J & L Distilling Company

Been there once with some friends from work. The place is a little small for a big gathering but they’ve got some amazing cocktails! My fave is the beet-​infused gin. Deeeeelicious!

I can’t express how amazing this place is. I was on vacation from Maine and went there by my lonesome in August. The place was empty besides one of the owners. He was so welcoming. I spent two hours just talking to him. He had me try a new melon mixed drink he was thinking of making for September. He made a delicious peach cocktail with yummy Colorado peaches. And all hail the beet down! Wow just wow. He went through my passport and told me where he would go and where we wouldn’t. He was just so so friendly and that was one of the highlights of my trip.

I am confused about the 5 star reviews for this place… suspicious. We were passing through on our bikes and thought we would try it. It’s a distillery in a warehouse area so you would think ‘laid back’, but instead they were trying to make expensive craft cocktails in martini glasses. Confusing. Then, we realized there was an equally well crafted line of about 15 tickets before ours. Not the place to be doing that. It tasted like Mr. Clean. I’d give it another try, but 303 down the road has never failed.

Decent cocktails. I still think the Boulder area needs to step it up in general but FOR Boulder county this was quite good. The Gin is really nice. It’s a sugar cane gin which is interesting, gives it a different burn and a bit of an almost rummy flavor.

Finally made it here after months of seeing it and hoping to make it in. A friend also wanted to check it out so we made plans to go on a Saturday evening. When we arrived there was a tour in session so we made our way to the bar. There were many drinks I wanted to try but upon recommendation of the bartender, I chose the Beet Down and I wasn’t disappointed. It was a seriously damn good drink! I then went on to try their version of a mojito and a ginger drink. Both were good, but had nothing on the Beet Down. My friend chose the Beet Down and ginger drink as well, along with a peach drink. The service was really great and we even got to talk for quite some time with one of the founders! Overall a great experience and fun evening with a friend.

After meeting these lovely and passionate distillers at a Unilocal event I was ecstatic to finally visit them on their home turf.
With a friend in tow we strolled the Skunk Creek path — enjoying the sounds of the creek and the sereneness of the road less traveled. Although the path system is fantastic in town I don’t often find myself on it (mostly for fear of pedestrians/​strollers/​skateboarders while riding my bike on the Boulder Creek path, but that’s another story).
In no time at all (ok I admit this is Sasha speak for any distance up to or around 1mile — a girl’s gotta get those Fitbit steps in somehow!) we found ourselves at J&L. While approaching we could see there was a tour in the works and walked around the side of the building to the tasting room entrance.
Ascending the stairs up to the tap room we noted a great outdoor space with several picnic tables outfitted with umbrellas (fantastic for those post hike libations). Inside we were delighted at the open yet cozy feel. We chose a couple of bar stools and took a load off. Nibbling on a bowl of pretzels we contemplated the creative cocktail menu.
As my friend and I are both holders of the Boulder Passport
) we relished in the fact that we’d be in the establishment for awhile enjoying not one but two libations; after all we had a lot of catching up to do.
This was my friend’s first experience with J&L and she was tickled that the bartender was happy to provide her with samples of their liquors. In the end she chose a Beet Cocktail while I went for the Palisade Peach Pie — great choices on both counts.
While sipping our cocktails we noted that the tour was still in full force and we enjoyed glimpses of the group through a viewing window in the tasting room. Once the tour commenced the group found their way in to the tasting room as did the tour provider who happened to be one of the distillery founders.
One of my favorite things about J&L (aside from the FYR liquor) is how approachable and open the staff are. I always find it to be a special experience when business owners take the time to not only interact but engage with their customers.
I look forward to returning for a tour as well as sharing this great spot with more friends.

Great cocktails and friendly staff! The gin is the best as is the beetdown! They know what they are doing and have food trucks on Wednesday and Thursday. Great outdoor seating with picnic table and rope.

I came here as part of a weekend afternoon brewery tour. This was our one distillery stop along the brewery route and I’m glad we came. It was a hot summer-​ish day and I had a very refreshing Snohito and got to try some really cool liquors.
I never would’ve known this place was here if not for friends bringing me and it’s a really cool spot, I’ll definitely be back.

I love J&L! I have had every drink on the menu and loved every single one. The beet down takes the cake though. I had the chance to meet both owners and could not speak more highly of them. The real gem of this place is the bartender, Joanna. She is so welcoming, warm, fun, and accomodating. If you need a drink you have to visit J&L!

Really cool little place to try some unique liquors. We came in on a Saturday just after lunch and they were fairly busy. The bartender was very nice though and let us know she would be with us as soon as possible (in a friendly, not rushed sort of way).
She gave us free samples of their Gin, Vodka, and FYR liqueur, all of which were very unique and smooth. Afterwards, we ordered the Gingeraide and FYRcide cocktails. These were both delicous, the FYRcide being described accurately as a Christmasy drink beside a warm fire.
The tasting room was within the same building as the distillery and actually had open windows into the distillery side of things, which was pretty neat. It looked like they allowed dogs, which was a big plus. We didn’t pick up a bottle, but will definitely be back to get the FYR during the holidays.

Delicious & creative cocktail menu, and the drinks are so photogenic (the other Unilocaler’s photos alone were enough to convince me to order this drink) — Beet Down with gin. Very affordable too.
Friendly staff– we tasted all 3 of the liquors (gin, vodka, fyr) in tiny cups for free before ordering cocktails from their specialty menu (all of which sound amazing and are great bargains). The tasting area is a small extension of their warehouse/​production space, with a handful of tables and a bar, where we sat. I visited on a gorgeous Saturday afternoon, and the place was pretty empty.

