Booze News

Henebery brings production home

Legacy whiskey brand opens tasting room and distillery in Vista

Producing whiskey requires fermented grain, a still, a barrel, and patience. Henebery Spirits has shown plenty of the latter. Jesse Fanning launched Henebery in 2013 with his wife Natalie and her family, including parents Annette ...

Cutwater sets sail

Miramar distillery/restaurant opens its doors

As the number of craft breweries in San Diego nears 150, the number of distilleries approaches a mere 17. However, in the relatively young world of craft spirits, 17 apparently counts for a lot. When ...

Aargh ye scallywags ready for beer whiskey?

Pirate's Breakfast makes use of ugly brew

In San Diego, we've seen collaborations between breweries and between breweries and coffee roasters. Add another to the list, as a Spring Valley spirits producer is working to convert beer into whiskey. "I'm really trying ...

Nifty bottle design leads local liquor lineup

Swinford Spirits' invitation: add bacon

When Jason Swinford opened Swinford Spirits in late 2016, he really launched three craft-spirit brands. From a single production facility and tasting room across the parking lot from the Home Depot in Grantville, Swinford releases ...

Year of the woman distiller

"These are things I know how to do."

A new spirits company debuted in East Village with the March 9th opening of the You & Yours Distilling Co. tasting room (1495 G Street). You & Yours is the brainchild of founder and distiller ...

A distillery in a barn in a brewery

Brewery & Distillery lives up to its name, gets into spirits

Making liquor, in addition to beer, has been a part of the business plan since the beginning for Santee's BNS Brewing & Distilling Co. — it's right there in the name. Despite an early change ...

Former Ballast Point execs get way into the liquors

West Coast's largest distillery? "That's kind of what we're shooting for."

When Ballast Point Brewing & Spirits sold to Constellation Brands in fall 2015, a small part of the business wasn't included: the spirits. For the moment, Ballast Point no longer produces liquor. Instead, a new ...

Craft spirits heads to North Park

619 Vodka to open distillery, restaurant, and bar this spring

Craft spirits are coming soon to North Park. 619 Vodka has started building out a distillery at the former site of a produce shop just off 30th Street (3015 Lincoln Avenue). Slated to open by ...

Dry-hopped sake — oh yeah, it's a thing

Setting Sun's modest growth prediction obliterated

When Setting Sun Sake launched in August, founders Josh Hembree and Keldon Warwick Premuda started with five fermentation vessels — enough to brew 100 gallons of sake per month — and a business model predicting ...

Navy vets dive into spirits biz

Copper collar workers start a distillery in Santee

"Our focus right now is to make great spirits," says Scott Nixon, general manager of Copper Collar Distillery, the craft spirit company he cofounded with head distiller Jason Pelle earlier this year. Pelle and Nixon ...

Not for rookies

Potent, yet low kick, whiskey out of San Marcos

When David Jackson opened Perfect Soul whiskey in San Marcos in late 2015, he entered what is still a pretty young San Diego spirits market. However, he'd already built a career working with hard liquor. ...

Malahat's spirits are all heart

Miramar brewery invokes Prohibition, but keeps its booze pure

Upon entering the Malahat Spirits Co. tasting room in Miramar, customers find a small maze meant to invoke the smuggling operations once required to bring San Diego contraband liquor. It's also a nod to the ...

The most regulated industry in the United States

Whoever said the economy ran like a well-oiled machine never studied the spirits industry

Thanks to recent changes in state law, the California Spirits Company will officially open its San Marcos tasting room to the public on June 9. While owner and distiller Casey Miles embraces the opportunity to ...

Liberty Call's new liberties

New law allows Spring Valley distillery to get more creative with its small-batch booze

Earlier this year, a Reader cover story highlighted changes to California law allowing small batch distilleries to sell bottles out of their tasting rooms. Only a few months later, this change is helping Spring Valley ...

San Diego Distillery won't compete with Kentucky

Trent Tilton's whiskey kick includes the definitely different

Spring Valley doesn't boast any craft breweries, but it's playing a pivotal role in San Diego's burgeoning craft-distillery movement. Kill Devil Spirits Co. started out there back in 2011, Liberty Call Distilling Co. in 2014, ...

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