10:00 p.m. and Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

In additional to their signature gin, Roundhouse Spirits also serves up house-made Corretto Coffee Liqueur and a barrel-aged Gin. Do some sampling and find out more about their products on a distillery tour which are scheduled at 4 p.m. on weekdays, 3:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. on weekends, and upon request after 5:00 p.m. any day pending tour guide availability.

A stone’s throw from Roundhouse is the Boulder Distillery & Clear Spirit Company. They’re better known by their best-selling product, 303 Vodka, a potato vodka inspired by an old-school family recipe passed down into the hands of the current owner. This distillery is all about the vodka, and they’ve mastered infusing this tasty spirit so well, that their ever-changing line-up of seasonal infusions are so good, they can be consumed on their own. Just be careful. In this industry, too much of a good thing, is almost always a really bad thing.

303 Vodka has a funky little distillery and tap room located at 2500 47th St, Unit 10. The bright colors and interesting infusions make this a well-loved drinking hole in the area. It’s location next to one of Boulder’s busiest bike paths makes it a natural rest stop for cyclists. If vodka isn’t quite your thing, these guys are also making whiskey, and samples of all spirits can be had depending on availability. Catch a tour at this joint every Wednesday through Saturday between 2-5 p.m.

And across the parking lot from the Boulder Distillery & Clear Spirit Company is J&L Distillery. Known for their FYR and SNO themes, this distillery produces a hand-crafted, award-winning vodka made with Rocky Mountain snow run-off and sugar cane from Louisiana, a FYR Liqueur made with a well-balanced blend of herbs and spices, and a SNO Gin, which is 47% alcohol and incredibly refreshing in the summertime.

J&L makes some incredible mixed cocktails with their products, and their outdoor patio that faces the Flatirons is a great place to post up on a sunny Colorado day. J&L is located at 4842 Pearl Street, and is open and pouring drinks Wednesday from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m., Thursday to Saturday from noon to 10 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 6 p.m.

Geek Spirits is the new kid on the block, having opened in March of this year. This distillery is busy making silver rum, which they’re adding to cocktails and serving up as samples at their distillery located at 6880 Winchester Circle, #D. The tasting room is open on Fridays from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. and Saturdays from 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Bottles of Geek Spirits’ run is also available for purchase at Boulder’s Whole Foods Wine and Spirits on Pearl Street.

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Tyra Sutak

Tyra Sutak

Tyra Sutak is a Boulder-based freelance writer specializing in entertainment, travel, food, craft beer and music journalism. When she's not busy enjoying a craft brew at a local tap room, or catching a show at the Boulder Theater, she can be found be exploring Boulder trails and climbing new mountains.
Tyra Sutak

Tyra Sutak

Tyra Sutak is a Boulder-based freelance writer specializing in entertainment, travel, food, craft beer and music journalism. When she's not busy enjoying a craft brew at a local tap room, or catching a show at the Boulder Theater, she can be found be exploring Boulder trails and climbing new mountains.

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