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. Man hiking up a trail at Montara Mountain, with a view of the Pacific and Grey Whale sand beach in the background

    From Beach to Summit

    No need to decide between a beach and a mountaintop—this hike includes both! Explore the stunning coastal scenery on this 6-mile out-and-back up Montara Mountain and into Rancho Corral de Tierra.

    View

  2. Picnic and a Pedal

    West Marin has all the right stuff for an afternoon getaway: bike paths, babbling brooks, canopy forests, and secluded picnic spots. Combine a picnic and a pedal at Samuel P. Taylor State Park by biking the easygoing Cross Marin Trail.

    View

  3. Most Peaceful Hike of All

    Is this the most peaceful one-hour hike in the Bay Area? It's got our vote! Lake Lagunitas is the smallest lake in a series of five found on the north side of Mount Tam, so it’s got that tiny but mighty charm. Do a 1.5-mile loop around the lake's shore-hugging trail.

    View

  4. Sebastopol Food & Wine Roll

    One apple farm, three charming towns, multiple wineries, and infinite natural beauty. Savor a perfect autumn day in Sonoma County by biking the West County Regional Trail from Sebastopol to Forestville via Graton. It’s a 17-mile (round-trip) adventure. 

    View

Trending Stories SoCal

View all Stories
  1. Woman walking in the Venice Canals of Los Angeles County

    Canal Contemplations

    With its incense-scented boardwalk, bohemian shops, skateparks, and abundance of body builders, Venice is happily eccentric, and artistic. Exhibit A: Its network of European-style canals with charming bridges, offering a tranquil tour of the town’s history.

    View

  2. Wine Down, Dine Out in Lake Chelan

    The fertile soil around Washington State's Lake Chelan is ripe for more than just the amazing apples. Vineyards here yield high quality grapes, and some of the country’s best less-discovered wineries. Locals know it, and you will too when you start choosing from the more than 30 wineries in the region.

    View

  3. What's Up, Winthrop!

    It’s not just its location close to Washington State’s spectacular and less visited national park (North Cascades) that makes Winthrop such a winsome mountain town. This lively enclave in the Methow Valley bristles with a whimsical blend of Wild West charms, contemporary culture, and a mosaic of outdoor adventures—from river to lake to waterfalls, and beyond.

    View
  4. Hike San Diego Volcan Mountain Wilderness

    Planet of the Oaks

    Let us count the number of oak tree species in the Volcan Mountain Wilderness Preserve near Julian: coast, scrub, canyon, black, and Engelmann. Five! The preserve’s Five Oaks Trail is a 3.2-mile hike that boasts all five.

    View