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The Lowland distillery Girvan was completed and commissioned in 1963 in only nine months. It is one of the largest Grain Whisky distilleries in Scotland.

Girvan is William Grant & Sons' only Grain Whisky distillery. It is located in the industrial area of the coastal town of Girvan, together with the Ailsa Bay distillery, built in 2007 on the same site. This was also the home of the lost distillery Ladyburn, which closed in 1975 and was demolished the following year.

Girvan used to supply its Grain only for William Grant & Sons Blends until 2014, when the distillery's first Single Grain bottlings were released. These were distilled using the patent still process.

The Single Grain Whisky Girvan Patent Still No. 4 Apps is distilled in two multi-pressure stills. Other Single Grain Whiskies in the distillery's portfolio are Girvan 25 years, Girvan 28 years and Girvan 30 years.

Hendrick's Gin is also produced on the Girvan premises. It has been made by hand since 1999, in small batches of just 500 litres in total. Master distiller Lesley Gracie is still responsible for the countless Hendrick's releases. More than twenty years ago, Charles Gordon, the great-grandson of the company's founder, asked her to produce a new Gin for him. The result was Hendrick's Gin, which is distilled in two unusual stills: in the Bennett Still, the botanicals are steeped and in the Carter Head Still, they release their essence via an aroma basket. This combination creates a very smooth Gin with a balanced mixture of flavours.

The eleven botanicals in Hendrick's Gin are iris root, yarrow, angelica, caraway, lemon peel, coriander, cubeb pepper, juniper, orange peel, elderflower and chamomile and come from all over the world. After the Gins from the two stills have been blended, the resulting spirit is infused with the typically British ingredients rose and cucumber.

In addition to the original Hendrick's Gin, the distillery releases a number of other Gins, such as the limited releases Hendrick's Lunar and Midsummer Solstice, both of which are characterised by a floral aroma. Hendrick's Orbium is additionally combined with extracts of quinine, vermouth and lotus blossom. And to create Hendrick's Amazonia Gin, available exclusively through Travel Retail, they chose botanicals from the Amazon jungle.

The Production

The very first still at Girvan, known as the Patent Still "No. 1 Apps" (a distillery term for 'apparatus') is still in use today. After 50 years, it was joined by four more patent or Coffey stills. These include the "No. 4 Apps", a new type of still introduced in 1992, which is used for the unusual MPS (Multi-Pressure System) distillation. This special process allows the distillery to evaporate and distil at different pressures, especially under vacuum, at low temperatures. The result is a sweeter, fruitier and purer spirit that is free of sulphur compounds.

The Warehouse

The Girvan distillery has 53 warehouses, which are estimated to hold 10 per cent of all Scotch Whisky. With a production capacity of about 110 million litres of alcohol per year, this is not surprising.

Girvan Whiskies are matured in vanillin-rich American white oak casks.

The History

Girvan was built in 1963 under the direction of Charles Grant Gordon, the great-grandson of William Grant, within nine months as the largest Grain distillery. At the time, Girvan was the most modern distillery in the world.

In 2019, the new Gin Palace, home of Hendrick's Gin, was inaugurated. It is a tropical greenhouse with the same heat and humidity as the Amazon and houses a diverse collection of tropical fruits and plants.

Girvan Distillery Grangestone Industrial Estate Girvan Ayrshire KA26 9PT Tel: +44(0)1465-713091

User Notes about the Distillery

Share your experience with other whisky lovers. Write a note about your trip to the Girvan distillery.

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Thursday, June 3, 2010

Distillery visit - girvan.

7 comments:

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So interesting, the technical inovation to produce such "clean" spirit & the scale of the enterprise, close omes eyes to the romance of the copper pot stil, tomthe indusrial mass production, just focus on the charcter of the William Grant range.

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Girvan distillery

Girvan is the Grain Whisky distillery of the company William Grants & Sons, who are famouus for their Glenfiddich and Balvenie single Malts. The output from Girvan is more widely drunk as part of the Grants Blended Whisky brand but also has a number of single grain bottlings, several of which are quite exceptional.

Girvan whisky distillery is located in the quiet coastal town of Girvan from which it takes its name. Built in 1963 by the whisky producers William Grant & Sons the Lowland grain distillery is a state-of-the-art industrial monster in which more than 50 million litres of pure alcohol can be produced per annum. Girvan is the most most energy efficient distillery in Scotland in Scotland and is one of Scotland’s biggest distilleries.

How is Girvan Whisky produced?As Girvan is a grain whisky distillery it produces not only malted barley, but from other grain varieties such as wheat. The Girvan Grain Whisky, and of course also the Girvan Single Grain Scotch Whisky, are produced at this point with a Coffey still and a continuous still.  Girvan means “short river” and is pronounced like Górwen. Currently, approx. 680,000 hectolitres of whisky were produced.

