Specialty Denver distillery brings transparency and quality to their vodka

By Melissa Voss

With Denver being a big city with a big culture, it is easy to get lost in the spectacle of a trend. Sometimes, the best things come from mastering the simple things. For Felenē’s co-owners, Tim Kelly and Kim Laderer, producing top-of-the-line vodka comes from finessing the distilling basics.

What started as an idea Kelly had from a road trip back in 2016 grew into what Felenē is today. After speaking with hundreds of people and visiting more than 30 distilleries, Kelly came to realize that smaller companies develop more trust and transparency with their customers than larger corporations.

“The biggest lesson I took away was to offer a quality product that matched people's expectations and my promise as a distiller. The number-of-times-distilled moniker on many vodka labels is an example of a marketing gimmick, and it sets unrealistic consumer expectations. It comes down to honesty in advertising. After all, this is something you're putting in your body. People have a right to know the truth about what's in it,” Kelly says.

That transparency has led Kelly to develop a vodka with clear and concise ingredients. Although Kelly keeps his distiller-trade secrets close, Felenē’s website breaks down what sets the brand apart. Felenē is additive-free, non-GMO, and made with organic ingredients, including natural sugar cane; all without the use of added sugar or citric acids.

Striving for high-quality vodka with a clean label initially appeared to be rather difficult for Kelly, but he was determined to meet his goal.

“Vodka tended to be a foul-tasting, rough experience that needed sweet mixers to mask the unpleasant burn of potato, corn and wheat-based vodka. Even the so-called ultra-premium brands were not tolerable for most people to drink straight. I knew I had to change that perception,” Kelly states.

When debating to start Felenē in Denver, Kelly reached out to Laderer, who had a background in marketing. She developed a plan and later became the director of marketing and sales in 2020 before transitioning to co-owner and president of Felenē. Kelly is co-owner, founder and master distiller.

“One thing that sets us apart as a team is an incredibly strong work ethic. The partnership has been highly successful and we have complimentary skills, so we have a strong foundation of trust in each other to get the job done,” Kelly explains.

In 2023 alone, Felenē was awarded a Gold Medal and Best in Category by the American Distilling Institute, making it one of the highest-rated craft vodkas in the United States. Felene has not stopped by curating one product. Felenē Flavors was released in 2020. Flavors include Blood Orange, Raspberry Lemonade and Coconut Lime. Kelly says the company's current focus is expanding as they continue to grow their distribution and invest in the infrastructure.