25 Top Distilleries to Try in California

California is an incredible state known for its sunshine, sandy beaches, incredible scenery, wine country and so much more. One of the often overlooked ways of traveling the Golden State? Through the exploration of its flourishing spirits scene! From an innovative distillery using cutting edge technology to produce unparalleled rums and whiskey to a distillery that incorporates San Francisco fog into its vodka, the opportunities to imbibe and learn about the fascinating industry of distilling in California are endless!

Dubbed San Diego's first urban distillery, You & Yours launched in 2017 and is a full production distillery complete with an Instagram-worthy tasting room and event space. It features its own world-class cocktail program highlighting its current spirits in seasonal beverages. Up next? A canned cocktail program set to launch this summer. Founder and distiller Laura Johnson is one of the only female owners and distillers in the country and has been featured in Forbes 30 under 30.

Self-described as a "collection of artists, weirdos and dreamers dedicated to celebrating the fruits and flavors of California through the traditional art of distillation", The Spirit Guild is a craft distillery located in Los Angeles' Arts District. Launched in 2012 with two inaugural offerings, Vapid Vodka and Astral Pacific Gin, it produces innovative spirits, all made from local fruit. Moreover, every process of production is done in-house. Check it out first hand during a hands-on distillery tour.

Located in Redwood Valley, the Germain-Robin Distillery boasts a wide variety of spirits including a rose liquor, whiskey, gin, vodka and one of the first absinthes allowed in the U.S. A must-try in the distillery's tasting room in Ukiah is Germain-Robin brandy, a grape brandy that's made with unusually high-quality wine grapes. Fun facts? President Ronald Reagan was a fan and the company's brandies were served at Bill Clinton's inaugural ball.

Desert Distilling is the only boutique-distilling brand in the Coachella Valley. Using quality raw ingredients to produce their award-winning, small-batch vodka, gin and rum, stop by the tasting room for a sip of their spirits and insight on the craft spirit-making process. Tours and tastings are available on Friday and Saturdays and Sundays by appointment.

This Los Angeles based distillery is driven by sustainability and boasts the largest portfolio of organic spirits which includes everything from gin and tequila to vodka and whiskey. In addition to Greenbar Distillery's award-winning spirits, this distillery plants a tree each time a bottle is purchased-they've planted over 700 thousand trees since 2008.

Want to spend the day taking in views of San Francisco, while tasting vodka made with seasonal ingredients? Then head to Alameda's Hangar 1 vodka distillery, helmed by head distiller Caley Shoemaker, one of the only female distillers in charge of a major American spirit brand. With classic flavors such as Makrut Lime and Buddha's Hand Citron and distiller exclusives like Chipotle, there is a variety of flavors to try. Looking for something extra special? Try out Fog Point, made with San Francisco fog.

If you're planning on being in Yosemite, make a pit stop at Oakhurst Spirits. Opened July 2017, Oakhurst Spirits offers everything from whiskey to bourbon and even limoncello, with the hopes of becoming the go-to spot for both locals and tourists coming to get a taste of area. With an on-site art gallery, a lively tasting room and the option of touring the distilling facility, try out some unique spirits like lavender vodka and enjoy the innovations of small-batch craft distilling.

Located in Oakland, Wright & Brown Distilling Co. is the city's first whiskey distillery, moreover, is home to the city's first legally produced whiskey since Prohibition. Utilizing traditional methods to craft whiskey, bourbon and rum, each step of the spirits making process is done in-house.

Founded in 1982, St. George Spirits produces a whole bunch of spirits including single malt whiskey, agricole rum, absinthe, and several gins, vodkas, brandies and liqueurs. Today you can visit their 65,00-square-foot repurposed naval hangar to imbibe, admire their laboratory and massive copper stills and tour the distillery to learn about their artisanal spirits and distillation process.

We all know about Napa Valley's award winning-wines, but how about its spirits? Located in the heart of wine country, family-owned Napa Valley Distillery is the first distillery in Napa since Prohibition. In addition to its award-winning Napa Vodka made with single vintage Napa Sauvignon Blanc, the distillery handcrafts over 30 different artisanal spirits in small batches. Visitors can sample over a dozen small-batch and limited-release spirits like Old Hollywood Gin and barrel aged cocktails at the new distillery and tasting room in downtown Napa.

Visitors can follow the Sonoma County Beer, Wine and Spirits map to the best vodka, gin and whiskey in the area. A popular stop? The Spirit Works Distillery in Sebastopol where British-born co-founder Timo Marshall uses his family recipe for sloe gin. Using a traditional method of steeping sloe berries (picked from the coastal hills) in the special libation, it's definitely worth a try. Spirit Works also features California-grown organic red winter wheat as a base for their vodka, gin, whiskey and sloe gin. Tastings and tours are available.

Formerly named the Anchor Distilling Company, Hotaling & Co., is a distiller and importer boasting a unique portfolio of niche spirits from 23 countries. Its handcrafted spirits have stood the test of time and have proven to be integral to the spirits industry. Junipero Gin, released in 1996, started the movement of high-end craft gin in the U.S.