William Grant & Sons extended their activities to Blended Whisky in the mid-1960s, with the aim of becoming more independent from their competitors through the construction of the Girvan Grain Distillery. For a short period of time there was also a Malt distillery under the name Ladyburn in Girvan. From 1966 to 1975 this malt whisky was produced primarily to bolster their blended output. However in order to gain space for an expansion of the Grain distillery production, the Ladyburn buildings were demolited in 1976. There are some official fillings as well as some independent bottlings of Ladyburn. Due to their scarcity are now all rare collectors’ items.

Today, Girvan once again is the site of a Lowland Malt distillery: Ailsa Bay. Ailsa Bay is a large eight stills site producing a range of new make styles. This flexibility is deliberate as the distillery was built to provide ‘Balvenie style’ malt for Grant’s blends and to offer other flavour possibilities

Since Girvan is a classic industrial plant, it is also used for the production of other spirits such as gin or vodka.

Girvan factsheet

Can i tour girvan.

No, unfortunately Girvan distillery is not open to the public for tours

Fully owned by William Grant & Sons, a fifth-generation Scottish family distiller

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Grant's disitllery, our distillery.

Built in 1963, Girvan Distillery was an amazing feat at the time, taking just 9 months to build. Charles Gordon and four hundred locals worked around the clock to make sure one of the most advanced distilleries in the world was ready in time for the first spirit to be bottled on Christmas Day, as was the case at our sister distillery, Glenfiddich in 1887. In 1990, we installed our first patent still, enabling our unique method of making grain whisky. Today, our Girvan grain whisky is seen as one of the best in the world and is at the heart of every single bottle of Grant’s.

MEET OUR LATEST TEAM MEMBER ROCCO THE DOG

Rocco is a one year old working cocker spaniel whose job is to sniff out the quality of the casks at the cooperage, where the wooden barrels are made by our highly skilled craftsmen who use traditional techniques to prepare them to protect and help perfect our whisky for years to come.

As wood is a natural material, and the distilling of whisky is an organic process, Rocco has a really important job to make sure that everything is perfect as the whisky ages in the oak casks. His sense of smell is 40 times stronger than a human’s and he's been specially selected and trained to pick up the scent of anything that’s not quite right as the whisky matures. When he’s done checking out the quality of the wood in the cooperage, Rocco noses around the rest of the distillery to make sure that everything is going to plan.

ROCCO'S FIRST DAY

MEET THE CRAFTSMEN

Expertly distils our precious spirit. Threes have always been important to Grant’s be it the three different types of wood our whisky is matured in, to the three key ingredients in our Whisky, Scottish water, Air and Barley.

Arguably one of most importance is our three sided bottle. In 1957 Hans Schleger created the now distinctive Grant’s triangular bottle, this iconic bottle not only helps to showcase the quality and colour of Grant’s whisky but it also allowed for efficient stacking and packing for exporting around the world.

Sculpts our casks by hand.

Six generations after our founding father William Grant first opened the doors to his distillery in 1887 we’re officially Scotland’s oldest continuously family-run blended whisky makers.

Today, the tradition lives on and we continue to make our whisky the same way we always did

Skilfully blends whiskies with knowledge shared over six generations.

As the 3rd largest Scotch brand globally, we believe it’s our duty to make whisky that can be enjoyed by everybody, not just the privileged few. Every second, 55 drams of our precious liquid is drunk around the world.

The future outlook for blended Scotch is exciting, with more people than ever being introduced to the category.

Six generations of Grants have stood together through thick and thin to hold the title of Scotland’s oldest continuously family-run, blended whisky makers. But we couldn’t have done it without a little help along the way.

WILLIAM GRANT

In William Grant’s journey from cow herder to founding father of one of the world’s most loved Scotch brands, it’s fair to say he had a little help along the way.

It was in 1887 when William Grant opened his first distillery in Scotland with the help of his seven sons and two daughters.

William Grant knew a thing or two about a good workforce. George Grant was his maltman, Charlie Grant operated the tuns, Alec Grant was his still-man, and his youngest daughter Meta? Well, the seven year old brought the boys lunch. Now that's a family business.

SHARING WITH THE WORLD

William Grant’s son-in-law, Charles Gordon, became the company’s first salesman. Knocking on doors, trying to make his first sale. He called at 180 establishments before finding his first customer. Which may have had something to do with the fact that the 181st was the first place he gave a sample to.

This job saw him sailing to the Far East, which took months at a time. Luckily he never had to take much home again. So the return leg was always a little speedier.

PROHIBITION

During prohibition most distillery owners shut their doors, but not William Grant. He went against the grain and actually increased production. Guess he knew the world wouldn’t be able to resist great whisky forever.

It just goes to show that when the right people stand together, great things happen.

Six generations later, we’re still family owned. From the highly skilled Coopers who tend our casks to the distillers and maturation experts – Grant’s Whisky stays true to William Grant’s original, closely guarded recipe.

Grants Whiskey

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Girvan distillery.

A stormy day greeted us en route to the distillery.

When you think about grain distillation, what immediately comes to mind?

