If you're looking for distillery tours in Los Angeles, the short list is shorter than you'd think — fewer than ten working distilleries operate within LA County, and only one is in Hollywood itself. Here's how to choose, what to expect, and what makes each one different.
Los Angeles spent most of the twentieth century with no working distilleries. After Prohibition, the alcohol regulatory environment still made it nearly impossible to operate a small distillery, and for nearly a hundred years the cocktails poured at the Roosevelt and Musso & Frank were made with spirits trucked in from somewhere else. That changed in the 2010s. A small wave of craft distillers — most clustered in the Arts District and DTLA, one in Hollywood proper — pushed through the licensing process and started making spirits in the city again. Today there are eight or nine working distilleries you can visit on any given weekend.
What to look for in a distillery tour
Tours vary more than you'd expect. Some are commercial-warehouse field trips on the edge of the city; others are velvet-rope concierge experiences priced like a Michelin lunch. The good ones have three things: an actual working still you can stand next to, a guide who knows what they're talking about, and a tasting flight at the end that justifies the trip on its own.
Things to ask before booking:
- Do they have a still? Some "distilleries" outsource production and only do bottling on-site. A working pot or column still in operation is the entire point.
- How big is the group? 10–12 guests is the cap that lets the guide actually take questions. Twenty-plus and you're in lecture territory.
- What's in the flight? Some tastings are limited to one or two products. Look for tours that pour the whole lineup, including unreleased experiments where possible.
Hollywood Distillery — 5975 Santa Monica Blvd
The first working distillery in Hollywood in nearly a century, set in a 1920s warehouse on Santa Monica Boulevard a few blocks south of the Walk of Fame and about a fifteen-minute walk from the Hollywood/Western or Hollywood/Vine Metro stops. The space originally served as a mortuary; today it holds a 1,000-gallon copper Vendome pot still imported from Louisville and an elegantly designed tasting room.
Tours run Thursday through Sunday — about sixty minutes long, with group size capped at twelve. The tasting flight at the end covers all four production spirits side by side: Oasis Vodka, Nopalera Gin, Zanja-Madre Bourbon, and Zanja-Madre Rye. Tickets are $30.
The most interesting vodka in California — and a working distillery you can actually walk into.Los Angeles Times
Plan your visit
Address: Hollywood Distillery, 5975 Santa Monica Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90038.
Tour days: Thursday through Sunday. Private tours for groups of 10+ are available any day of the week by appointment.
Parking: Small paid lot directly across the street.
Transit: Metro B (Red) Line — Hollywood/Western or Hollywood/Vine, both about a fifteen-minute walk.
Thursday through Sunday. $30 per guest.
~60 minutes. Tasting flight included.
Book a tour at Hollywood DistilleryFrequently asked
Where to next
For more on the distillery before you book, our visitor guide walks through what to expect on the tour.