What a great place! We were there a Thursday night. Felt like a modern day "Cheers". Had no expectations. The website was more appealing than the other 2 choices. Boy what a good decision. Not a big cocktail person but the choices made me reconsider... but I stuck to trying a flight of spirits. My go to is bourbon. Wow! Very pleased. They have small pours of not only whiskey but 8 other spirits . Over 60 choices. Most $2 to $3 some a bit more some less. My 8 choices came to $14! I can't get a drink in my area for that price! This to me is the perfect situation. I can try other spirits I have not given a chance without spending a ton! I have never been to a place like this. Unfortunately I am almost 3 hrs away. Nels was awesome to chat with and he and Ben made the visit fun. In speaking with Nels, he can modify any of the drinks to interest and is very creative if you are adventurous. The other customers there were fun to talk to and the guitarist was awesome. Please try it out! Love this place. read more

Place only opens on Friday and Saturday if you want to come in and try their drinks. Interior is chill great place to winddown and talk with people. The music isn't that loud. Restrooms available. Limoncello: On the sweet side with a bit heaviness of alcohol aftertaste. 3rd Gear Old Fashioned: Sweeter old fashion with hint of whisky. This is a great drink if you like whiskies. Sour Cherry: tastes similar to plum liquor. My favorite of the night! If you have tried Korean plum wine then you'll like this drink. Apple-Peach Liqueur: Has more of an peach scent than apple. Little bit less sweet compared to sour cherry. read more

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I had no idea how big and awesome this space was. We stopped in for a quick pre dinner drink on a Friday night. The place was mostly empty except a few patrons, but it picked up as the hour went on. Service was spot on with just the right amount of attention. The drinks were a great highlight of the booze they're putting out. I will say I was underwhelmed by the Ginger old fashioned. It lacked bitters which I believe to be essential to the drink. I wish we could've stayed for food because everything looked and smelled incredible. Hopefully next time! read more

Yahara Bay Distillers - Sweet wall of bottles with fun facts on them - Distilleries Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

A beautiful space with some tasty beverages! I've been to Yahara Bay on a few different occasions and it's always a pleasant experience. Bartenders are friendly, knowledgable, and amenable to switching up cocktails to fit your preference (for example, there was a delicious-sounding cocktail featuring cola, but since I can't have caffeine they were able to sub in another mixer for an equally tasty result). One of my favorite features of the design is the lighted bottle wall, and the store is attractively arranged and feels more like a curation of goods than a sales floor. One of Yahara's upsides is the event space in the back. The multi-level space allows for different set ups and I've had a good time when visiting for everything from a meeting to a private party to a fashion show. The only thing I'd change is expanding the parking - if it's a busy night it can be difficult to find a spot. read more

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Pros: Cool atmosphere, wood elements, and art. They have a gallery in their store room that features local artists and items for purchase including cute drink coasters, and of course their own distillery spirits. Our drinks were good, and we were able to get a happy hour discount. They offer a small menu of food items--We tried two different flat breads that were both amazing. The space itself is intimate and offers bar and table seating. There is also a small lounge area in the back with a couch and chairs made from whiskey barrels. The space is available for rental and looks like it would be a cool venue for a party of small wedding. They offer live music, however, it started at 7:30 and we left before then to meet up with some friends at Ten Pin. Cons: My main complaint is the location. Yahara Bay is tucked away in a strip mall off Nesbitt Rd. Honestly, I was shocked when the bar tender said they had been open at that location for years, because I never noticed/knew they were there. From the outside it doesn't look like much, so I was pleasantly surprised when I walked inside. My second complaint was the with the professionalism of the staff. There were two younger bar tenders that didn't greet us, and really didn't seem interested in serving us. Considering we were two out of 7 total people there, it was a bit off putting. When we mentioned that we had never been here before, they didn't offer any information about the company/distillery or their products. We were just kind of left to guess what might be good by looking at the drink menu. About halfway through our stay a more "seasoned" bar tender took over and offered us more information. It too bad we didn't get him from the start. Seems like a fun place to meet some friends out. Definitely will stop back to check out the live music! read more

The new place is great! This a great place for gatherings, weddings, large parties, music and more. Their full bar offers lots of options to tempt your taste buds. They have a large selection of liquors for sale. A nice little shop adjacent sells some fabulous art pieces (from wall art, clothing, jewelry and some carvings). A nice little gem in Fitchburg! **Try the samples. They will let you try unlimited samples of their product(s). They have a large selection of liquors available. I love the chai vodka, almond liqueur and their ginger lemongrass liqueur (currently out of stock on the ginger one). read more

