Argonaut Liquors

Six+ years ago I reported that Argonauts was «Woohoo,» a 5 star «as good as it gets» kinda place. For 30 some-​odd years I’ve felt that way. Love their selection. Love the way the place is organized. Love their prices and their people. So was it just one bad experience that made me trash them and decide not to go back? Of course not. I wouldn’t downgrade a place I’ve loved and used regularly for well over 30 years just because of a one-​off bad experience.
So, here’s the rest of the story: A few weeks ago my honey was helping to plan a really neat event for a cool Denver non-​profit. There’s a group called «Stellar Women» in town and each year it presents up to 3 «Stellar Woman» awards to usually 80+ year old Denver women who for the most part are folks you’ve never heard of but are people who have spent their lives making a huge difference in Denver. I try to support them by helping set up for the event and serving as a bartender.
One of the things my wife did this year was to arrange for purchase of a case of white wine to be part of the bar at the awards gathering. I was there when she called Argonauts and I heard her order «a chilled case of Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc» for pick-​up on the Sunday afternoon of the event. That Sunday just before the party was to start for about 150 elderly (mainly) women guests I went to Argonauts to get the wine and 15 bags of ice.
Went in. Gave them the name and order and out came the nice folks and put the stuff in my car. Got back to the event with 10 minutes to spare and when I carried the case of wine over it immediately became clear that the wine was not chilled at all, but as warm as could be. All of the sudden on a hot June day the only wine I had for these darling wonderful women was the temperature of warm tea. Tried submersing the bottles in ice buckets, but for the first half hour while people were having their initial round of drinks, the wine was the temperature of a warm cup of tea. Yicky.
After the party I called Argonauts and asked to speak to the manager. I think the person I talked to said his name was Jordan, or something like that, and he said he was running things over the weekend and that I could talk to him. I explained what had happened. He checked the order and told me that it didn’t say anything about the case being «chilled.» I told him I was there when my wife made the request so I know it was supposed to be on the order. He simply said it wasn’t and there was nothing he could do. I politely asked him to leave a message for the weekday store manager to call me and he said he would. That was last Sunday. Five days have passed and no one has called.
Now what did I want? Frankly, nothing but an apology because everyone can make a mistake. So it’s not because the product wasn’t as ordered that I’m ticked off with them but because they then failed to do the right thing and have the courtesy to return the call of someone who’s been doing business with them for over a generation.
Below is a picture of the award ceremony and the wonderful women who should have had some nicely chilled sauvignon blanc on a beautiful Sunday afternoon of celebration. .. but didn’t.

A very large store.
Came in unsure of what I was looking for (scotch or bourbon/​rye) and was quickly overwhelmed. Great selection of single malt scotch, beyond the general utility varieties.
They carry every Four Roses bourbon recipe as a private select, single barrel — pretty impressive. There are a large variety of private selection bottles available from other distillers as well.

All the right prices, great service, and all the great selection that a drinking man could desire.

This place is fantastic! They have a great selection of everything and awesome prices. I especially appreciate that they have nips from local Colorado distilleries as they make great gifts. Basically, you can find anything you want here. I also really appreciate that they have a spacious parking lot in back.

MAJOR POINT IS THIS STORE SCREWED UP, STOCKED THE WRONG SIZE BEER CANS IN THEIR ICE CHEST. AND THEN CAME DOWN ON ME WHEN I ASKED THE CASHIER ABOUT IT AT CHECKOUT. SO NO, I WON’T BE SIGNING ANY OF YOUR «KEEP COLORADO LOCAL» PETITIONS FOR YOUR LITTLE MINI MONOPOLIES.
Upon checkout asked the obviously new-​hire cashier about a price discrepancy on the beer. They had fully stocked the wrong beer can size in the $.99 bin, and it rang in nearly twice as much. She called a manager for a price check, they conversed, manager left, and then she asked if I had been drinking. Well yes I had a few beers across the street at my watering hole. «I’m sorry we can’t sell you, but thanks for being honest» (about your consumption of 2 beers). So basically the customer gets blamed for your bait and switch operation. No wonder you need armed cops standing post in your store. Funny I had no problem buying a six pack a few blocks away after this bs. Screw this establishment, and their crusade to keep real non-3.2% beer out of Colorado grocery stores. And sorry for bringing attention to your constant rotation of new hire employees that they screwed up on stocking the shelves. So if you stupid MFs are gonna ostracize a paying customer for asking about a pricing mistake then I hope CO soon gets w/​the times and sells real beer in grocery stores so you all have no choice but to up your game. In the meantime I will make sure to frequent any establishment but yours, and can’t wait for the day that real beer is sold everywhere but your crap store. BTW this whole «Keep CO Local» campaign is the biggest piece of crap I’ve ever heard. CA sells liquor in grocery stores and liquor stores still manage to survive by stocking the good stuff and the macrobrews at reasonable prices. Also the parking lot and store layout are both a mess, everything is way overpriced, and «sale» items will often ring up at full charge, so when these cheap SOBs act like they are trying to conserve trees and ask if you would like a receipt, take it so you can double check your mental math and make sure they didn’t accidentally mess up a sale item.

