Review: R6 Blue Corn Vodka
R6 Blue Corn Vodka is made from a blend of 100% organic California Blue and Yellow corn mash. It is distilled 20 times in a German Kothe still and reduced to proof with reverse osmosis water and carbon filtered prior to bottling. The R6 Distillery was founded by their Head Distiller Rob Rubens. Rob fell in love with the art of distilling after an unplanned visit to a New Orleans Rum Distillery. He currently also crafts bourbon, whiskey, rye, and caramel flavored whiskey. Read more 
Review: South Fork Vodka
South Fork Vodka was launched September 2018 by Co-Founders Johnathan Dorfman and Dan Kennerson in Grass Valley California. The two worked previously together as ethanol researchers for the US Department of Defense. South Fork is named after one of Northern California’s iconic bodies of water, The South Fork of the Yuba River. South Fork is distilled six times from GMO-Free American Corn and Nevada Mountain Spring water. The spirit is further refined through a small batch finishing method. South Fork has been been awarded Best Craft Vodka Distillery by USA Today in 2021. They also were included on Wine Enthusiasts list of Ten Best Vodka’s of 2020. Read more
Review: Locals Only Vodka
Locals Only Vodka is made from 100% California grapes sourced from the Central Coast and Palomar Mountain Spring water. The spirit is 12 time distilled in small batches through a German built Arnold Holstein copper still for 18 hours, and filtered through charcoal made from coconut shells. Locals Only was launched by Sean Heal, but it is produced by Pacific Coast Spirits. Nicholas Hammond is the Founder and Head Distiller of Pacific Coast Spirits. He opened a 12,000 square foot distillery in a former furniture shop in Oceanside California December 2019. Locals Only Vodka donates 1% of their total revenue towards local environmental charities. Read more
Review: Misadventure Vodka
Misadventure Vodka is the first spirit in the world to be made from surplus baked goods, making Misadventure the first carbon negative spirit. It all started with a chance meeting between Whit Rigali and Samuel Chereskin. Whit the bartender, wanted to create local Southern California spirits and Sam the agricultural economist wanted to find ways to improve the food system. Currently 40% of the food made in the US is never eaten. If food waste were a country it would be the third largest contributor of green house gases behind the US and China. After four years of R&D in a cramped garage Misadventure Vodka was born. Once a week Samuel takes a van to a local food bank and picks up a load of a thousand pounds of bread products the food bank can no longer give away because they are past the sell by date. This includes Twinkies, cupcakes, donuts, cookies, and bread. Each 750 ml bottle of Misadventure Vodka contains about 2 pounds of baked goods. When the bread products arrive at the distillery they are blended with water and yeast to ferment. Once fermented it is distilled 12 times and carbon filtered over 180 times. It is then bottled with zero additives. Read more
Review: Vapid Vodka
Vapid Vodka is crafted at The Spirit Guild Distillery in Los Angeles California. Wife and Husband team Morgan McLachlan and Miller Duvall launched the distillery in 2012. They introduced Vapid Vodka and Astral Pacific Gin May 2016. Both are made from a 100% clementine base. Miller’s family has been in the Central California agricultural business for six generations. Initially the Miller’s Rio Bravo Ranch near Bakersfield California sent the clementines grown on their farm to the distillery where they were hand juiced using an old wine press. To keep up with demand The Spirit Guild now sources the clementine juice from the juicery used by the family farm. After a four day fermentation the spirit is small batch distilled in a 250 gallon custom Carl Copper Still. After proofing Vapid is bottled unfiltered. This is a true farm to glass distillery as everything from fermentation, distilling, proofing, and bottling is done under one roof. The Spirit Guild describes themselves as a collection of artists, weirdos, and dreamers dedicated to celebrating the fruits and flavors of California through the art of distillation. The distillery is located in the Los Angeles Art District on a site where the states first commercial vineyards and orange groves thrived. Read more
Review: Hollywood Oasis Vodka
Hollywood Oasis Vodka is made from 100% organic Medjool dates grown locally in Coachella Valley California. Hollywood Oasis was named the top vodka at the 2019 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. The Hollywood Oasis Distillery was formed in 2016 by three businessmen Ferris Wehbe, Jeff Zarrinnam, and Larry Neuberg. Each has a long history and ties to Hollywood California. It appears their vodka is currently crafted at R6 Distillery in El Segundo California while their own distillery is being build on Santa Monica Boulevard in Los Angeles California. Dates are native to the Middle East with 70% of the worlds production coming from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Algeria, and Iraq. In the US, dates are grown in Southern California, Arizona, and Southern Florida. A quick look on Amazon shows you can purchase a 2 pound pack of Coachella Organic Dates for 14.99. This may be the most expensive ingredient distilled in making a vodka. Hollywood Oasis is distilled 20 times and bottled unfiltered. Read more
Review: Azeo From Apples Vodka
Azeo From Apples Vodka is crafted at Azeo Distillery in Paso Robles California. Winemakers David Vondrasek and Ryan Horn began making vodka from fruit in 2015. Their first vodka was made from wine grapes sourced from California vineyards. Their second vodka was made from apples. The distillery currently also produces rum, brandy, moonshine, and spirit of agave. Eighteen pounds of apples are needed to produce one bottle of Azeo From Apples Vodka. Granny Smith, Pink Lady, and Cripps Pink apples are pressed and fermented onsite creating a hard cider. The spirit is distilled in a steam jacketed 500 liter pot still with a 16 chamber column. Read more
Review: Spirit Works Vodka
Spirit Works Vodka is made from organic Northern California grown hard winter wheat. The Spirit Works Distillery located in Sonoma County was founded by the husband and wife team of Timo and Ashby Marshall. Their distillery crafts a full line of spirit including Gin, Sloe Gin, Barrel Aged Gin, Barrel Aged Sloe Gin, Straight Wheat Whiskey, Straight Rye Whiskey, and Four Grain Straight Bourbon. Spirit Works Vodka actually started as the base for their Gin. This explains the 86 proof SWV is bottled at. People liked their gin so much they decided to bottle the gin base on it’s own. In crafting their vodka they start with a whole grain. By doing so they are able to preserve the distinct wheat characteristics throughout the distillation process. The whole hard winter wheat grain is milled, mashed, fermented, distilled and bottled at the distillery for a true grain to glass experience. The distillation takes place on a 800 liter custom Carl still. This hybrid pot still comes with a 21 plate rectification column. Read more
Review: Farm Horse Vodka
Farm Horse Vodka is crafted off the grid at Dutch and Dewey Distillery using solar and hydro-power in the mountains of Northern California. Farm Horse is made from non GMO cane sugar and captured rain water. It is small batch quadruple distilled in a fractional still designed and built by Distiller and Proprietor Jeff St John. No carbon filtering is needed before bottling with a label picturing Jeff’s grandfather years ago at his farm in Western Pennsylvania. Dutch and Dewey also crafts a gin, coffee liqueur, and lemoncello. A brandy and whiskey are currently aging. Read more
Review: D George Benham Vodka
D George Benham Vodka is crafted in Sonoma County California from a blend of 50% non GMO Nebraska corn, 35% Organic Italian wheat, 10% Sonoma County Merlot and Zinfandel grapes, 5% Minnesota and North Dakota rye, and pure water from the lower Russian River aquifer. The water is naturally filtered as it passes through layers of volcanic alluvial soil. The grain and the grapes are distilled individually in a custom built continuous micro column still and charcoal filtered. Only 8 hands touch this spirit from start to finish. Read more