Owner of Greeley’s Syntax Spirits holds fast to her DIY roots to ride out the pandemic while (safely) slinging (to-go) drinks
Syntax Spirits is serving to-go orders from 5 to 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Photo courtesy of Heather Bean.
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By Gabe Allen
At Syntax Spirits, Heather Bean sees every drop of liquor through from “grain to glass.” She mills local wheat, corn and barley, ferments each spirit with yeast and Poudre River water and finally runs each spirit through a still that she built herself. While many distillers make whiskey from pre-milled grain and make liqueur from mass-produced ethyl alcohol, Bean is a fiercely independent traditionalist.
“It’s like if you went to a craft brewery, you found out that they get all their beer from Budweiser and they said ‘what we really do is just add the hops,” Bean said. “It’s not that common that you find people using local products and really doing it the hard way.”
Bean’s DIY approach to business is helping her get through the pandemic. Two years ago, Syntax moved out of its former location. When Bean found a new space in a 115-year-old brick and timber grain elevator, 700 6th St., she was determined to renovate the space with as little outside help as possible.
“I’m a nut job that likes to build things,” she confessed. “I can do so much stuff myself and find the right people to do it if I can’t. I think the renovation cost us a lot less than it would have cost most people.”
The new tasting room opened its doors in November 2019, just a few months before Bean had to close them again. Luckily, her prudent construction management and a healthy back stock of liquor left the distillery with enough economic fat to withstand the crisis.
“My weird little business strategy about doing things organically worked really well in the face of an unexpected crash,” she said.
Bean has been making booze in some form for most of her life. As a kid she and her mother made apple wine from a tree in her backyard. She graduated from high school when she was 14, then earned a master’s degree and landed a job as a consumer electronics engineer before she was of legal age to order a beer.
Heather Bean, owner of Syntax Spirits, is excited to test out her newly acquired copper German still. Photo courtesy of Heather Bean.
During her ensuing 15-year career with Hewlett Packard, Bean became disenchanted with her corporate work and captivated by beer brewing and liquor distillation.
“I thought ‘I should learn to make my own booze to afford my own habit,’” she joked. “Unfortunately being a distiller doesn’t pay nearly as well. But that’s okay. It’s way more fun.”
Since opening in 2010, Syntax has won more than 30 awards including a “gold medal and third best overall whiskey in the world” title for a wine barrel finished bourbon at the Wizards of Whisky in 2016. At the moment, though, she is focusing on keeping the staples — bourbon, vodka, gin and rum — in stock. Proceeds from Syntax’s distribution network of retail shops are currently going toward yet another renovation project.
Bean can barely contain her excitement over an ornate copper German still -- used in the distilling process -- that she recently acquired from a distillery that lost their lease.
“Right now, it’s just wrapped up and swaddled in blankets on pallets because I love it that much. But it's going to be fabulous,” she told the NoCo Optimist.
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If you’re in the mood for a cocktail, the tasting bar is still serving to-go orders from 5 to 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
Bean is also slinging on-demand bottles, gift baskets and apparel. Text her at (970) 224-1248 or ring the bell — she’ll most likely be in the back fiddling with the new still.
Serving up a Burning Man cocktail is a surefire way to delight the senses. Photo courtesy of Heather Bean.
Bonus Cocktail Recipe
The Burning Man
In shaker, combine:
Generous shot Wellhead Whisky or Syntax Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Splash of real maple syrup
3 Splashes chocolate bitters
Shake over ice and strain into short rocks glass. Garnish with scorched twist of fresh orange peel. (For a good show, soak the orange peel in high-proof alcohol such as 151 rum or Everclear and serve it flaming on a pick across the glass, to be tipped in by the drink’s recipient.)