This is the best liquor store in Denver by far! The selection can almost be overwhelming and it’s a very popular spot.

Huge Selection
I was really impressed with the size of this store and the depth of selection. Neatly organized racks and shelves of beer, wine, and liquor stretch out as far as the eye can see. Argonaut’s vast size actually hurts it in the realm of customer service. The staff is super friendly, however I had a difficult time getting help when I needed it. Other than that, I would give this place an A+ all the way!

Awesome liquor store with great prices and selection of hard alcohol, wine, beer and mixers. Love coming here even if it’s to window shop. Staff is extremely helpful. The store is laid out well and organized and clean. Love coming here.

My go to store for whiskey, beer and wine. Great selection, pretty good prices. 10% off just for checking in using Unilocal too.
The parking lot is the worst part about this place. It seems drivers and pedestrians turn their brains off when on the property. Pretty nerve racking, but this can avoided if you come here when it won’t be busy (few days before holidays/​sporting events)

Tons of liquors.
Tons of liquors.
Tons of liquors.
Tons of liquors.
Great staff! Very helpful. Military discount.

Fantastic variety of beers, good parking situation, helpful employees. This will be my to-​go liquor store!

Great selection! Helpful staff! But even if you’re not personally buying the drinks, someone else with you is, make sure you have ID. They iD everyone buying or not. We just had to walk away from a carefully selected wine bc I left
House without wallet :(plenty of small business liquor stores near By thankfully.

I’m used to the staff on the floor being helpful, whether it’s finding a certain bottle or helping me pair a good wine for a dinner I’m about to have. Because they’re so effective in helping me find what I’m looking for, I never need any help from the employees at the cash registers.
Tonight was a bit different. I found a few recipes I’ll be making this week, one dinner and one dessert, that call for cognac and brandy, respectively. Looking at the cognac selection, and realizing that I need a cup or so at most, it doesn’t make sense to buy an entire bottle. So I go to the first register, and tell the woman I’m looking for cognac and brandy. Instead of rolling her eyes at me and telling me they’re one and the same (which I didn’t know until just then), she explains that one is a type of another, like how scotch is a type of single malt whisky, and asks me what I’m making. When I tell her, she makes an excellent recommendation and even gives me advice on how to prepare the dessert.
All of this was with a few customers in line behind me, waiting patiently to pay for their own bottles. The woman could have pointed me elsewhere for assistance, or even sold me two bottles, one that said cognac and the other saying brandy, but she did neither. Instead, she helped me out in the way I’ve come to expect at Argonaut, in a friendly and helpful manner, every time I visit. It’s this excellent customer service that will keep me coming back to Argonaut as long as they’re around.

The rep at the store said it best… This place is an adult candy store. We were blown away with the selection. Our whole mission here was to get fernet branca and some specialty bitters since we haven’t had any luck finding it in Utah. We walked around here forever in awe. So many flavors of things I’ve never seen. I’m definitely going to have to stock up my liquor cabinet every time I come to Denver now.
We ended up leaving with a few different beers (all local beers that we can’t get back home), a few whiskeys (Tennessee, Scotch, and Rye), bitters, Fernet Branca, Pimms #1 Cup, and champagne for the new year. Needless to say, I can’t wait for the cocktails we are going to be able to whip up now. We picked up some whiskey cocktail recipe books for Christmas so now it’s playtime!
It was a pricey trip since we bought so much, and sadly my phone was dead so I didn’t see the check in deal, but most of our stuff was 20% off today anyway. Great deal. Friendly and helpful service. We will be back.