Moreover, owner Fritz Maytag's dream of producing rye whiskey as it was done in Colonial times, led Anchor to become the first U.S. distillery to use the old-fashioned process. The end product? Old Potrero Rye Whiskey, the recreation of America's original whiskey. Guests can taste the three expressions of the whiskey and other spirits in the onsite tasting room.

Founded in 2010 with a focus on grain-to-bottle spirits, Alchemy Distillery crafts whiskey, gin and bourbon. With an emphasis on sustainability and protecting the environment, they use locally harvested grains in their spirits from trusted farmers in the Humboldt area. Tours and tastings are offered twice a month, each Arts Arcata day.

This forward thinking distillery is only the second in the city of Los Angeles. It's also the first vodka-only distillery in Southern California. Their signature vodka, Loft & Bear is made in small batches using winter grains to give it a unique flavor profile. Five percent of every bottle sold goes towards PATH, an organization that fights against homelessness and supports those in need, including distressed families.

Sample handcrafted hard ciders, apple brandy aged in oak barrels and vodkas at Watson family's 160-acre apple orchard and distillery, Indigeny Reserve. Situated in the gorgeous hills of Sonora, Indigeny Reserve opened to the public in 2012 and has quickly become a favorite attraction in the area. In addition to its variety of apple libations, visitors are invited to spend the day on the pastoral grounds, picnic and even take a tour of the distillery.

Blinking Owl Distillery is the first craft distiller in Orange County and produces a variety of vodka, gin, whiskey, and aquavit. Using locally sourced fruits and botanicals and organic grains, their spirits are also 100 percent California-based products. Enjoy a handcrafted cocktail in their chic tasting room, which showcases their spirit maker, a hybrid copper still which they've named Bastian Penelope Coco Frigalicious.

Founded in 2012, Sutherland Distilling is open Friday-Sunday offering thirsty visitors samplings of bourbons, brandies, rums, vodkas and rye whiskey. This distillery prides itself on being environmentally responsible and sustainable, in addition to producing high-quality, locally handcrafted spirits. The company's signature 90-proof Diablo's Shadow Vodka is made with non-GMO California corn and is named for Mt. Diablo, a mountain that once served as a hideout for moonshiners and bootleggers during prohibition. Sutherland Distilling Company sits at the base of that mountain today.

This California-rustic tasting room uses organic, locally sourced ingredients to produce blue agave, aquavit, gin and whiskey spirits. Located in Santa Cruz, Venus Spirits' spirits are crafted using fresh herbs, botanicals, fruit and wheat. Moreover, each is distilled in hand-pounded copper Alembic Stills imported from Spain. Public tastings at this boutique distillery are available Friday-Sunday, with special cocktails featured on Fridays.

Situated on the beautiful coast of the Pacific Ocean, Half Moon Bay Distillery is a small craft distillery featuring locally produced spirits. It's flagship product, Purissima Vodka, is distilled from 100 percent grain, and is inspired by the over 200-year-old ghost town, Purissima in San Mateo County. Book a tour to learn more about their craft spirits and distilling as a practice.

Seven Stills Brewery and Distillery is open every day of the week for tastings of beer and whiskey, both of which are produced on-site. Those interested in how they make whiskey from craft beer should take a tour, which also comes with a tasting flight of their whiskey. Fun fact: it's home to the city's largest cooper pot still.

Founded in 2010, Lost Spirits crafts rums and whiskeys in innovative ways, unlike any other distillery. Using breakthrough technologies, Lost Spirits has perfected a process that allows them to hyper-mature spirits, essentially giving them the ability to craft a 20-year-old rum, in a week's time. They opened their one-of-a-kind, amusement park-esk distillery in Los Angeles' Arts District in 2017 and since then it has garnered tons of well-deserved attention for being one of the coolest distillery experiences around.

Ascendant Spirits is the first distillery in Santa Barbara country to open since prohibition. Using locally sourced ingredients, this distillery produces award-winning spirits that include vodkas, gins and whiskies. Tours and tastings are available Fridays and weekends.

Cutler's Artisan Spirits has been through wars and prohibition and over the years has progressed from speakeasy, to bar, to liquor store and distillery. Located in the heart of Santa Barbara, this distillery focuses on producing top-notch spirits that weave its storied history within each sip. An example? Grandma Tommie's Apple Pie liquor, which marries his grandma's apple pie recipe with a New-Western style gin. Today visitors can taste the unique sprits in the tasting room located in a revitalized warehouse in the "Funk Zone" neighborhood.

Temecula's first distillery, Kalifornia Distillery, uses locally grown estate ingredients and family recipes dating back to the 1700s to handcraft a variety of spirits such as bourbon and whiskey. It also offers fun moonshines like Peach Pie and Le'moon'ade. Stop by the tasting room to sample the spirits, drink cocktails and learn more about the family history, whose distillery roots originate in Ireland.

No, West Hollywood doesn't have a distillery to tour (yet!) or taste at, but it offers bars and restaurants to taste the spirits created by its celebrity residents. Curious about Drake's Virginia Black Whiskey or Bruno Mars' SelvaRey Rum? How about Channing Tatum's Born and Bred Vodka or Casamigos Tequila founded by George Clooney? It can all be found here, so cheers to that!