Phyllis M.
Yelp
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE BEING A YELP ELITE & THE EXPERIENCE I HAD AT VENTURA SPIRITS WAS UNFORGETTABLE & UNMATCHED!
I was already fans of theirs since meeting the owners & crew at Casa Pacifica.
My business team & I were exhibitors at Casa Pacifica's biggest festival in 2023, where I showcased my Beef Lumpias, Sweet Chili Sauce & my Veggie Fried Rice.
Since we worked next to them we got to know them a little. They hooked us up with drinks & we hooked them up with our Lumpias.
It was so fun & fascinating listening to Brad talk about what they do at Ventura Spirits. I love their philosophy & the way they do things.
I honestly could listen to him talk all afternoon. His passion & knowledge of distilling, food, wine, beer & alcohol are so evident & infectious.
He thoroughly walked us through their process & also talked about how they rescued 50,000 gallons of strawberry juice & how they fermented & distilled it into a strawberry liquor.
After the tour we were given 6 liquors for our tasting. We had these...
1.) Wilder Gin
2.) Opunitia Prickly Pear Spirit
3.) The Strawberry Thief - Waste Not
4.) Angeleno Bitters
5.) Limoncello
6.) Pineau Bleu
I'm not wild about gin, so coming in, I knew it wouldn't be my favorite, but I came in with an open mind & it was better than expected. It's clean, botanical, slightly herbaceous, but not over powering. This isn't a liquor I'd ever pick up just because, but I appreciate it & now have an idea of how I'd pair it or use it for cooking.
The Opunitia Spirit was one I had the most hopes for, but I didn't quite get the prickly pear flavor I was hoping for. It was smooth, full bodied, and it reminded me of when you were younger & you snuck one of your parents bottles out of their locked cabinet... it was stronger than I expected. It wasn't bad, it just seems too grown up for me.
The Strawberry Thief was fruity, but not sweet.
The complete surprise was the Angeleno! Oh, my gawd! This was out of left field... so damn good! I could taste strong notes of orange, orange peel, cinnamon & honey. My immediate thought was this would pair beautifully with a honey & cinnamon flavored olive oil cake & an Angeleno infused whipped cream would go wonderfully on top.
The Limoncello was lemony in its scent & for some reason was not as sweet as I'd hoped for. It's the type of lemoncello that I can see being used in both sweet & savory applications for baking or cooking. It's pretty neutral that way.
I had one of the most unexpectedly wonderful mornings/afternoons at Ventura Spirits Distillery.
They have these tours open to the public year round, but they usually happen Friday - Sunday, 1-4 PM. And tastings are daily for only $12!!!
My appreciation for not only what they do here, but also for growers of all kinds, farmers, farm workers has grown just because of the things Brad has explained to us.
I love supporting local farmers by purchasing at farmers markets & going to grocery stores that contract with local farmers, so Ventura Spirits is another way you can support local, by purchasing alcohol from them.
I'm so impressed by their operations & philosophy, that I plan on bringing any friends/family who come to visit here as part of my own personal tour I'd put together.
I know that their location is a bit out of the way, but I highly recommend paying them a visit to go on the tour, do a tasting, but especially for gifts that are unique & off the beaten path. You will be a Rock Star among your friends!