For me, it is the stills. I automatically think first about the still shape, knowing that the good old fashioned copper pot glories will have been replaced by tall, slimline stills that rise high into the air. This comes before anything else in my mind’s eye – from the type of grain used (in the UK, generally wheat) to the method of distillation. It is an image of those still shapes that bursts forth.

And while I have read and learned much about whisky production, it was not until I headed to the Girvan distillery on the Aryshire coast in late 2013 that I really gained an appreciation for all the major differences that there are between grain and malt distilleries.

In fact, grain distillation is much more complicated than I grasped before my visit and has changed the way I will speak about it for the future – a handy fact since Girvan itself has just launched as a single grain brand (The Girvan Patent Still) and the idea of single grain whisky is becoming more popular (led, partly, to a large output by independent bottlers).

As background, Girvan was founded in 1963 by the William Grant & Sons operation (the family company which also owns The Balvenie, Glenfiddich, Kininvie, Monkey Shoulder, Tullamore Dew and the branding for US craft distiller Hudson). Set up by Charles Gordon as a way to provide the grain component of Grant’s Standfast blend – and due to a falling out with what was DCU (now Diageo) over TV advertising – it was a thoroughly modern distillery at launch.

The view across the main buildings from the still tower.

When the group I was up with arrived on the cold, weather temperamental November afternoon it was immediately clear that the main thing to stand out about a grain distillery is its sheer size. Imagine in your mind a traditional malt distillery, all twee with lots of cute stone buildings, pagoda roofs and pebbled walkways. Now erase that image, multiply everything in size by about 10 and look up – way up – for everything is big and bold.

Despite the size, there is a definite beauty to it all – perhaps well accentuated the afternoon of my visit by the black clouds threatening oncoming sideways rain but through which the winter sun was attempting to stick out of, giving everything an intensity that was illuminating.

But back to the size of everything. Grain distilleries are expansive. Girvan’s annual capacity is currently 103 million litres per annum and that’s running at 50 weeks a year, making it the UK’s largest grain distillery. If there wasn’t a need for a two-week shut down, that could be increased to 117 million. To give you an idea, the big boys of the malt world (think Glenfiddich or The Glenlivet) produce around 12 million litres and 10.5 million litres respectively.

We started our tour inside what would typically be the mill room. For the Girvan process, the team uses a mix of 90% wheat to 10% malted barley (HDU malt which increases the yield lost by the less well-performing wheat) in the mashbill.

In order to get the wheat to its correct usage size, the distillery has a Tietjen hammer mill (rather than a roller mill) which smashes the wheat through a series of screens to give different sizes of grist.

A main differential at this stage is the fact that when wheat is used for the process, the grist is not just run through a mashtun with different temperatures of water to extract the sugars, but is actually cooked. In this case, this is done using pressure cookers, injected with direct steam of around 135 degrees centigrade.

Chris Burgess, production manager at Girvan, runs us through the process.

Once it has cooled down to 90 degrees, the milled HDU malt wort (which is processed separately to the wheat) is mixed in on the way to the fermenting vessel (the grain distillery name for a washback). And this is where we get back to the sheer size aspect of things. The fermenting vessels are HUGE – on average, 450,000 litres. We headed outside into the crisp winter air to see these babies puffing away, making for an incredibly beautiful sight. They are gas fired and create huge amounts of steam due to being outside (around 54 tonnes per hour!)

The wash comes out at an average of 10% ABV, so it is higher in alcohol to begin with compared to that in malt whisky production. The team is currently doing around 265 batches per week, getting around 80,000 litres of wash per hour. Again – an incredibly large amount.

Next up, we headed into the monitoring room to watch the team overseeing the stills. While everything is done on computer, it is still an extremely technical job, with more components to look after and numbers to record than one has with a traditional pot still set up.

Girvan uses three stills – one (called #1) is an original Coffey still from 1963, which does about 17% of output. The other two (#4 & #5) cover off the rest and use a multipressure vacuum distillation method. This method was fully implemented in 1992, making it the first grain distillery to use a multipressure method. Because of this aspect, temperatures, pressure and liquid movement has to be rigorously kept track of to ensure the operation is running smoothly.

To begin the process using the multipressure method, the incoming wash is heated to 80 degrees centigrade – there is a very small window, however, of how much it can heat up to (never more than 86 degrees centigrade) because otherwise the proteins can burn. For Girvan, the team is trying to create a fruity spirit, and an additional factor of too much heat would mean losing those fruity esters and making the process less energy efficient. The wash runs through first the analyser (which is under the vacuum pressure) and then the rectifier (which is in a state of over-pressure). The rectifier helps to take off what are called heavy uncondensable particles, such as fusel oils, which are actually recycled by being redistilled to remove any alcohols and sold onto the cosmetics industry. It comes off the still around 94% ABV.

In order to gain a better knowledge of just how big the stills were, we all headed outside and over to them – something I was not expecting as it is rare to be quite so up close and personal to things at a distillery. Rising 95 metres into the air, the stills are monstrous and climbing up and up the steps (in the spitting rain, I might add) meant holding onto my nerves (I’m not a massive fan of heights).

