Another great time sampling the best spirits in Ventura County made even better by enjoying them…read morewith a friend :) This distillery is tucked away just enough that you feel in the know once you're there. A true hidden gem for both locals and visitors, and the perfect place to spend an hour or two. I've done their full tour before and learned so much about how much local produce comes through their doors to become the incredible spirits they're known for. Such a cool experience if you haven't done it yet. This time around, my friend and I popped into the tasting room to explore their seasonal liqueurs. On our list: * PERSIMMON LIQUEUR * APRICOT UMESHU * AGAVE LIQUEUR * GRAPEFRUIT CORDIAL I'm here to confirm these were ALL amazing! truly run, don't walk, to try these seasonal specials! I was so smitten I left with bottles of the apricot and grapefruit, but honestly, you can't go wrong with any of them. Hans was our teacher, mentor, and mixologist with the mostest. He crafted custom cocktails for both of us that blew our minds but still felt doable enough to recreate at home thanks to his tips. I went with a sweet apricot Collins, and my friend had a strawberry-forward old fashioned. 10/10 for both...easily some of the best cocktails we've had in a minute. Ventura Spirits really is your one-stop shop: tours, tastings, cocktails, and shopping all under one roof. If you have friends or family visiting, this is the adult activity to show off Ventura's best flavors and local produce. Huge thank you to Hans and the entire VS team for another wonderful day, learning and drinking, my two favorite things.

Love the passion and hospitality from Brad and his team. We tried the sampler priced at $12.00 plus…read morea few exclusive tasters not on the menu. Amazing chill vibe with handcrafted spirits! TOP FAVORITE = APRICOT UMESHU - Tecolotito - Prickly paloma pear Would absolutely be coming back again!

Wow. Talk about a hidden GEM. Finding and entering this place feels like its own adventure. I'd…read morenever been to a distillery so I wasn't sure what to expect the first time I came. There was a very small bar/lounge area tucked away in this industrial building, Michael the owner warmly greeted our group of three and made us some cocktails with his handcrafted spirits. Proudly displayed along the walls were all of the awards his spirits have won in various contests. He gave us a tour of the distillery and all of the machines he uses and explained the processing for each spirit. It's really clear that this is a passionate artist who has honed his craft and enjoys sharing his excitement and art with others. You can tell that the end result is a high quality product. Gin is certainly the specialty here and it's pretty outstanding stuff. Usually if I sniff any old bottle of gin, it's not a pleasant experience but one whiff of this gin makes me want to inhale again. It's probably the only spirits I would bring to a fancy party or make craft cocktails at home with. I'm so glad to see Goleta Red spirits in local bars like the Goodland, I'd recommend any local or tourist to stop by for a tasting or try a craft cocktail for a real local experience!

This tiny distillery, which definitely gave me speakeasy vibes is not a place to miss out on!…read moreThe owner was very friendly as he told us about his passion, why he is in the business and how he loves to put his heart & soul into making every drink! He made me a custom daiquiri that was super tasty along with two other drinks that were given to my friends. Though this is place is small, it has a lot of might and a great atmosphere!

Cutlers was such a fun experience. They've got a cute patio area that is decorated well and they've…read moregot a small menu of cocktails. I had the apple pie mood lifter it was perfect for a warm summer day. It tasted like apple pie! And my hubby got a Negroni, which was very good. We ended up also getting a shot of the cold brew liquor and ended up taking a bottle of that home. We will definitely be back!!

