In a rising sea of distilleries and cocktail bars, The Family Jones shines bright with quality, taste, and artistry. The former comes from the notable bottles themselves, marked by various hand prints in black-and-white portraiture. Because of the quality of the spirit within, these bottles grace the shelves in bars, liquor stores, and restaurants across the Denver Metro Area and beyond.
Starting the Family
The concept for the Family Jones distillery came out of an international friends’ trip and a visit to Japan’s Bar High Five. Some universal signaling toward the London-based Sipsmith Gin, and Denver industry friends who know other Denver industry friends culminated in a meeting of the minds between Family Jones co-owners Paul Tamburello and Rob Masters.
Both men appreciated a good gin, and soon a shared vision of starting a distillery became a reality. Masters brought to the table both distilling experience and an incomparable palate, a result of his work with Spring 44 Distilling and developing his own liquor, Rob’s Mountain Gin.
“To this day, Rob’s Mountain Gin is one of the best I’ve had,” said Tamburello. “Rob has a palate and a nose and a curiosity for how to make incredible spirits.”
Because of said palate, that’s how the award-winning, ready-to-drink cocktail Earl Grey Negroni (Automatic Jones, $43) came to be. That, and a bit of kindness between neighbors. As the story goes, a friend of Masters wanted to make a nonalcoholic fizzy tea and age it in a bourbon barrel. So, Masters offered up a barrel and the neighbor stuffed it full of earl grey tea.
Unfortunately for the neighbor, the tea leaves leeched all the bourbon and left a soggy mess. But as luck would have it, Masters got the barrel back, threw some Juniper Jones gin ($37) in it, and let it sit for three months. Ultimately, the distiller’s quick thinking created a seasonal spirit release so popular it had to be added to the year-round line. Next, the classic cocktail in a bottle earned silver at the 2024 American Craft Spirits Association.
As for the rest of the line up, which includes Ella Jones Colorado Straight Bourbon Whiskey, Atticus Jones Colorado Straight Rye Whiskey, and Annika Jones Vodka, it all came after the original gin. Each Family Jones spirit is aged for a minimum of three years, except for Barrel Number One, which turns eight this year and gets tapped every December for a team tasting. But the average age of each spirit on the regular lineup is roughly four and a half years. From the get go, every new batch gets the same amount of patience and care as the last.
The Family Grows Up With a New Matron
The distillery’s cocktail bar, the Spirit House, in Denver’s charming LoHi neighborhood has been a place for The Family Jones to showcase its spirits through hand-crafted cocktails since 2017. This past November, the Spirit House reopened after a six week hiatus with a refreshed space and new cocktail menu crafted by the Spirit House’s new General Manager, Tabby Klocke.
“I’m thrilled to be a part of the team at The Family Jones and reopen the Spirit House with an all new cocktail menu that really highlights the quality of spirits that our distillers are producing,” said Klocke, who started her own fresh-ingredient cocktail mixer business Bootleg Betty in 2020. “Everyone loves music, so the menu is set up like a playlist with cocktails divided by genre and named after classic songs everyone knows and loves.”
While the cocktails may be new, Klocke added, guests can expect the same level of quality and creativity that put the distillery and tasting room on the map in the first place. Each creation is named after one of Klocke’s favorite tunes, though the drink recipe comes before the melody.
On the new menu find duck fat-washed Atticus Jones Straight Rye Distiller’s Selection in the Overtime ($18), which combines Hennessy, Carpano Antica sweet vermouth, bitters, and a chocolate coin. Or go savory with She’s a Lady ($17), featuring the house vodka, Noilly Prat dry vermouth, pickled carrot, celery bitters, and a dash of salt.
“This menu really speaks to who I am,” she said, adding that with Bootleg Betty she combines fresh-pressed juices, spices, and herbed syrups with shelf-stable garnishes in order to craft the mixers. “This ethos translates to my new role at The Family Jones Spirit House where my goal is simple, to create high-quality cocktails complete with responsible sourcing, the distillery’s award-winning spirits, fresh ingredients and a little moxy.”
Supporting Future Generations
Beyond passion, curiosity, and the desire to make good spirits, The Family Jones walks the walk in supporting the local agriculture that brings those spirits to life.
The distillery has one production location in Denver. Dubbed Ma Jones, it’s located on the mezzanine level of the Spirit House on Osage Street, which is used more for experimentals and bar modifiers. The real labor of the distillery takes place at a facility in Loveland.
“Logistically, [Loveland] makes sense because most farms we work with are within 10 to 15 miles of the facility,” said Tamburello.
The Family Jones also works closely with producers in the San Luis Valley, like Jones Farms Organics (no relation), who supply the majority of the rye used in the company’s spirits. It’s because of this relationship that The Family Jones is at the forefront of the Rye Resurgence Project.
“We’re passionate about working with Colorado producers and [initiatives like] the Rye Resurgence Project as much as possible,” said Tamburello. “Working with farmers that are doing it right is a huge part of our ethos.”
This ethos, as Family Jones President Matt Reilly explains, revolves around the idea of spirits starting in the soil, not in the still. More healthy soil yields better grains, and better grains yield better spirits.
The Family Jones team has had a hand in everything from the Rye Resurgence Project to water management and retention in soil to food access community programs like The Growhaus, which was also founded by Tamburello.
“For us, it’s about food traceability, supporting Colorado agriculture, supporting regenerative principles, and supporting farmers doing the absolute best they can for the soil,” he said. “Every act of eating is an agricultural act.”
And in this case, so is drinking.
Visit The Family Jones Spirit House Tuesday through Saturday, 4 to 10 p.m. 3245 Osage St., Denver, thefamilyjones.co