The view across the warehouses on site.

But it was incredible. When you get up to the second or third level, you can see out to the roaring sea and across the dozens of warehouses spread across the nearby fields. The distillery fills around 2.5-3k casks per day of spirit for whisky, most of which (around two-thirds) go to external clients such as Diageo and Chivas for their blending needs. While the Girvan Patent Still grain whisky is, of course, hitting the market I’ve been told there is unlikely to be a decrease in the amount sent to partners due to the sheer size of the blended whisky industry.

The stills just after sunset.

When finally we all reached the pinacle, it was just as the sideways rain start to pour down. Even so, it was an extremely memorable sight – and, luckily, I had eight people around to convince me that I had to go back down the ladder (otherwise, I may have stayed stuck on the upper platform for hours).

What surprised me most about Girvan was certainly its size, but equally the fact that it is not such a simple process as I first envisioned. I’d always thought of grain distillation a bit as feeding wash in and letting it come out the other end in a continuous fashion. Which, technically, it is but with many additional factors thrown in. The care and expertise the teams put in matches that of a malt distillery and has made me reevaluate the skill it takes to create, something I shall keep in mind the next time I have a single grain whisky.

After our outdoor adventure, we headed into the warmth where we sampled a range of whiskies – all of which I’ll review in another post coming out Friday.

In conclusion, not only did I discover grain distillation to be complex and fascinating, but I gained a new respect for it. Single grain whisky will no doubt be on the rise as more companies look to expand options for the ever-growing army of global whisky lovers and I look forward to seeing just how companies respond the world over.

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Girvan is situated on the Ayrshire coast, 56 miles south of Glasgow.

The coastal scenery includes the island of Ailsa Craig, lying just offshore, while inland are lush green hills, with many walkers' trails in Carrick Forest.

Girvan’s attractions include the Stumpy Tower, originally built as a prison and today displays fascinating historical exhibits. The McKechnie Institute is also found in Girvan’s town centre, as is a variety of restaurants, cafés and shops to enjoy.

There are no fewer than 20 different castles in the local area. Some are mere ruins and others like Culzean are viewable in all their splendour. The world-famous golf links course, Turnberry, is a few miles up the coast.

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One of the largest distilleries in Scotland, it’s owned by William Grant & Sons and is one of their key production facilities. It is one of the most important grain whiskies due to it being a vital component of Grant's, the third most popular scotch in the world for 2021. 

When the Girvan distillery incorporated the Ailsa Bay Distillery into its site, it was attended by Prince Charles in 2009. Furthermore Ailsa Bay has begun to experiment with releasing whisky protected by blockchain tech to prevent counterfeiting, with its release in 2019. 

In total the distillery has 53 on-site warehouses, the casks stored within constitute almost 10% of all the scotch whisky in the world. 

The distillery released bottlings under Grant’s Black Barrel, which is extremely popular in Scandinavia, Italy, Spain and most importantly France which is the third largest whisky consuming country in the world.

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Girvan Distillery

Built in 1963, under the direction of Charles Gordon, the great-grandson of William Grant, Girvan was the most advanced distillery in the world at the time. The very first still continues making great whisky to this day. Known as 'No.1 Apps' — a distillery term for apparatus — it was joined by 4 other stills following 50 years. This included a new type of still introduced in 1992 to enable a unique process — MPS distillation. Distilling at various pressures — and under vacuum in particular — allows them to vapourise and distill at lower temperatures. This resulted in a sweeter, fruitier, cleaner and purer spirit

The Whiskyphiles

• Founded: 1963
• Status: Operational
• Region: Lowland, Scotland – Girvan, Ayrshire, KA26 9PT
• Online:  http://www.thegirvanpatentstill.com/

Girvan distillery was built in 1963 with the installation of its first Coffey still in 1963, which was celebrated with their first official bottling. The reason for William Grant & Sons building the distillery was because of a quarrel between the Grant family and DCL. Under the close eye of Charles Grant Gordon, the Girvan distillery was built and producing alcohol within nine months of ground break.The company introduced its export single grain whisky, Black Barrel in 1985 to the Spain, Portugal, and Italy markets. Ladyburn operated as a single malt distillery on site from 1965 until 1975. As of 2007, the site has also been home of Ailsa Bay Distillery.

The Whiskyphiles tasting notes

Official bottling.

Independent Bottling

Douglas hamilton.

Great Drams

The Creative Whisky Company

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Open your mind and step inside

The Hendrick’s Gin Palace hails from the tiny seaside village of Girvan, which lies in Ayrshire, south-west Scotland. The distillery lies just a mile inland and overlooks the mysterious volcanic island of Ailsa Craig. This alluring outcrop lies uninhabited, save for a few gannets and puffins, but features in many local legends.

Make Time for the Unusual

Uncover the mysterious events chronologically arrayed from sunrise till nightfall, partly based on true facts.