After a sweet drink, at a bar nearby, I was seeking something less sweet- thus we headed over to…read moreCutler's for a drink or two. This location is in the heart of the Funk Zone near the pier in Santa Barbara. When we approached the location, we saw that they were only offering drinks outside on the patio- as the temps were ok on Saturday in early September, we felt ok sitting on a small patio on lounge chairs with relaxing music in the background. The patio is in the back of Cutler's that can be entered around the corner (map on the front door of Cutler's shows the directions). The patio is next to other tasting room patios featuring wine and next door to Lark's restaurant. When we visited the tasting room at about 3pm in the afternoon, we were the only individuals there but started to fill up with other small groups. When a large group entered, the waitress said you will need a reservation as she was only wait staff there. Perhaps a sign is needed to notify people, that groups need reservations. The drinks were spot on- the drinks started at 14 dollars to about 16 dollars for cocktails. The tasting room also offers tastings of their products too. The tastings looked small. The cocktails were well poured. I was just disappointed to find out that I could not get a Bloody Mary on a Saturday- only Sundays- the Bloody Mary looked really good. If you are done with wine, and seeking something different, come relax on the patio here if your vibe is a low key environment with solid distillery cocktails.

Hiatus is cooking up some amazing agave, gin, vodka and much more. I tried the tasting flight which…read moreat $10 gets you 6 mini shots and they were all great and SO smooth. I need to come back to pick up a bottle!!

This is an amazing local distillery practically in my backyard. They offer delicious potent…read morepotables that are made on site. Service is friendly and knowledgeable. I love the warm ambience, and numerous hanging plants add to the coziness. In this visit, I really enjoyed an Old Fashioned made with their Ported Bourbon. You can also have flights with your choice of 6 liquors & liqueurs. Try the tasty Blueberry Liqueur Support small businesses!

If you're doing a food tour and you're walking through the city, you should definitely have some…read morehands sanitizer or have spots along the way, picked out to be regularly washing your hands. You also should refrain from touching people's plates and cups as you discuss and show them the food items. I understand it's a food tour, but especially when you don't have clean hands, it's highly unsanitary! It's also a good idea to not greet dogs and let them lick all over you ... your hands.... your arms AND your face while you're interacting with people who are eating food, bringing them food from the restaurant & leading a tour. It's a good idea to give people space after you give them the information about the tour and the food and the art and let them socialize with the people that they came with. We should not have experience the person who is giving the tour or learning how to give a tourist next to you constantly asking you questions about what you're eating, what you're trying, where you're from or other questions that are really irrelevant .. it is pretty annoying & doesn't allow you to enjoy the experience fully. It's not a good idea to take shortcuts, because it's easier for you as the tour guide. One of our group members ate meat. The other 2 are vegetarians, but to keep it simple or make it easier. She was repeatedly offered vegetarian options and not given the opportunity to try the meat options along the tour. This was frustrating as you were very clear when setting up the tour, what the food restrictions were, we reminded them again when we got to the beginning of the tour and also reminded along the tour. How often will we need to say it in order to get the full experience. Although the tour guide and her trainee were very nice & social, it is not likely not an experience we'll do again.

We had a fun day in Solvang with our guide Hannah. Although we were locals, it was great to find…read moresome new spots we had not visited before. Hannah was very friendly and accommodating to our requests. There was plenty of food to eat and a couple of adult beverages included. The photo tips were marginal, but we didn't care as we booked the tour for the fun of walking around town and tasting the delicious food. The highlight was Kim Jensen, owner of the Ingeborg's Danish Chocolates, giving us a wonderful tour of his factory and sharing lots of chocolate treats!

Went on a tour and tasting and it was very educational and well worth the price. Bought a bottle as…read morewell.

Great music! Friendly bartenders and wait staff! Great vibe to hang out and with a friend or…read moredance! I was in LA visiting a friend and had a great time at this place.

