March 9, 2019
The Bay Area is home to dozens of distillers and there are more popping up every year. We try to maintain an up to date list of distilleries throughout San Francisco, North Bay, East Bay, South Bay, and the peninsula, all the way to Sacramento and Lake Country. If you see a distillery missing, please hit us up and let us know. Distilleries with blue pins offer tours. Those with purple pins don’t. Last updated 9/2/2018
Map of Northern California Distilleries
The Bay Area is home to at least 16 distilleries and more are popping up every year. We’ve tried to maintain an up to date list of Northern California distilleries. If you see something missing please contact us and let us know!
Distilleries with blue pins offer tours. Those with purple pins don’t. Last updated 8/5/2018
If you’re interested in our list of top San Francisco bars, follow the link here.
Northern California Distillery Reviews
Tripp Distillery
A truly unique experience, Tripp Distillery is less than a 20 minute drive away from San Francisco and run by a single guy (and his loyal dog) on the weekends. On weekdays, Jason Tripp holds down a normal job, and on weekends, he distills rum, vodka (from rum), and gin (also from the rum) in the small single-room garage/warehouse. His young daughters sometimes help him label his bottles. Mostly, the trip feels fun and intimate, and you’ll meet a lot of locals including beer-makers from down the street. Highly recommended visit. Full review of Tripp Distillery.
Tastings: $6/pp, includes a cocktail of your choice and a hot dog or sausage
Hours: Monday 1-5pm | Friday 6-9pm | Saturdays and Sundays 1-6pm. Walk ins okay.
St. George’s Distillery
The granddaddy on the block, St. George’s was started in 1982 as an eau de vie (brandy) distiller. Over the years, under the leadership of distillers Jörg Rupf and Lance Winters, St. George’s has blossomed into a creator of an eclectic set of innovative spirits. They have an excellent tour which covers the history of the distillery and of the Bay Area’s craft distillation movement, the production of their spirits, and a section on the creation of their absinthe. We wrote a full review here of St. Georges here.
Tastings: $15, includes a choice of 6 spirits | Tours: $20/pp and includes the tasting of 6 spirits at the end (60-75 minutes)
Hours (Tasting Room): Every half hour, Wednesday to Saturday from 12 to 6pm | Sunday from 12 to 4pm
Hours (Tours): W, Th, F at 5:30pm | Every hour on the hour, Saturday: 1-5pm, Sunday: 1-3pm
Reserve in advance for tours and tastings here
Seven Stills Distillery
Located in South Eastern San Francisco, Seven Stills Distillery is just three years old. They have an interesting concept: creating whiskey from craft beers. The team took home gold and bronze medals in the 2014 San Francisco World Spirits competition. The distillery offers a short tour and a tasting of their collection of lightly aged, overproof whiskies. They also have a tasting room in Nob Hill of San Francisco.
Tours: $20/pp and includes tasting of 5 whiskeys (30-60 minutes), includes 20% discount on merchandise
Hours: Monday to Wednesday 5-9pm | Thursday to Friday 4-10pm | Saturday 12 to 10pm | Sunday 12 to 6pm
Reserve in advance, but when we went, walk-ins seemed possible
See something missing? Drop us a note and let us know.