Distillery Fairies dance in the sunlight peeking over the garden walls

Gloriously ineffecient stills are fired up

Botanicals weighed out and checked by Distillery Team

Lesley waters the plants in the botanical garden

Pepino (distillery Tortoise) is fed

Time for a quick break!

Lesley tests some liquids in the lab

Lesley tucks away her creations in her Cabinet of Curiosities (yes it's a real cabinet!)

End of day catch up in bar.

Hendrick's Glasshouses

Master Distiller, Lesley Gracie's obsession with botanicals and thirst for experimentation led to the building of two glasshouses. The plants she grows allow her to continually test new flavours and combinations.

Our unique stills

Hendrick's Gin is distilled in not one but two utterly dissimilar sorts of still. The two leaders of this particular ensemble of stills are the Bennett, an antique copper pot dating right back to 1860, and the Carter-Head, hailing from 1948 (of which only a few exist today).

A moment of calm at the end of a long day can be found at the heart of the Hendrick's Distillery in the bar. Only a rare few characters have the opportunity to sample libations and take time for the unusual in this magical bar.

DISCOVER OUR GINS

Cool Hunting®

Hendrick’s Fantastical New Distillery in Girvan, Scotland

Part curiosity cabinet and part laboratory, the gin’s wondrous new home

The brand new Hendrick’s Gin distillery in Girvan, Scotland is just as beautiful and whimsical as one could imagine. The new distillery and visitor center (which is not open to the public but will be used to host guests of the brand) is the perfect physical realization of the charms and oddities that make Hendrick’s truly Hendrick’s—it’s a mix between a mad scientist’s laboratory, your fabulous uncle’s weekend home, and a cathedral for those who worship at the altar of gin .

Ever since its launch in 1999, Hendrick’s Gin has delighted imbibers with the unusual and the delightfully imaginative: branding based on linotype prints reminiscent of Joseph Cornell’s surrealist collages, a dark and mysterious apothecary style bottle, and the liquid itself—a beautifully balanced and complex gin with the signature flavors of cucumber and rose. At the time of its creation, a gin made with flavors outside of the traditional juniper profile was practically unheard of, but consumers loved it and Hendrick’s has become a new classic style of gin. In turn, Hendrick’s has remained ever-loyal to the cucumber and rose—nods to the English gardens that inspired the brand. Instead of traditional rocks glasses, Hendrick’s gift packs are sold with teacups and cucumber cultivation kits. Hendrick’s Gin has perfectly captured a world of eccentricity in its brand: full of oddities and charming curiosities.

The new distillery is built on the Girvan distilling site where William Grant produces grain whisky, but is physically and visually separated from the rest of the grounds with a tall, black brick wall. Visitors ring a giant bell upon arrival and walk through a set of repurposed cathedral doors. Over the wall is a surrealist version of a traditional English garden, a gazebo that will one day be covered in vines (presumably cucumbers and roses) and rolling green hills. While not yet complete, the gardens already feel like Alice and Wonderland meets Salvador Dalí —a formal garden with unexpected twists and innovations. Kitchen gardens and wild flowers are planned for next summer, with pathways for visitors to wander and explore.

At first glance, the distillery is both grand and modest. The somewhat unassuming box with an atrium attached to the front of the building is built from black brick and glass, reminiscent of gothic architecture and the utilitarian warehouses of the industrial revolution. Five soaring brick arches indicate the foyer of the building, the arcade inscribed with capital Hs.

It’s almost impossible to walk into the foyer without gasping. The soaring atrium feels open and airy while cozy and intimate. Throughout the atrium are nods to the Victorian era: greenhouses, seating areas with fringed lamps, bookcases filled with curios and Hendrick’s bottles, taxidermy peacocks, and quirky garden follies.

Just behind the greenhouse foyer are three of the distillery’s stills prominently on display: two Bennett Stills, and one Carter-Head Still, encased in glass in a large room painted inky black and topped with a stained-glass rosette window decorated with roses and cucumbers. The stills are impossible to miss when entering—they are massive, copper beauties that are shiny, curvaceous and oddly sensual.

The original stills are the true heart of the brand and are lovingly referred to as children. The stills were purchased in 1966 at an auction, and were installed in the original Gin Palace—a small warehouse on the Girvan distilling site. It was important that Hendrick’s Gin be made exactly the same way in the new distillery, and although the original Bennett Still has been reproduced and is on display in the distillery, it holds a special place in Gracie’s heart. She says, “It’s my favorite child, she was built in 1860. She’s just perfect, she works as well as the day she was manufactured.”

