Golden Liquors, which claims to hold the second-oldest liquor license in the state established in 1902, has branched out into the agave market.
When Colorado voters approved Proposition 125 in November, grocery stores were allowed to start selling wine on March 1, 2023.
Co-owners Briana and Nate Austin first took over the business for the draw of the Coors factory nearby to bring in the beer-drinking customers. In addition to a wide beer selection, they also sold wine typically in the $6 to $28 range. Once Proposition 125 passed, Nate said he didn’t believe they couldn’t compete with grocery stores and would likely have to sell their wine at cost.
In order to diversify business, they created Destilados de Agave at Golden Liquors.
Part tasting room, part agave store, Destilados de Agave aims to be a destination for agave spirit seekers. It officially opened April 1.
The Austins liquidated their inventory of wine bottles and replaced them with agave spirits — mezcal, sotol, raicilla, bacanora and tequila — along with a small selection of other traditional liquor options like Tito’s and Jack Daniel’s. They brought in décor inspiration from Oaxacan as well after traveling there.
“This had always been sort of something we wanted to do with the store, but with [the passing of 125] it just didn’t make sense for us to try to stay competitive with [grocery stores],” Nate said.
Golden became a “ghost town” during the pandemic, according to Nate. Without the Coors factory tours running or hotels operating, Nate said their business survived off of the relationships they had with the service industry and regulars in the community.
Looking forward, Nate said they hope to share the stories of the people behind their products and inspire customers to travel to Mexico — or at least give them a taste of the culture and spark intrigue, Briana said.
“The biggest thing we’d like to do is kind of develop… the idea that Mexico isn’t this strange and scary place to go visit,” Nate said. “It’s really where we built the love for this spirit, for the people who produce it.”
The Austins changed over their entire staff and brought in folks who are interested in agave spirits. One of their new hires just got back from Oaxacan, for example.
“It’s so much more than just an inebriant. I think that’s kind of what we see is its the culture, the heritage and a lot of the pride that goes into that is what I find just fascinating about it,” Nate said. “It’s kind of been a way of life for them for so long and it's such sort of a new concept to everyone in the state’s that this exists.”
Located at 601 13th St. in downtown Golden, Destilados de Agave at Golden Liquors is now open and offering classes and tastings.
