Old Harbor Distilling Co

I want to start off by saying I hope to return in a year or so and be inclined to give more stars.
Yes there are many homeless outside the building, which isn’t a problem in and of itself. But the signage is so poor outside that my husband need to stand outside to flag down other people in our large group. That meant he was asked for money and leaned on as a woman said she would make sure nothing happened to anyone’s car if he gave her $ 10. But again, not really my main issue.
My concern is that at this point their website is selling some false advertising when it comes to what the tasting is. The website said that the tour comes with 6 tastings and a glass. I’m fine to not have the glass (which Mike, the owner, didn’t have). But we only tasted 2 liquors (gin and barrel aged gin). When I asked Mike about the 6 tastings, he said you can taste what he has 6 times, not that there are 6 different tasters. That is tacky and definitely false advertising. Not to mention, when a friend asked him for a second taste of one of the gins, he made a comment about running low.
At this point, it is definitely a disappointment. But he is working on some more liquors, and I hope that the service improves with time. In the meantime, I think Mike should change the website to reflect the tour accurately.

On our tour we tasted the Navy Strength Rum, made with cane sugar imported from Columbia, it was nutty and surprisingly drinkable given the high proof; the Southwestern Gin, which was herbal and bright and the barrel aged Southwestern Gin, aged in Mezcal Barrels. At the owners suggestion, I tried the Gibson at Juniper & Ivy made with their San Miguel Gin and found it quite refreshing. These guys are doing fun things in the bottle!
A few notes: The building is on a terrible block in the East Village with no sign and no lighting. We drove around the block 3 times before resorting to calling the business to verify the location. As a woman, I wouldn’t have felt safe visiting this location alone or even with a group of girlfriends. The tasting was supposed to include a keepsake glass but was instead served in plastic cups.
Worth a visit if you’re feeling adventurous!

I got my first taste of Old Harbor gin at a Unilocal event several months ago, where one of the owners (who used to be with Hess Brewing) was on hand passing out samples and mixing up delicious cocktails with their fantastic San Miguel southwestern gin. I’ve been thinking about that gin ever since. I talked to him and he told me that they give tours on Friday and Saturday at the distillery; he gave me one of his cards. I wanted to come and take that tour! It just took so long to get out there.
I finally made it, and wow was I happy I did. Yes, it’s in East Village, there are homeless people outside the building. Whatever. We live in San Diego, you should be used to it by now, take a guy with you like I did :-). They make fantastic use of the space here. We came at night, so the inside of the distillery was not as warm as it could have been, thank goodness. Ricky was our guide, and he was awesome. He was very personable and friendly. He gave everyone time to ask questions which was great, even though I’m sure he’s done this hundreds of times he still had a great attitude.
The tour of the distillery was really interesting. Old Harbor gets their sugar for their rum from Columbia. They also use black strap molasses. They do a slow fermentation, about two weeks, using yeast from Hess Brewing. Ricky explained that rather than use turbo yeast like a lot of places use now, they do theirs more true to the original style of the colonists. They «fly by seat of our pants a little bit» in terms of temperature. The building tends to hold the heat pretty well all day and helps to kill the yeast for better flavors. There’s also a separate room for the guys who make the bitters.
Right now they’re running one still, but the plan is to eventually add a second still and they’re already set up for it. Ricky showed us the scale for proofing and explained how it works with the proprietary software they use.
They get their water from Coffee & Tea Collective, they also use their coffee for the coffee liqueur they make. It’s nice to see local businesses working together. Next year they will be able to sell bottles on site. I’m looking forward to that as they have this special gin they serve for the tour that’s not available retail, but I was told in January I may be able to purchase it there. This is definitely a fun tour to do downtown before heading out to dinner or whatever. Stop by and say hi, you may even find a new spirit you can’t live without.

«Whiskey is what beer wants to be when it grows up»
San Diego’s 1 and only downtown distillery. It’s located deep in East Village currently where most of San Diego’s downtown homeless population congregate so it’s not in the safest neighborhood. Park as close as you can to the door on the East side of the building (gated door unlabeled, corner of 17^th & K). Once you see the nautical knots, ropes and posters in the hallway you’ll know your in the right place. Stroll down the hallway and into their front tasting area. For the appointment only tours held at 5 and 6 on Friday & Saturday you will get a history of the brand, a tasting and tour of the facility.
Owners Mike Skubic (former founder of Hess Brewing) and Richard Warner run the 2 man show. This is a pretty cool operation, vastly more complex than brewing beer. It’s also much harder to open a distillery and much more difficult to produce a quality product. We’ve all brewed our own beer or known someone who has, it’s been ok, not good, not great, but ok. So now that we’re all brewmasters lets move on into opening our own breweries and then our own distilleries? Wait a minute, you mean that’s not the logical progression for a beer drinker? No and it’s another reason why they are the 1^st downtown and one of the only distilleries in the county. Mike and Richard are 2 of the nicest and most knowledgeable guys you’ll meet and having been to most of the breweries in San Diego, the level of attention these guys and other distillers nearby are giving to their guests is far and above anything you’ll get at any brewery.
Aging my own whiskey has given me a greater appreciation to distilling and being connected to the craft cocktail industry has really opened my eyes to match my vast foodie lifestyle. I kind of already knew the basic distillation process, but really was impressed with the details and nuances an operation like this has. I had no idea that they partnered with so many local business owners for their water (coffee & Tea Collective), storage, filtration, vendors, sourcing.
It’s a pretty large facility at 7,500 sq feet, retrofitted for distilling, still very industrial inside. Some of the machinery they use is highly accurate and scientific. They use a handbuilt still from Germany (seems like all the good one’s are from Germany) Long Live the Belafonte. And a steam machine that is built for eventual expansion. Local operating systems handles the machinery. Don’t want to give away too much from the tour I’ll move to the spirits.
I actually felt pretty special to know that San Diego’s original name was San Miguel, probably because I’m Filipino and that’s the name of our National Beer. They’ve named their gin San Miguel which uses local herbs/​botanicals and really pushes the palate. The most craft gin I’ve had tasting cilantro, then cucumber, then juniper & sage with a gentle lime finish. It’s stronger than most and pairs well in a Negroni or a tonic using tonic ice cubes. This is not the gin you stole from your parents cabinet and swore it off forever. The spice alone is standalone good and you get some extra kick from the higher percentage.
The Navy Strength name and rum are as San Diego as it comes and is right in line with the nautical vision. Crème Brule hints with a thick mouth feel. Its Demerera sugar notes remind me of a proper old fashioned (message me for my perfected recipe) has a real earth and grass tone that blow other sugars away. The black strap molasses gives a buttery baking spice hint. Their pure cane sugar is from Colombia, but you can really taste every part and ingredients. Great with tiki drinks like a zombie.
Their R&D Bitters (aromatic, sarsaparilla, and cherry apple bitters) are gaining ground among the growing contingent of Craft cocktail enthusiasts and bartenders in San Diego
With super small batch offerings coming and laws changing in 2016 they eventually be able to sell direct from their warehouse. I highly recommend coming down here and seeing the future for yourself.

Tried to come here at 4:30pm on a Friday afternoon and it was closed, the distillery is not in a very good area at all… the wait for my Über was very uncomfortable. Maybe there was a miscommunication but according to Unilocal the distillery is open from 4 – 7

This is a great experience. The owner is very personable and is clearly well equipped for the title Master Craft Distiller.