Came by for a special tour on a Sunday late afternoon. Place was mostly empty at the time. There…read moreis inside and outside seating. Indoor seating has some cozy spots (see pics). Host provided an informative tour with a few tastings. I preferred their straight bourbon and single malt. I like this place and the friendly staff. I just wished they had a location closer to Santa Maria. .

Pick my son up from the SLO airport and asked him if he was hungry. I also had my sweet Aussie girl…read morewith me and it was raining outside. So I needed to find a place that would not give me grief for look at me sideways because I had my girl with me and then I thought about rotten hammer. Literally around the corner from the airport with food and all sorts of spirits. Plus, soft drinks if spirits aren't using. I hadn't eaten there yet for lunch, so I thought we tried it out. I got the Everything salad. An added chicken. It was a good size, but it just for me didn't have much flavor. It left my taste buds feeling kind of blah. My son got a turkey sandwich on a grilled ciabatta bread with fries. I looked up and down and it was gone. So his was good my Aussie girl got a burger patty. They do have dog meals there, but they didn't have any that day. I looked up and down, and her burger was gone. I guess she learned that from her brother. If you haven't been to Rod and hammers establishment yet, go there when it's not raining. You have a complete inside and you're fine from the rain. But if you go there when it's not raining, they have a great outdoor area to sit that has fireplaces and a cool sitting arrangement. You can get pizzas, pretzels, nachos, plus the food menu inside or outside. They have whiskey tastings, which are fantastic. I highly recommend trying one of those. When you're not the driver. . I recommend rod and hammers for happy hour and fun drinks. I'd have to go back and try some different items on the menu. I probably won't go back for a lunch unless I can get someone to split a pizza with me. The pizzas were good when I've been there for a happy hour. And so were the pretzels. I was so busy catching up with my son. I forgot to take pictures of the place. But I do have a picture of my really cute Aussie dog.

DRINKS: They were smooth and different from each other. The…read morerange of taste profiles are perfect for tastings. There's something for everyone. The cocktails were so good! SPF100 and the cosmo were delicious. SERVICE: Such nice employees/servers. Kept on checkin on us during our visit to see how we are liking things. Explained what it is we are tasting. Very knowledgeable to their craft and products. AMBIANCE: Small bar area but enough tables to serve a good amount of tasters. Not too loud and a very clean area. No strong smells of alcohol or food cooking. Good amount of parking available as well. Unfortunately they are closing the physical store but will continue to be part of the community during events and available for catering as well. Their products will still be available in stores! Come support!

**$10 CRAFT COCKTAILS NOT DOWNTOWN**…read more Here I am over the weekend really wanting a craft cocktail in slo but not wanting to go downtown for it. Thank you Yelp for suggesting this place. Right next door to central coast brewing (which I frequent a lot but they only offer beer and wine). Cute little bar, with a really nice bartender Brent. Brand new menu with some very interesting cocktails. Can also make most cocktails not on the menu. They said eventually they will be serving small bites but for now if you want food you can order bar food from central coast brewery and they will deliver the food next door to this place. Open wed-sun. They close at 8, not sure when they open. Came on Friday around 5pm and we had the place to ourselves. It was so nice! Best part? The drinks are $10 each!!!!!!!

I did not try the food but it looks and smells great. They have a menu that you can scan to order…read morefood from a nearby pizza place and the pizza place will drop it off to the distillery or the brewery. The service is fast and friendly and very welcoming. The atmosphere is diverse and inclusive and designed for people to have a great time alone or in groups. There are plenty of bars, plenty of seating, and plenty of outdoor seating. The hub is shared with a brewery. Bryson made me a custom birthday drink based off of a quick description of what I look for in a drink and it is ONE OF THEE BEST THINGS IVE EVER PUT IN MY MOUTH!!! They should consider adding it to the menu! It's sensational. My first time here and I love this place!!!!

What a great little distillery! Not really little inside but it's got a nice little feel. It's…read moreattached to a brewery and the signed outside are hard to see so you'd most likely drive right past if you didn't know what you're looking for. Then when you park make sure to walk towards the driveway because that's where their entrance is. The staff that was there was really friendly, and I liked the fact that they'd tried a lot of the whiskeys and drinks on the menu so they could make recommendations based on what you were looking for. When we were there they were out of half the whiskeys so we did a tasting with the whiskeys available. Not a bad price either 3 for $10 or 6 for $20. Totally worth it. Once you tried them you can pick your fave to make one of their many cocktail options or have it on the rocks or neat. They also had vodka, gin, Tequila, beer, and wine. As a plus they had food and happy hour! So the whiskeys were all good to me, smooth, and a couple were on the sweeter side with notes of caramel and vanilla. The rye was surprisingly one of the smother sweeter ones I tried. After the tasting I had the Matt Hattan which was delicious! My friend had the smokey old fashioned and after tasting mine he ordered a Matt Hattan as well after he finished his drink. I giggly recommend it. We ordered food and we didn't even know it was happy hour but they let us know that it was. The wings were REALLY good. Flavorful and still crispy. Lots of places lose the crisp when they had the flavor but not here. It was delicious, I ended up getting a second order after the first and finishing both! If you're looking for a chill place to hang out and can't decide on what type of drink you want definitely got this place up. You won't regret it!