Wow! What a great spirit-tasting experience! Between the 7 of us tasters, we worked our way pretty…read moremuch across, through, and around the menu. We all enjoyed our tastings, but naturally, a few fan favorites leaned heavily toward the liqueurs. The apricot was sweet summer sunshine in a glass, the coffee the most delightfully rich wake up call, the quince a surprising cozy, fall-essence in a glass, and my personal fave, the Victus Amaro - a magical immediate transportive experience straight to Italy. Each tasting is $25 for 3, including a cocktail of your choice. Sarah, the owner, was a font of info as she shared how the magical process of distillation occurs to become the taster in hand and wonderful cocktail in your glass. It was wonderful to hear that fruit is grown and harvested on property. It's apparent to see how passionate and excited she was to share their creations with us. Really, each taste is a story, where we got the happily ever after ending in a glass. The outdoor area was relaxing, and we enjoyed our drinks chatting away surrounded by beautiful rolling hills. And, pigs! And goats! And veggies to toss their way! Thanks so much for such a truly delightful experience!

Loved our tasting Have a great time…read more Beautiful atmosphere Recommend night 3 tastings plus a cocktail

For once I'm posting a review the day after I finally made it to the place I'm reviewing, instead…read moreof weeks or months later... though funny enough, I was *there* because I had a Groupon that had technically expired like 9 months ago, back the *first* time we thought we were turning the corner on covid and life would be getting back to normal soon, then that absolutely didn't happen - so R6 was great and said they'd honor all their Groupons until the end of the year. Fast forward to the middle of December, now it's *really* expiring, so I was there last night for a tasting before it expired! I imagine it could get busy sometimes, since it's not that large - but when we were there, Saturday around 5, it wasn't busy at at, so it felt nice and intimate, and our bar service was great. (I'm definitely glad indoor seating is available and relatively safe again, cause their speakeasy setup is a great vibe, way better than drinking out in the parking lot or whatever, haha.) I can't comment on the food or the cocktails, since I was just there for the tasting (the beer and cocktails looked pretty good, but we had dinner plans this was on the way to, I wasn't going to keep my wife waiting for the Ethiopian food she was really out here for! That and they're pricey - the coolest-looking ones were like $18!) I also sadly can't comment on *all* their spirits, since a tasting only includes 3 spirits and they have a decent range at the tasting room! I was lucky enough to be tasting with my wife, though, so I can comment on 6 of them. I'll also mention the price of the groupon, if a deal happens to come back that includes a tasting, the included tasting is their three core (cheaper) bottles, or you can pick any 3 and possibly pay up to a few extra bucks depending how expensive the bottles you want to try were, which is pretty reasonable. (The same goes for the bottle, if you want to use a Groupon that includes a bottle for a different one than the included bourbon, though in this case, I took the bourbon - it's a great bourbon! I also didn't notice that you still have to pay tax on the included bottle, but I'm not going to complain, we still got two tastings and a bottle for less than the price of a bottle, haha. Though that Groupon isn't currently available - tastings are normally $18-23 depending on the priciness of the bottles, which is a bit pricey, but I also get that making small batch whiskeys and aging them a long time is expensive, especially in LA. Was nice having a Groupon though!) The specific spirits I tried included their base bourbon and a smoked version (the base version was great, the smoked version was even tastier, but I didn't think *enough* tastier to justify how expensive it was. The core bourbon was totally worth its $46.) Also tried their flavored whiskey, which absolutely tasted like liquid caramel corn, and is totally affordable. Their reposado gin was great, but in that price range, there are a few aged gins I've had I've liked more (it was still great though). On the other hand, their spiced rum absolutely does knock my previous favorite local craft spiced rum bottle down to second-favorite, theirs is so good! Too bad I already had a bottle of spiced rum at home, and you only use spiced rum so often! Finally, I had to try their very pricey absinthe, which, you know good absinthe is going to be pricey. It's quite good absinthe, haha. I did also love that they served the tasting with droppers of water, in case you wanted to add water to your whiskey. I don't like adding water to whiskey usually, but I do like adding a few drops to absinthe, so that worked out! Plus it just looks super classy. I look forward to when they open a second location much closer to us, because I *do* have to try all their spirits. (It sounds like one is coming relatively soon.)

Amazing spirits still being sold by the bottle. I heard they may be starting to serve cocktails…read moreagain in the near future. Really hoping that's true. An amazing staple of the Gundo.