Good liquor at a good price sounds like a fallacy. Cheap vodka helps the wallet, but scorches your throat, and vice versa. But here in Colorado, Streeter Flynn is making quality vodka at an affordable price - and after just a year and a half, his sugarcane vodka is primed to go statewide.
Streeter launched his vodka company in October 2020 and started selling the product six months later. Between then and now, he’s gotten his product into 65 of Denver’s best restaurants and five of Aspen’s most popular eateries and bars. Along with his sales skills, it’s Streeter’s process that differs from the rest.
Streeter Flynn Vodka separates itself by focusing on the product rather than the marketing. Most other players in the industry are spending countless dollars to market their vodka, at the expense of quality ingredients. For Streeter, his business philosophy is simple: “Why not make a great vodka, for a great price?”
Instead, Streeter Vodka invests in top-tier sugarcane as the foundation for their product. Other vodka brands save capital by using corn, the cheapest product you can start with, or potatoes, which are also quite cheap.
Sugarcane is delivered from Ohio and distilled in Denver before going through a rigorous distillation process. Streeter remarks that this is what separates them from the pack: “We run our vodka through 14 feet of charcoal during the distillation process. That’s more than any other vodka company in the world, and it makes a difference.” Plus, sugarcane is naturally gluten-free, while other clear liquors may contain elements if corn or potatoes are used.
At the moment, Streeter Vodka has one signature product: their sugarcane vodka. But after a bit of growth and consideration, their liquor types are anticipated to expand. Streeter forecasts gin, tequila, and bourbon to be in the rotation down the line. However, their vodka line is currently at top-of-mind.
Most of all, the company’s explosive success has drawn attention in the form of awards and distribution offers. Out of 11 national and international contests they’ve participated in, Streeter Vodka has taken home 10 of them. They recently won the Melbourne Double Gold for offering the best vodka in the competition, which gained the attention of the third-largest liquor distributor in the country. Now, Streeter is just enjoying the process: “We’ve gone from a start-up to a marketing company, with the potential to go state and even countrywide. It just keeps sort of rolling at a nice pace.”
For Streeter, this growth is what he’s most proud of. The company is currently planning a statewide launch with distribution through RNDC, the Republic National Distributing Company. He says, “We’re looking at what makes most sense countrywide. South Florida is a potential next step, but we’ll see.”
Visit streeterflynn.com to find a nearby store that sells their sugarcane vodka, and be on the lookout for the Streeter Flynn name next time you’re dining in Denver.