The use of two different types of stills is essential to Gracie’s recipe for Hendrick’s Gin. The Bennett Still steeps botanicals in 60% neutral grain spirit, and the Carter-Head Still infuses flavor into 60% neutral grain spirit as the vapors pass through the still’s flavor basket. The same botanicals are added to both stills: juniper, orange peel, lemon peel chamomile, caraway seeds, elderflower, orris root, coriander seeds, yarrow, angelica root, and cubeb berries. The two methods of distillation extract different compounds from the botanicals; the Bennett Still brings out the complex flavors of juniper, coriander and angelica, whereas the Carter-Head Still draws forth the bright flavors of citrus and flowers. It is the combination of the distillates that creates the complexity inherent to Hendrick’s Gin, the base spirit to which essential oils of cucumber and rose are added.

Gracie is rigorous in her distilling methods. She is very much a scientist: precise while curious about new flavors and methods of production. In 2013 she traveled to South-West Venezuela to visit indigenous communities, where she discovered the Scorpion Tail flower that had a unique sense of terroir that linked it to the region. She distilled as many of the flowers as she could, and later blended it with the Hendrick’s base distillate, making Kanaracuni Gin, a limited edition gin that has aromas of flowers, orange peel, and violets with flavors of sweet and spicy citrus fruit, candied flowers, with a crisp herbal note. It is divine.

Hendrick’s Orbium is Gracie’s latest creation, a “quininated gin” made with wormwood (often found in vermouth) and Lotus Blossom, one of Gracie’s favorite flavor profiles. The new gin, which is scheduled to be released in the US in early 2019, has bright citrus and floral notes in combination with the cucumber and rose flavors we know and love.

Gracie is entering a new phase of creativity with her distilling, which should have us all very excited given her experiences leading liquid development for many of the William Grant & Sons non-whisky brands including Reyka Vodka, Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum, Solerno, and the almost-impossible to find Discarded Vermouth. She now has the dream distillery—and greenhouses—to create whatever she can imagine.

Images by Emily Arden Wells

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California Winery Advisor

Your Independent Guide to the Wine Country

10 Great California Distilleries To Visit

CWA Staff [April 2021]

10 California Distilleries To Visit When Need  A Break From Wine

There are some great California distilleries you can visit now. States laws were recently updated for the first time since prohibition. The new law allows distilleries to open tasting rooms. We know, doesn't get better than that. We thought you might enjoy a list of some of the best California distilleries with tasting rooms. An extra bonus, most of these California distilleries are in major wine regions. That means you'll have something for everyone!

California wine country vineyards, wineries, restaurants, hotels, and events are on par with the best anywhere in the world. It stands to reason, then, that the distilleries popping up among the vineyards would be of equal quality. In 2000, there was just a handful, but by 2015, the 75 California distilleries intensified the already rich tapestry of the region.

Complementing the local wine and cuisine with another example of fine, handcrafted products, these ten California distilleries are a credit to the owners. You can expect to find distilleries on this list that deliver a range of spirits that reach from eclectic to traditional. Have a peek, or better yet, take a sip.

Distilleries To Visit In Northern California  

Napa valley distillery.

The Napa Valley Distillery was the first distillery to open in Napa since prohibition closed the doors on distilling between 1920 and 1933. Producing fabulous vodka made with single vintage Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc, along with a dozen small-batch releases like Old Hollywood Ginn made with nine rare botanicals and a little oak, Napa Valley Distillery offers tastings both at the Grand Tasting Salon in the distillery location as well as at the Vintage Bar Shop in the Oxbow Public Market in downtown Napa. Their boutique also offers a global selection of more than 400 cocktail bitters, syrups, shrubs, and cocktail accouterments. This is clearly one of the must-visit California distilleries.

Charbay Distillery

Charbay Distillery in St. Helena (Napa Valley) is one of America's oldest brandy producers. They have a line of fine brandies that begins with Alambic Pot Still Brandy in 1983. Like most of the high-end California distilleries, Charbay is a family affair benefiting from generations of experience carried across the ocean from Europe. Small-scale production of Whiskey, Tequila, Vodka, Rum, and Brandy provides a full menu for a wide range of palates.

The Whiskey R5 (Lot No. 4) is double-distilled using Bear Republic Brewery's Racer5 IPA beer, boasting awards for its 7 percent ABV, two-row barley, and aromatic hops on the front end leading to bittering hops and a clean smooth finish. Their Brandy No. 83, named for the year it was distilled from Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc grapes, is a premium Folle Blanche brandy aged in French Limousin oak. The brandy was released after 27 years to celebrate the anniversary of founder Miles Karakasevic's arrival in the new world. Today, Charbay Distillery sits alongside Charbay Winery, offering tasting, tours, and barrel-aged brandies, ports, aperitifs, with the option of a hand-rolled cigar.

Spirit Works Distillery

The Spirit Works Distillery in Sebastopol embraces the grain-to-glass philosophy held by most of these small California distilleries. They do their milling, mashing, fermenting, and distilling on-site. True to form, this artisan micro-distillery seeks out local organic ingredients whenever possible. Sailing, climbing, and distilled spirits are what Timo and Ashby Marshall love. They are proudly serving up their sips at the Barlow Open Air Maker Marketplace.

You can visit them for a tour and tasting. The cost is $20 per person.

