Keeping in the spirit of Hatgi’s showcase, all proceeds of the release have been donated to the Colorado State Beekeepers Association, the MCA and Warren Tech’s culinary department. The group repurposed some of that honey, distilling it safely into a liquid with hints of chamomile, coriander and of course strong notes of its prime ingredient. The Nectar Jones Honey Liqueur was developed in collaboration with the artist Kristen Hatgi, who hosted an exhibition at the Denver Museum of Contemporary Art that featured honey-covered humans and objects, both live and on video. For the real connoisseur, the team recently released a Distiller’s Selection - a tasting room-only, 110 proof variation drawn from head distiller Rob Masters’ favorite or “honey” barrel, with hints of butterscotch, hay, honeysuckle and presumably a side of rumination.
With notes of dark cherry, toasted cereal grains, vanilla and caramel, the bourbon is a nice sipper - though, even at 94 proof, it feels somehow more gentle than many of its peers. This spring’s Ella Jones Bourbon is the distillery’s second batch of the annual flagship product. “We believe that every act of eating and drinking is an agricultural act, and therefore give great respect and attention to the farms where the process begins,” said brand ambassador Nick Touch.
The meteoric rise makes sense, owed in part to the broad portfolio - vodka, gin, rum, whiskey and prebatched cocktails are all prepared with care – and a general commitment to both keeping things grain-to-bottle and doing so with transparency. The Lowdown: Despite only having opened in November 2017, The Family Jones has quickly become a household name and a favorite of many of the city’s bartenders.