A must stop in Sooke! Their selection of gin is amazing, my favourites were the Kazuki and Seaside…read more We also loved the rhubarb and lemon liqueurs. They have a cute little storefront and tasting room in Sooke, which makes for a quick stop and tasting if you can't decide. The gentleman at the storefront was very friendly and knowledgeable.

This small distillery actually produces quite a wide variety of spirits, including gold medal…read morewinning gins. They sell at farmers markets and also do tastings in private liquor stores with a discounted purchase. My favourites are the chocolate and coffee liquers. From the gin side, they have a bunch of unique offerings, including a Japanese one, but my personal preference is for the Seacider gin. The lemon lime and rhubarb gins are perfect for mixed drinks in the summer. The actual distiller was at the liquor store tasting I happened upon and apparently they use a local chocolatier's odds and ends to extract the chocolate flavour. At the distillery itself, they also had some nifty gift packs around the holidays. Prices are not cheap, but decent for a craft spirit and the size of the bottles, which are made from hefty glass. The tasting room is pretty small and bare bones. They seem to do decent traffic, though. But would be nice if they could add a patio area or expand and have some seating. I did have an issue with the stopper on the small coffee liquer bottle being a bit leaky, so watch out for that.

All that glitters isn't always gold. This Gin featured in their tasting room at the Airport, and…read moreexclusively at the Empress Hotel by the bay in downtown Victoria is amazing. I did my final tasting at their tasting room at the airport. There were 2 wonderful ladies there. I had the most contact with Chloe. She really knew her stuff. Presentation sold me. I have 5 visitors coming from France in April and they will have the Empress & tonic to impress and amazing. How can one describe the incredible color? Lavendar? Amethyst? The taste was off the hook. With Chloe's advice I located the Empress 1908 Gin in town and didn't have to carry it in carry on with the airlines. And the 5 Frenchies vising me in April will have amazing cocktails. Yaay. Get it. Got it? Good1

I had read an article on their Empress Gin and as we were wondering around Sydney we stumbled upon…read morethe distiller. So we went in to see what was available. We ran into their bartender Kenzy (who is super engaging and loves Gin) and we stopped in and got an education from her! She is delightful!!!! We even ended up there at happy hour(who knew) so grabbed a couple empress gin cocktails and she let us sample a couple of the other products. What a fun stop and their location is right by the marina so a cool place to hang as well. Their cocktails and products are so Well thought out with using the best ingredients and wow you can taste them!! The empress Gin is so subtle and beautiful. Well worth checking out and if they have a tour I would try that as we did not have time that night. And grab a few bottles while your there!

Four of us came for an afternoon tasting and bite to eat…read more We had a tour with Roddy and enjoyed it very much. Quite the character. We tasted four ciders and two liqueurs. Afterwards, we had a dessert afternoon tea accompanied by more cider. All very good and great staff.

If you're in the cobble hill, please make sure you stop here! We visited Merridale for a tasting,…read moreand what a hidden gem it is! The food and cider menus were extensive, featuring special items, mocktails, and cocktails. The service was excellent, and the spot is beautiful. It's also kid-friendly with games on the lawn and other activities. I enjoyed each of the ciders. I had the non-alcoholic flight, and my favorite was the lavender one! The fennel soda was very interesting, the ginger soda was a take on a ginger ale and the apple juice was great. Great value as well for $7. My husband had the world alcoholic cider flights and thoroughly enjoyed his selections. The farm itself is incredibly charming and offers activities for both adults and children. They also have some tours. I will definitely return for another visit and highly recommend Merridale cider and distillery

COVID #42 One of…read morethese days I'll remember to bring my ID. I do hate it when they think I'm 18. Friendly staff, automated gate if the tasting room is not open. They'll still sell to you regardless. Located at the top of a hill. Something like Mission Hills Estate Winery in Kelowna, if you've ever been there,but not as eleborate and large. Two spirits purchased. see my pics. Worth a visit. Definitely.