Sonoma County Distilling Company

Sonoma County Distilling Company in Rohnert Park started up the trend in 2010 as one of the first 200 distilleries in the US. Distilling twice to reach the desired alcohol concentration. This California craft distillery uses direct fire Alembic pot stills that yield a consistent flavor with slight caramelization. Using non-GMO California grains and malted barley smoked in Petaluma with California Cherrywood, the spirit is then aged in new American oak from Missouri and Minnesota. The result is another standout, grain-to-glass spirit worthy of attention.

Sonoma Coast Spirits

Sonoma Coast Spirits is a small craft California distillery in Petaluma Maker's District with a gorgeous view from the cozy tasting bar inside the facility. A favorite for a dozen reasons, one is the World Spirits Gold Medal for founders Doug and Jill Olson's Lemon Drop craft cocktail. They also produce four vodkas and three Grappa selections. The Grappa is made from a recipe passed down by Jill's great-grandfather, Lionardo Dioguardi who distilled using local Zinfandel grapes under his own label in Santa Rosa prior to Prohibition. Taking advantage of the new 2016 laws allowing sales to the public in the tasting room, samples of craft cocktails allow the Olsons to share their passion on-site as well as to take home.

Alley 6 Craft Distillery

Alley 6 Craft Distillery is a California micro-distillery that opened in 2012. Located in the city of Healdsburg, its first and only distillery until some recent additions, treats guests to samples of their Rye Whiskey, Single Malt Whiskey, Harvest Gin, Candy Cap Bitters, and a selection of additional handcrafted selections while learning about the distilling process, followed by a distillery tour. Built, as founders Krystle and Jason Jorgensen say, with "thrifty nickels and a lot of brow sweat," Alley 6 is a family business that embraces a passion for making small-batch whiskeys born of time spent mixing drinks behind the bar.

Two 132-gallon Alembic copper pot stills help Alley 6 as they go about milling, mashing, fermenting, distilling, barreling, and bottling their complex, award-winning spirits. Composed of 78 percent rye and 22 percent aromatic malted barley, aged in new heavily-charred American white oak, Alley 6 Rye Whiskey puts vanilla, spice, and rye on the nose, followed by caramel on the palate. The Alley 6 Single Malt Whiskey is currently only available in the tasting room, which makes it a great reason to visit.

Prohibition Spirits Distillery

Prohibition Spirits Distillery offers tastings at Sonoma's Cornerstone Gardens, presenting California's first organic LimonCello, Hooker's House Whiskeys, Sugar Daddy Rums, Jack's Gins, Chauvet Brandies, and specialty spirits that show off founders Fred and Amy Groth's skills and innovative nature. In addition to spirits tastings, the duo provides mixology classes and accommodates private and group events in the serenity of the Cornerstone Gardens, complete with an outdoor test kitchen, art-filled gardens, live music, boutique wineries, and a stunning sunset view. This is a must-visit California distillery

Young & Yonder Spirits

Young & Yonder Spirits in Cloverdale is known for Armont Vodka, slowly distilled six times,  through several purification processes, delivering vodka that is smooth, clean, crisp, and refined for an excellent sip whether on the rocks or in a mixed cocktail.

Their H.O.B.S. Gin, named for Harbor of Broken Souls, gives a nod to the connection between this juniper, citrus, and floral spirit as a favorite of those who have spent their lives upon the sea. Years in the making, refining, and perfecting of this handcrafted spirit displays the perfect balance of juniper, lemon peel, coriander, lavender, hibiscus, bay leaf, angelica root, and cardamom. Look out for a very special bourbon from co-founders Josh Opatz and Sarah Fiske.

California Central Coast Distilleries

Re:find handcrafted spirits.

Re:Find Handcrafted Spirits in Paso Robles takes bleed, the free-run juice from premium red wine grapes before fermentation, and distills it into fine vodka and gin spirits. Usually discarded, winemakers turned distillers Alex and Monica Villicana found that triple distillation turned the juice into something exceptional. New offerings of rye whiskey and bourbon were released this year, adding to seasonal flavored spirits and an oak-infused vodka with spice and caramel that acts a lot like whiskey. Unique, refined, and stylish, this California distillery turns a cocktail into an event.

KroBār Craft Distillery

KroBār Craft Distillery in Paso Robles, mashing up the surnames of founders Stephen Kroener and Joe Barton is the result of a combined 40 years of alcohol business experience. This experience is why they chose the Vendome Copper and Brass Works in Louisville, KY to provide their still.

Tasting from the Social Room or from Ethanol Alley, the distillery overlooks vineyards along highway 46. The experience is a divine one from two guys that learned from the best at their parents' operations at Barton Family Wines and Silver Horse Winery. Discover just how appealing these spirits made from botanicals can be, sipping Rye Whiskey, Gin, Bourbon, and a white wine aperitif called Lit, making the most of Kroener's Albariño and Barton's Grenache Blanc and Viognier. The speakeasy tasting room vibe shares a patio with the Barton Family Wines Grey Wolf Cellars, where lunch is also an option.