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What a fun place for a tasting. We had some friends in town last weekend so we decided to try out Yahara Bay Distillers. They have a beautiful space. It includes a bar area, an event area, the shop area, a gallery room with the tasting bar, and you can view the distillery areas through glass windows. The artist when we were there was Beth Racette and her paintings were stunning. Everything is tasteful and it appears to be a great place for events. The highlight of course was tasting the different liquors Yahara Bay distills. Our 'bartender' was fun, friendly, and offered lots of great suggestions for how different liquors can be blended for new tastes. There was also no limit to how many we could taste which added to the fun. Gin, rum, whiskey, everything was very tasty. The combination of coffee and cocoa liquors was one of my favorites, but so were the whiskeys which is what we decided to purchase. This is definitely a fun place to come with friends and sample the Yahara Bay wares. read more

Beautiful atmosphere that is filled with excitement for trying their handcrafted liquors. I tried the maple old fashioned, which was perfectly sweet with a bite at the end. We also did the tour where we got to look around the facility and also try samples. The lightning whiskey was to die for (110 proof, you probs could die from too much lol). Our tour guide was lively and knowledgable about the business and processes of how they create their drinks. Honestly, an amazing place to visit! Would visit again with a bigger group of people! read more

Yahara Bay Distillers - Distilleries Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Great atmosphere, drinks and food. Live music on most Friday nights, so glad to have stumbled into this gem. read more

Yahara Bay Distillers - Distilleries Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

I recently visited Yahara Bay and tried, Lightning, their version of moonshine. It is an excellent product. I grew up the small, Smoky Mountain town of Maggie Valley, NC. home of, probably, the most famous moonshiner ever, Popcorn Sutton. I knew him and am very familiar with his white lightning. I've had plenty of moonshine from various legal and illegal operations in the area. Popcorn's was, by far, the best. Yahara Bay's Lightning is every bit as good as his. read more

I visited Yahara Bay today and met with the Master Distiller, Nick. Nick is a down to earth guy and is really passionate about his plethora of products. Yahara Bay isn't your typical big corporate distillery. It is located in a business park in Fitchburg. The operation is surprisingly small for everything they produce. However, they are properly set up to get the impressive job done. The tasting room is great. Feel free to taste anything they make, private label included, that suits your fancy. Everyone is friendly and genuinely want to make sure you have a great time. Book your tour online 24 hours or more ahead of time. The cost is $7 per person and well worth it. Also, there is a nice gift shop that includes their products and related merchandise. Be sure to taste their WIS-KEE Liqueur, which is just fantabulous. Cheers! read more

I was just visiting the city and I stopped there to buy something. Oh my God, the attendance is very amazing (looking for Nathan), the place is beautiful and the drinks are so delicious. You have to try it. I bought some bottles. And check their schedule because they have stand up show. read more

Fun times. Came for Friday night live music; previous reviews complained about lack of gluten free snacks but I enjoyed the bar nuts and fried cheese (YUM!) so there are options for gf, or paleo, or keto...and the cocktails are very good. The live music was a good time too. read more

The space itself is great. Very open, casual, and a fun place to hangout. The drink menu is cool and has a good variety. The food menu is extremely limited which usually I wouldn't have a problem with. However, someone in my party was gluten and lactose free and when we asked the bartender if we could have some sautéed vegetables (they have a veggie flatbread) we were told "no but you can have some olives". So two cons I have is don't expect any accommodation, and expect a pretty long wait for food (we waited about an hour). read more

Yahara Bay is a great place that makes some really good spirits. I have often been here with co-workers after work and I like the variety of spirits that they provide along with local beer and wine. If you come to the actual distillery it is as the others who post photos show, a cool, creative and cozy place, and the spirits reflect that. I have yet to try all the variety that they have to offer, having said that I tend to go for one of their more creative whiskey cocktails or more likely a gin and tonic using there amazing Barrel Mellowed Gin. It's sort of nice to wander around the art that they have hanging on the walls with your cocktail if not conversing with friends and talking to the bartenders and distillers who always seem to have an interesting tidbit about what you're currently sipping on. read more

I literally dropped by for something special for my liquor cabinet and ended up on a tour and tasting. Talk about being at the right place at the right time! I was completely in heaven trying an array of spirits and went home with some tasty additions for my home cocktail mixing experiments. Never much of a fan of the old fashioned, I was completely won over by the 3rd Gear premixed rye cocktail. It was a cold, rainy day and I left all warm and fuzzy. read more

Great place for happy hour and to host events--they offer tastings and the bar staff are really helpful in choosing from their extensive array of craft spirits. Classic cocktails like Moscow Mules and Manhattans are made with their own distilled alcohol and I personally got hooked on their Chai Tea infused vodka, which I've never seen or tasted before coming to Yahara! read more

We were just here for their bloody mary festival. I specifically wanted to write this review to give credit where it is due to the bartender Kristin. She was the best bartender I have seen in a very long time. It was super busy and she was so attentive and didn't leave people waiting. So sweet and helpful. I really appreciated her! read more