San Diego Distilleries That Are Making Spirits Bright

With more than 150 breweries, San Diego has gained a reputation as the “Capital of Craft Beer,” but a new batch of beverage producers is creating another craft boom. Several distilleries have opened around the city, offering visitors tours and tasting rooms to sample smooth and sophisticated, one-of-a-kind spirits. The following are some notable craft distilleries in San Diego that are raising spirits for visitors.

1. Recently named to Forbe’s 30 Under 30 list, Laura Johnson opened You & Yours Distilling Co. in downtown San Diego’s East Village, making it the only woman-owned distillery in Southern California. Visitors can enjoy beautifully garnished cocktails crafted from its award-winning vodka and gin in an equally beautiful tasting room. The refreshing, floral Sunday Gin is a must-try. Tours are also available.
2. One of San Diego’s newest urban distilleries, Fruitcraft – Fermentary + Distillery in uptown’s Hillcrest neighborhood features unique fruit brandies on tap, including pineapple, pomegranate, mango, cranberry and pumpkin spice. In addition to its tasting room, open Wednesday through Sunday, guests can enjoy a food menu of appetizers, flatbreads and more.
3. Seven Caves Spirits features a new tasting room in Miramar where visitors can sample handcrafted small-batch rums including its flagship barrel-aged rum—a bronze medal winner from the American Distilling Institute—and a New Orleans-inspired rum made from sugar and molasses sourced from Louisiana. Future spirit releases will include rums finished in bourbon and rye barrels, single malt whiskey and gins. Tastings and tours are available by appointment.
   
   Co-sponsored by Seven Caves Spirits, the Maritime Museum of San Diego’s new exhibition, Rum: Sailors, Pirates and Prohibition, is currently on display through 2018. The new interactive exhibit tells the story of the new world’s first distilled spirit, from its origins on 17 ^th century Caribbean sugar cane plantations to today’s trendy cocktail lounges. Using exhibits, artifacts and 3D displays, visitors can uncover stories of pirates, American and British sailors and San Diego smugglers.
4. Owned by alumni of San Diego’s Ballast Point Brewing Co., Cutwater Spirits’ massive 50,000 square-foot facility in Miramar produces unique small-batch liquors including habanero and horchata-flavored vodkas—reflecting San Diego’s signature Cali-Baja flavors—as well as whiskey, bourbon, gin, rum, an herbal liqueur and canned cocktails. Complimentary tours are offered daily from 1-8 p.m.
5. Credited for helping kick off the craft distillery trend in San Diego, Old Harbor Distilling Co. in the East Village utilizes produce picked from local farms for its San Miguel Southwestern Gin. Other signature spirits include its Ampersand cold-pressed coffee liqueur and “Navy strength” Barrelflag Rum.
6. Featuring a gorgeous tasting room designed after the Prohibition-era, Southern California rumrunner ship it’s named for, Malahat Spirits Co. in Miramar is a dream distillery for rum drinkers. The distillery produces spirits infused with ginger, black tea and spices, as well as a specialty rum aged in a cabernet barrel. Tastings and tours are offered Friday and Saturday, from 12-7 p.m.

Visitors wishing to take home a souvenir of their spirited tour of San Diego or simply jazz up their home bar can shop for cocktail-related items at the new Collins & Coupe Cocktail Supply Co. in North Park. Opened in November, the chic industrial-style store is stocked floor-to-ceiling with fancy barware, vintage glassware sets—ranging from stemware to tiki mugs—bitters, syrups, stirrers and more. Expected to open in early 2018, Raised by Wolves in La Jolla’s Westfield UTC will be a destination shop for cocktail aficionados, selling rare spirits and carefully curated barware alongside an in-shop cocktail bar and tasting room.

More information on the region’s burgeoning craft distillery scene can be found at the San Diego Distillers Guild website .

Happiness is calling in San Diego.  For more information on San Diego’s offerings, including exciting vacation packages and valuable coupons for attractions, restaurants and more, visit the San Diego Tourism Authority's website at www.sandiego.org.