Although this place is a little hard to find, it is worth the trip. We came here after the Butchart…read moreGardens and it was a great find. For $5 you get a flight of 3 wines. Each wine has its own distinct flavors and the owner is great and will tell you an interesting story behind all of them. I'm not a huge wine drinker but all of the wines I tried here made me want to be. The only downside we experienced was that we came at a time where they did not have any food. Cheese and fruit would have been a great accompaniment to the wine! I would definitely recommend coming but make sure you are coming when they have food as well!

We stopped by this distillery and it wasn't our preference of alcohol. It was mainly brandy, gin…read moreand cider. We were hoping for whiskey, so we didn't stay. But they were offering tastings, the host was knowledgeable and it was a beautiful area.

Spacious outdoor and indoor seating. The beer selection is pretty good. The staff was friendly. The…read morefried calamari was delicious, but a bit overpriced. Perfect place to visit on a nice sunny Saturday afternoon. Would come back & recommend to others!

Lively restaurant, loud, good drinks and a nice crowd. Service can be spotty but it was busy and…read moregetting quality help is difficult so I give it some slack. I'll go back but the pot pie/Chicago style pizza is a good try but a mess. The tomato sauce is watery and lacked flavor and the crust isn't flaky and doesn't help.

This was my first time visiting Chuckanut distillery and I was very impressed! The staff are so…read moreknowledgeable about the process of the spirits and their hospitality was beyond amazing!! My favorite would have to be the coffee liquor, must try! They also offer a wide selection of cocktails. One of the things I loved is that they support local business including farmers by using their products in their spirit making process. Another favorite of mine was the building and how the wood and metals are all repurposed. Definitely recommend stopping by here.

We finally came by Woodinville Whiskey Company for a tasting and overall it was a pleasant…read moreexperience. They have a beautiful facility and the tasting room was filled with souvenirs from shirts, jackets, flasks, glasses and all of them looked top-notch. Loved to buy a baseball cap, but my head is 61cm and I must have the velcro closure as the plastic snap hats are just too small & cheap for me. They have a counter bar area strategicly set with no chairs where it's comfortable for four 1/4 to 1/2 oz taste, but you don't get too comfortable. The hostess was pleasant, inviting and we honestly enjoyed reviewing the menu of +10 different whiskeys where we need to pick out 4 of them for the standard flight. They had a cross section of proofs between bourbons and ryes with a premixed old fashioned that was made by aging in maple syrup barrels. My wife went for ryes and i did the bourbons. I started with the 80 proof then navigated toward the highlight of the 115-proof. I was pleasantly impressed how drinkable without the burn going down was the 115-proof as it benefits from a sweeter, corn-forward base + cooler aging that results in better integration and less aggressive burn -- it "drinks easier" than the numbers would suggest. Of course, try what you can and it's great when you can share tastes between 2 people all the choices. For me, I found the cast strength aged 6 years 115 proof to be the best.

Can I start by saying that I am not a whiskey drinker yet I am giving them 5 stars. that says…read moresomething. My friend was staying nearby and brought us here. It was a nice place. We each decided to do a tasting. I had a few that I past on to the husband but there was one that I actually enjoyed. The person was explaining the differences between each and was really trying to find something that I would like. I appreciated that extra step. It was a good experience. Definitely better whiskey than you get at bars. Hmmm, maybe that's why I don't like whiskey? Next time I need to write down the whiskey I like so that I can just order that and not the rest. :) ....... .. ......... .. ....

We stopped by and enjoyed a bourbon flight and a couple cocktails and ended up purchasing some…read morebourbon to go back home to Michigan with us. If you purchase a flight they take the cost of the flight ($10 maybe) off the price of the bottle if you purchase one! If you're military or MFR you get a bottle free. How amazing is that!? Not only is the building and their operations amazing, the staff was so kind, the patio for sipping was cozy, the bourbon is delicious and they take care of the important people. Be sure to check them out and buy a flight and a bottle while you're here!

The organic vodka tastes like unfiltered Ozark Moonshine. Perhaps this is the natural taste of…read moreorganic, but it is a totally unrelenting vodka taste that I will not soon forget. There is a reason why most vodkas are multiple times filtered and that is to get rid of this awful taste. They will not win any competitions with this approach. I am truly sorry, because I lived on Bainbridge Island for many years and I know the effort and enthusiasm of these distillers are sincere and honest, but truth be told this vodka sticks, literally.