Interview with Stephen Gould, proprietor/distiller
Q: How did you get involved in this business?
A: I worked in restaurants and bars from age 13 until I completed graduate school. In graduate school, I and a couple of friends decided to open a brewery and raised the capital to do so. We also tried to open a distillery at the same time, but the barriers were too great at that time … so here we are about 25 years later, and my wife and I have an operational distillery (Golden Moon Distillery) and what is arguably the country’s most unique distillery tasting room: Golden Moon Speakeasy, a true world-class cocktail lounge located in the heart of Golden.
Q: What distinguishes you from other businesses in your category?
A: Golden Moon Speakeasy is the tasting room for Golden Moon Distillery (founded in 2008). It is arguably the most unique distillery tasting room in the country in that we offer a cocktail program with over 60 cocktails all made solely from spirits we produce. We also offer a light menu, live music several nights per week and gallery space featuring local artists’ work. Due to the wide range of spirits we produce, we are able to offer true world-class cocktails in a distillery tasting room. In fact, we have repeatedly been recognized as one of the top cocktail bars in the Denver area.
Q: What do you like best about your line of work?
A: I like seeing the joy on people’s faces when they first taste our spirits and our cocktails. And I like that people come to Golden Moon Speakeasy and enjoy themselves.
Q: What is your business’ biggest challenge?
A: Because we’re located in a small town that is dominated by breweries, brewpubs and beer-centric bars, we’re continually working to both make world-class cocktails and to find ways to introduce our local customers to them. In order to do so, we’ve created an intimate casual space where people can come, hang out and try our spirits and cocktails and feel welcome.
Q: Something people might be surprised to learn about you or your business:
A: Despite the fact that we are a distillery tasting room that is required by law to only sell spirits we produce, many of our customers don’t realize that every drop of spirit we use in our cocktails is actually produced by us.
Profile
Business: Golden Moon Speakeasy
Address: 1111 Miners Alley, Golden
Hours: 2-10 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 2 p.m.-midnight Friday and Saturday, 2-9 p.m. Sunday
Founded: 2014
Contact: 720-638-1155 or 303-993-7174; goldenmoon
Employees: 8