Argonaut Liquors has everything you could possibly need, when it comes to alcohol.
Their beer selection is HUGE!
Their wine selection is HUGE!
Their staff is knowledgeable and extremely helpful!
The prices are reasonable.
The interior is easy to navigate, and I like the cement floors, easy to keep clean as well.
Parking is easy, with a large private lot.
It’s easily located to downtown Denver, the State Capital, and Capital Hill.
Delivery — why yes, Argonaut’s has delivery as well.
What else can I say?
I know it’s a liquor store, but Argonaut Liquors knows their stuff.

Liquor is a hobby of mine so I always like to check out cool liquor stores when I travel. My sister took me here when I was in town, and I was pretty impressed.
There is a big selection and good prices. Plus, they gave 10% off regular priced items with a Unilocal check in. I picked up a cool Basil Hayden gift set for $ 40 and a bottle of crème de noyaux that we haven’t been able to find in Phoenix. They carry some cool local bourbons (Breckenridge) and some other boutique producers that I enjoy from Illinois and Kentucky.
Service is the area where they need improvement. The guy sitting at the information desk seemed bothered that I asked him a question, and the lady checking us out was very slow.

One of the best liquor stores in town.
Conveniently located, tons of parking, open late.
Large beer selection, with an emphasis on local brews.
Huge place full of tons of choices and options.
They always have stuff on sale, and have a blowout rack right by the front. Have found some very good deals here.
Love it.

When I first moved to Denver, the first liquor store experience I had was at believe it or not, Target. Their decent selection made me not really have to look elsewhere for stuff. But believe it or not, when I say decent– it covers the basics. Keep in mind though, it was one row wine, 1 row liquor, and 1 row beer. You can see where this could pose a potential problem down the road.
I finally admitted to myself I shouldn’t constantly rely on Target for my booze needs, and to start looking elsewhere for a more «comprehensive» selection. Well, once my Unilocal app steered me to Argonaut (and it is so much closer to home too!). I knew I couldn’t go wrong here. I later found out they have a phone app as well.
The parking can get hectic– and let me warn you– the front row spots are like the VIP section for the ultra-​lushes– I save been some intense confrontations over those spots! Honestly, grab a shopping cart, and park a few rows back– there is plenty of parking, and plenty of security. Just be careful when you are near the front of the store! I am you telling you the people forget how to drive when they enter this parking lot!
When you do finish playing Frogger and enter the store, you are almost at ease, like your left hand can finally stop shaking because you know that this store will have SOMETHING for that shake.
The right wall is lined with beer, starting with your American classics, to your American craft, then to big craft bottles to imports to specialties/​ciders/​stouts. They also have stacks of certain types of beer that have not been refrigerated yet as well.
Lined up next to all of this is every type of booze seemingly imaginable. Then the other half of the store is wine. And I think there is an upstairs too– I haven’t even made it up there yet– I usually get drifted away in the beer coolers.
They have sales here too– some are out of this world. Now, when I say this you may lose all respect in me when I admit this– but 2 weeks ago, they had a sale on a 30 pack of Keystone Light for $ 13.99. I mean, you can’t make this up. And for all of you non-​believers out there, Keystone Light is making a comeback– to the point they were sold out @ Argonaut today!
Another thing I like here is the soda and mixer section here. They have it all. Even some specialty sodas you really won’t find anywhere else without having to really look. If you want to be a mixologist, this would be a great place to start.
They have some kind of members program as well, wish I hope I am actively enrolled in, because I won’t lie, every time I come here, my back seat gets filled up– quickly.

What can I say, if you need booze for you, a party, your office, whatever. this is the place to go.
Great selection, crazy helpful staff.
The only downside i ever have is that much of the beer selection (short of asking for something) is kept cold, which when buying for a party isn’t awesome when buying a lot of beer that you want to put out over the course of the event. Minor issue for sure.

I’m confused by the high number of 4 and 5 star ratings for this place. The store is often packed to an annoying, people-up-your-ass-when-you’re-trying-to-browse level, and the prices are just average. The liquor and wine selection may be decent, but the beer selection has always been picked over. More often than not we ended up walking out empty handed and heading to another liquor store in the area.
From what we’ve heard the staff here would rather give preferential treatment to their friends instead of offering more rare inventory to all of their customers. We will go out of our way to find the beer or bourbon we’re looking for, and we won’t support places that would rather withhold product for their buddies. I can take my business elsewhere, to stores that care about developing repeat customers and making money, over nepotism.