Pasadena Distilled

Sips at Stark Spirits and a Walk Around the Rose Bowl

03.08.2018

What’s your pleasure? A smoky peated single malt? 151 rum? A workout walk around the stately Rose Bowl? How about all of the above and more, on a visit to Stark Spirits, a distillery discreetly tucked away in the shadow of Pasadena’s most famous landmark.

Stark Spirits really puts the “micro” in the term microdistillery. It occupies a 1,200-square-foot space in an unassuming business park just a mile from the Rose Bowl. Owners Greg Stark and Karen Robinson-Stark run every part of the distilling process, working hard alongside such cool machinery as their 1,000-liter handmade Hoga copper still. They even hand-label and sign every bottle. As for the contents of said bottles, the range is impressive, satisfying the whiskey connoisseur with a smoky peated single malt, or the tropical drinker with three types of rum, including a killer 151. There’s also aquavit, Skyline Gin, and Sunshine, a brandy made from oranges. An intimate tour of Stark Spirits will leave you with that warm feeling you get from good spirits and good people.

POST-SIPS STROLL: The Rose Bowl is the centerpiece of a beautiful greenbelt, which you can explore on a 6-mile walk. Start by navigating to Arroyo Boulevard at Washington Boulevard. A right on Arroyo shortly connects with a dirt trail that crosses a babbling stream and loops around a golf course beneath towering oaks. Soon enough, the iconic stadium comes into sight. At Salvia Canyon Road, turn right to pick up the John C. Crowley Trail for an excellent workout and a high perspective on the stadium. Head back down and continue toward the Rose Bowl—be sure to look for the Jackie Robinson statue—before you reconnect with Arroyo Boulevard and your northward return to Stark. Pasadena perfect!

Take the I-210 to the Lincoln Ave. exit and go south on Lincoln for 0.5 mile. Stark Spirits is on the left in the Pasadena Business Park. Tours (free) are Fridays and Saturdays from 2 to 6 p.m. Visit the Stark Spirits website to make reservations. No dogs in distillery.

SaveSaveSaveSave

Trending Stories NorCal

View all Stories

  1. Hidden Botanical Garden

    Forget a dozen roses. Give your love a botanical garden. Hidden on the western slope of Sonoma Valley’s Mayacamas Mountains, Sonoma Botanical Garden has one of the Bay Area’s best displays of Asian flora—and it’s a brilliant place for a quiet picnic and some calming contemplations.

    View

  2. Sunnyvale and Salty

    For up-close bird watching, it’s hard to beat a walk along the San Francisco Bay. This 5-mile loop on the Sunnyvale coast is a favorite of local wildlife photographers.

    View
  3. A man takes a break at a temple spot on a hike at Dragon Mountain in Milptas

    Dragon Quest

    The newly reopened, 4-mile out-and-back hike at Dragon Mountain in Milpitas mixes the physical with the spiritual for a serene hiking experience.

    View
  4. woman hiking Buck Gulch Falls Novato

    Buck Wild!

    Tucked back beyond the residential ranch-style homes and golf courses of Novato in the North Bay is a wild and wondrous 30-foot waterfall that springs to life in the rainy season. Buck Gulch Falls in Novato’s Ignacio Valley Preserve is in peak flow right now, and it’s a short and Middle-earthy hike to reach it.

    View

Trending Stories SoCal

View all Stories
  1. A woman stands at Dante's View in Death Valley, looking out to Telescope Peak and Manly Lake, Badwater Basin below.

    Sunset Hike at Dante's View

    It’s one of the world’s best places to watch a sunset. Dante’s View is a 5,476-foot vantage of the whole southern basin of Death Valley from the top of the Black Mountains. Right now there's a banner and bonus view of a rare lake formation that appears only after big rains.

    View
  2. Keough's Hot Springs

    Soaking Up History

    When you slide into the soothing water of Keough’s Hot Springs, you’re bathing in a piece of Owens Valley history.

    View

  3. It's a Waterfall Life

    Tahquitz Canyon’s crystalline stream and lush stands of desert lavender, honey mesquite, and leafy sycamores is home to an easy day hike with a big bonus: a 60-foot waterfall that runs with remarkable gusto after winter rains.

    View
  4. Grover Hot Springs

    State Park Soaker

    Set in an alpine meadow at 6,000 feet and surrounded by the 10,000-foot granite peaks of the Sierra, Grover Hot Springs State Park—just outside the town of Markleeville—has its very own hot springs.

    View