An awesome distillery with a great little tasting room! Super friendly staff. You can get tastings of their 3 products. I really enjoyed all of them — they were quite pleasant on their own and had some really great and unique flavor profiles.
After trying the spirits on their own, we got some of their cocktails which were super unique. One of them is made with beet juice, and it was AMAZING. Highly recommend you buy one of those after your tasting.
All in all, a great spot to check out!

When I walked into the distillery with the tiny and empty tasting room, I wasn’t very excited. A sip of their unique and fantastic Fyr Liquer later, I had completely changed my mind. And not just because the liquer was a highly potent drink with 50% alcohol content. The deliciously unusual cinnamon aroma and flavour hooked me, even though I’m usually averse to hard alcohol.
You get to sample all three of their products — the liquer, gin and vodka — for free! And once you’ve chosen your favourite, there’s a pretty long list of creative cocktails to choose from. My favourite was the beet drink whose name completely escapes me (Beet Dunk perhaps?), it was unlike anything I’ve tasted before!
Because it was a slow night, the super nice bartender Judy spent a great deal of time talking us through the drinks (and several other random things!) and we got to watch the cocktail making process closely. I’m also impressed with the pricing — $ 6-​$ 7 for each cocktail — I’m used to them being at least $ 10.
I really wanted to take home a bottle of the Fyr Liquer with me but I couldn’t fit it in my suitcase. Will definitely need to plan for that next time I’m in Boulder!

Absolutely delicious! Met them at the Unilocal!In Living Color event, and what a fantastic group of people. The gin is lovely, but I fell in love with Fyr. Fantastic!

Definitely a cool find while we were in Boulder. It’s a distillery, but there’s also a tasting room, with a very creative drink menu. We came early evening, and the place was half full, and offered a mellow vibe. The smell of dank hit us as soon as we walked up (Welcome to Colorado), hence the «mellow» vibe. The bar was full, but we grabbed a great table inside, that faced outside, with a view of the Flatirons. (see pic)
I think everyone in here was high– hell, I might’ve been high as well, with all of the patio hits that took place throughout our visit. The bartender was super duper friendly, and explained the whole distilling process. Apparently, «J&L» are two scientists, or something like that, who decided to start a distilling company. Ok, so {think bubbles} they’re like Walter White from Breaking Bad, except they make liquor, instead of meth? The bartender laughed and said, «Uh, yeah, sort of.»
Wifey and I ordered a couple Chatauqua cocktails, which have their «Sno» Vodka, and other «stuff.» Actually, I ended up having three of them, so it was one tasty cocktail. We also tasted the gin, and «fyr» which sort of reminds me of the old Aftershock cinnamon liquor. Who knows, I was inebriated, and mostly likely high at this point. I opted not to buy the «Sno» Vodka, because I wasn’t blown away with the taste of it, on its own. I’m more of a Chopin guy, but the «Sno» was good, and supposedly the distillation process is elaborate.
All in all, a very cool place. I will return, next time I’m in Boulder.

Awesome, loved this place. Jason (the J in J&L) did a tasting for us and he was really fun, knowledgeable and easy to talk to. Not only was the tasting free, and delicious, but they also make really excellent cocktails so you can hang out for a bit and not feel like a jerk for tasting their booze for free. I would definitely go here if you can, it’s well worth the trip.
As a side note, he recommended a bunch of other good food and alcohol-​related spots to check out, including some other distilleries, which I found to be really helpful, and also pretty admirable of him. 5 stars for sure.

Amazing place! Love the gin and liqueur.
Very friendly owner.
$ 6 – 7 cocktails.
You must come.

Stop reading these reviews and just go there! You will not be disappointed in the slightest. The still that J&L uses is full on legit distillation equipment with more purification and distillation capabilities than 30 Scotsmen combined!
They make their base spirit from cane sugar molasses for a clean fermentation with few byproducts (read: no hangovers). This clean spirit then forms the basis for the superb vodka, gin, and liqueur that they make.
They have some excellent mixed drinks they’ve formulated to showcase each beverage. You can’t go wrong here. Stop in; you’ll thank yourself later for doing so!

What happens when two brainy types turn their attention to making tha hooch?! Here lies their brainchild and delicious liquid creations! They even designed and built their own still! This will be the best gin or vodka you have ever tasted. For real.
The cocktails in the tasting room are designed to perfectly showcase the spirits. All of the ingredients are of the highest quality. Boulder is already well-​known for their local microbreweries, and Seth and Justin are putting us on the map for local spirits! I couldn’t be more enthusiastic or impressed. these guys are going places and bringing us along for the ride.
Don’t miss the beet-​infused gin in the Beet Down!
Beet Down to get down y’all!

This is probably my new favorite place in Boulder. What other reviewers have said about the quality of the spirits they make is dead-​on. These guys are science nerds (a chemical engineer and a physicist) and they’ve put those brains to bear on a tasty, tasty problem.
Not only are the drinks superb, the people are amazing. We wandered in one Saturday night and were treated to a personal and personable tour by one of the owners. The experience was so great, I told all my friend about it.
A couple weeks later, I decided to hold a birthday gathering there and invited all my friends. About 4:30 pm on the day of, one of them checked the Facebook page and realized the place was actually closed for the 4^th of July weekend. BUT! They left a phone number. I called. Not only did they remember me from 2 weeks earlier, they agreed to stay open so I could have my party. It rocked.
This place is pretty much destined to blow up into something huge, so get there now before it gets too crowded for a seat or too busy to get to know the awesome owners.