We came to Willow Creek primarily taste the whiskey but left with much more. The tasting experience…read morewas fun and Max was a great host. He encouraged us to try the liqueurs and I so glad he did. Not only do they have unique flavors, they are not syrupy sweet like many cordials and liqueurs making them perfect to sip on their own. The chamomile and coffee flavors are excellent, as is the chocolate. I highly recommend a stop here or even a purchase online. We will definitely be ordering more. They also have a restaurant on site, so if you are in the area it's a great stop for wine and liquor tasting and lunch.

Many wineries are adding distilled spirits to their properties. This one is a part of Opolo Winery,…read moreso you know it has to be good! It's a fairly small operation, with a variety of spirits to offer. It's attached to Opolo's barrel room, making it nice and cool inside. We preferred the liqueurs over the brandies. The liqueurs had more depth and flavor-at least that's what I thought. We took home a bottle of Amaro, which is good for sipping while chilling on a summer afternoon! Be sure to check it out!

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

Another delicious fun time tasting at Foggy Bottom. Bring new friends and your other friends will…read morewant to tag along again. Such a treat. Peaceful and small Thank you

We returned to this place hidden behind a Mexican restaurant off the main boulevard in Los Osos…read more (Some helpful signage directs you to the back storage shed where lies the Foggy Bottom Distillery.) On a recent weekend, they had six distillation products to taste: 1) Barrel #1 Bourbon, 2) Barrel #17 CornWhiskey, 3) Apple Cinnamon Bourbon, 4) "fruit infused corn whiskey, 5) cherry spiced rum, 6)Maple pecan Bourbon whiskey. A $20 tasting got you a tiny pour of each in a whiskey cairn glass. Most bottles were $80 for 750 ml. One was $100 ( I forget which). It's a little pricey, but he's a one-man operation with none of the big distillery economy of scale working for him. Right now, he's emphasizing the tastings and the distillery-logo gift items, such as an engraved whiskey cairn glass (those are cool!) and assorted t-shirts. I'm glad I found this small local spot. I hope he grows enough to be able to try barrel-aging his stuff for longer periods. His products are pretty young, but definitely interesting. I'd be really excited if he were to try working with malted barley, too. However,I do understand that this is a small operation. The guy looked a little more tired and less chatty about his product than he was a couple of years ago. He might consider taking on someone to help with the tasting room pourings and talking to the public. I think he could use a bigger space, already. Parking in the lot in front of the restaurant is available. In a pinch, you can also park across the street and walk over. Be careful, traffic on Los Osos Valley Road is pretty fast.

Honk when you get here if it doesn't look open. They're here! Brandy is excellent!!! Nice start…read moreto the day!!

This was a fun experience! great relaxing views. We had an opportunity to meet the owner/winemaker…read more He was so friendly and made it a great experience. We had a couple glasses of wine and the grappa/brandy tasting. I loved learning about different varietals and the wine making process along the way

Omg....best tacos of my life!!!! I tried chicken, asada and carnitas, all three were freaking…read moreamazing. The chips and salsa set the tone for how tasty the food is. My sister got the shrimp and fish tacos which were so bomb! The shrimp is paired with mango salsa... I almost cried because the food was that good! Home made corn tortillas that are thick, soft and fluffy. We are already planning our next dine in experience. Our server was kind, with great customer service.

I was overcharged here and the way it was handled was frustrating…read more After I paid, I noticed the total didn't match what I expected based on the menu. When I brought it up immediately, the bartender responded with, "Oh yeah, I guess I should have told you that," which pretty much confirmed they were aware of the discrepancy beforehand. That's not okay. If there are extra charges, substitutions, or upcharges, they need to be clearly communicated before the transaction--not after the customer catches it. The food was fine, but this kind of experience kills trust. Double-check your bill if you come here.

Central Coast Distillery was such a great experience. The environment is unique, inviting, and has…read morea really comfortable feel to it. It was the perfect spot to end our night. I had the maple Old Fashioned, and it was amazing -- smooth, flavorful, and definitely something I would come back for. My girlfriend had the Sauvignon Blanc and really enjoyed it as well. One of the best parts of the night was Anna coming over to talk with us toward the end of our visit. That personal touch made the experience feel even more welcoming and memorable. I also didn't catch the bartenders' names, but they were both super accommodating and helpful when I approached the bar with questions. Great drinks, great atmosphere, and great people. We'll definitely be back.

This place is awesome! So far I've only tried the drinks, but as you can see I've tried quite a…read morefew! The bartenders gave my wife and I a couple drinks on the house and their service was amazing! This place has great vibes and I can't wait for the patio to open so we can enjoy some drinks and food outside. I think my favorite drink was the Honey Vodka Bliss (the blue one!)