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Undiscovered Scotland

Squeezed between the Galloway Hills and the sea, Girvan is the largest town in the district of Carrick and the biggest settlement on the coast between Ayr, 20 miles to its north, and Stranraer, 30 miles to its south. Its harbour, built within the mouth of the Water of Girvan, offers one of the few safe havens along this stretch of coast and helps explain the growth of the town.

Already an important centre, Girvan was given burgh status in 1668. Over the following two hundred years it grew slowly, its wealth coming from shoemaking, weaving and fishing. The town's real period of growth dates back to the arrival of the railway from Glasgow via Maybole in 1860. This placed the town within easy reach of trippers who came to enjoy its beaches and seaside environment.

Tastes have changed over the years, but some of Girvan's attractions are timeless. Simply wandering around its busy harbour is a joy. Here you can watch its still active fishing fleet, and see the evidence of Girvan's importance to those who sail these waters for pleasure rather than business.

Girvan is home to an active boatyard on the banks of the Water of Girvan. Alexander Noble & Sons established their business here in 1946 to service the Firth of Clyde fishing industry.

Girvan's beaches remain a draw for visitors, even in an age when lots of people fly south for the summer. Not many Mediterranean resorts can match Girvan's views north-west to the craggy skyline of Arran: or west to the remarkable dome of Ailsa Craig, rising 1114ft out of the Firth of Clyde ten miles away. Girvan is the starting point for trips around or to Ailsa Craig.

Girvan offers other traditional seaside attractions including a boating lake and amusements, but in a way that doesn't intrude on the enjoyment of those who like their resorts uncommercialised.

A hundred yards or so inland from beach and harbour is the main shopping street, formed by the A77 main road as it heads down towards the Irish ferries at Cairnryan. Girvan is home to an interesting mix of architecture. The highlight of the main street is the red stone McKechnie Institute, dating back to 1888. Set back a little to the east of the main through road is Montgomerie Street, home to a number of nice buildings and dominated by the high spire of the North Parish Church, built in 1883.

Perhaps the most striking building in Girvan is Auld Stumpy. This attractive clock tower was erected near the town's main junction between Knockcushan Street and Dalrymple Street over the period 1825-7. It later formed part of the McMaster Hall, built in 1911. The hall burned down in 1939, leaving Auld Stumpy as you see it now.

Today's Girvan has diversified from its traditional industries. Perhaps the most striking example was the purchase in 1963 of a Second World War munitions factory to the north of the town by William Grant & Sons. Here they built a grain distillery capable of producing 70 million litres of spirit each year. The Ladyburn Lowland Malt distillery they also built here in the 1960s closed in 1975 to allow expansion of the grain distillery. More recently this has diversified further into the production of Richard Branson's Virgin Vodka.

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STONES TOUR ‘24 HACKNEY DIAMONDS TO STOP IN SANTA CLARA ON JULY 17, 2024 AT LEVI’S® STADIUM

The Rolling Stones have announced they are going back on the road with a brand-new tour performing in 16 cities across the U.S. and Canada, stopping in Santa Clara, CA on July 17, 2024 at Levi’s® Stadium. Fans can expect to experience Mick, Keith and Ronnie play their most popular hits ranging from “Start Me Up,” “Gimme Shelter,” “Jumpin’ Jack Flash,” “Satisfaction” and more, as well as fan favorite deep cuts and music from their new album HACKNEY DIAMONDS . The legendary rockers will be returning to the road following the success of their history-making and chart-topping studio album HACKNEY DIAMONDS , which has just received a Grammy nomination for the project’s lead single “Angry.” Showcasing a new stage and high energy that only the Stones can bring as one of the world’s most iconic artists ever, this tour will guarantee a show to remember.

This past October, The Rolling Stones took over a New York City club, Racket NYC, to celebrate the release of Hackney Diamonds and turned it into a rock show, garnering rave reviews and giving the lucky audience a taste of what’s to come. Tried and tested, these songs are ready to hit the stadiums following their incredible preview…

“Everyone knew they’d just witnessed something historic.” – Rolling Stone

“For half an hour, a little club turned into a rock-and-roll church.” – Pitchfork

Hackney Diamonds is their first studio set of new material since 2005’s A Bigger Bang . Since then, the Stones have continued to smash box office records on a series of global sell-out tours and released 2016’s GRAMMY® Award winning Blue & Lonesome , which featured their brilliant versions of many of the blues tracks that helped shape their sound, and topped album charts around the world. Last year, they thrilled European audiences totalling nearly a quarter of a million on the anniversary Sixty tour. The Rolling Stones have sold over 250 million albums worldwide.

AEG Presents’ Concerts West is the promoter of Stones Tour ’24 Hackney Diamonds.

Stones Tour ’24 Hackney Diamonds is sponsored by AARP .

THE ROLLING STONES – STONES TOUR ‘24 HACKNEY DIAMONDS sponsored by AARP

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