Know the difference between Cognac & Brandy? By the very simplest of definitions, Cognac is Brandy…read more Though, to be a Cognac, a Brandy has to be produced only in an authorized region of France & it has to be produced in accordance with specific rules & regulations. For more, check out the Wikipedia entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognac Beyond the literal definitions of Cognac & Brandy, there's also the likely perception that Cognacs are superior to Brandies. Just go down the liquor aisle of any major supermarket. The Cognacs stocked on the shelves are probably higher quality (& more expensive) than the Brandies. & maybe, to a certain extent, Cognacs do tend to be better than Brandies. But that most definitely is not the case with Germain-Robin Brandies. It's not surprising, really. G-R has its roots in Cognac. Instead of France, however, they're in Northern California. This is key. Rather than be bound by Old World dogma, following all those rules & regulations on how to make Cognac, G-R does what we crazy Californians have done all along. Defy convention. Experiment. Innovate. All with incredible effect. G-R Brandies have beaten much pricier Cognacs in blind tastings. I've been a huge fan of G-R's story, philosophy & Brandy for well over a decade now. So when I got the email invite for a tour of their distillery along with some old & rare tastings, I did not hesitate. 1 cheerful phone call later & my place on the tour/ tastings was reserved. The distillery is not easy to find. GPS Nav will only take you so far. You have to keep going down Bel Arbres Dr., past the sign that says private road & look for the driveway on the right. After the short driveway, there's a large gravel parking lot. The building housing the distillery, a squat steel structure, isn't much to look at. It's what's inside that counts. Through the entrance, it's immediately evident that G-R's got some major wood. French Oak barrels fill an expansive, open, high ceiling room, stacked floor to ceiling & wall to wall. Our small tour group congregated near the center of the barrel room until the tour started. Our tour guide, Ansley Coale, is 1 of the guys who got this whole thing started. We started in a side room with the still. There, we got a detailed rundown on the distillation process. After, back where we gathered earlier, the old & rare tastings got underway. & by old & rare, I mean carefully selected/ blended Brandies aged up to 30 years. Everything I tasted was absolutely exquisite. My personal favorite, the GR/30, is the single best spirit, any spirit, I've ever tasted. Amazing. Mind-blowing. While I didn't pony up the $$$$ to get a bottle of GR/30 that day, I reconsider that decision almost every day. It's that good. I'm thinking I need to get it sooner or later. Thank you Ansley Coale & all the folks at Germain-Robin for a great tour of your distillery & some of the finest tastings of my entire life. I've been a huge fan for a long time. Getting to visit the wellspring from which all your astounding elixirs flow was truly special for me.

Dog friendly and a true treat! The staff here are awesome and it is a wonderful spot for anyone…read moretruly serious and appreciative of an outstanding collection of diverse spirits. It was a memorable tasting experience and we respect their art of creating superior treats!!!

Found this burgeoning distillery by a chance search on Yelp on our way up north and once we saw…read moremention of a whiskey, we had to stop and give it a try. The owner was incredibly kind and hospitable allowing hubby and I to sample several established products and a few that were still in the works! It was clear that he and his wife enjoy experimenting with new spirits and flavors and we enjoyed sampling their efforts! We tried a few brandy-based liqueurs (apple, pomegranate, rootbeer), a gin, and a whiskey. The pomegranate brandy was like sipping a tart spiced apple cider and was pretty darn good! I could imagine it over ice or ice cream, or to spike a fall punch or hot toddy. The whiskey was produced using white oak staves that he chars and adds to steel tanks. It wasnt bad, but some additional time or tweaking might soften the bitter woodiness that overtook my palate. I did enjoy the gin in progress... it was herbaceous and subtle, not the kick-you-in-the-teeth juniper flavor that most mainstream gins have. This one was floral, grassy, and delicate and I can see it laying a nice foundation for many different cocktails. At the end of our tasting, our offer of payment was politely declined as our host explained that he just likes sharing his labors with others. I encourage others to visit this business and perhaps find a spirit that calls to you, and I wish its owners luck and success as they continue to develop and refine their products.

Wonderful and idiosyncratic tasting in a warehouse. Small batch and unique spirits served with…read morestories and humor. We had a great time tasting and talking with the owner. I highly recommend a visit.

We are total suckers for locally made items. In the case of Tamar, we found their Low Gap 3 year…read morestraight Bourbon Whiskey at the local Costco and decided to give it a try. Wow it was simply fantastic. Hints of vanilla and caramel on the nose and palate with a nice smooth finish. Given its price point, I regret not picking up a case. This is a excellent all around Bourbon and is ready to go neat with nothing else. THis is the second excellent distiller in the area and while wine and pot grab the headlines in Norcal the craft spirit movement is really noteworthy as well

Mendocino Spirits - marvelous products courtesy of Tamar Distillery. You might call ahead to be…read moresure someone is there before driving over. Crispin Cain is European trained and he knows his business well. High quality.

I must have driven by this winery a hundred times always meaning to stop and never doing it. Sunday…read moreI was traveling back from Glen County and decided it was time knowing I needed birthday presents and the chance to chat with a new friend. The property and building is immaculate, like an Erin Hanson original painting. While pristine, the staff makes you feel welcome the second you arrive. Their knowledge and passion for the product is evident all the way up to the head wine craftsman Anton, growing is local legend. The wines are all fabulous, the one pictured might be my favorite. I highly recommend you check these folks out, you won't regret it.

Nicole did a great job taking care of our group of 8. She even thought to ask us if we wanted her…read moreto take a picture! We sat on the front porch because it was a nice day but the rooms upstairs would have been a great choice too. It was a lovely relaxing visit. We bought a case because the prices were too good not to! Overall a wonderful experience. A must stop if you're on 101 in Hopland!

Walked in for a tasting and had an amazing time and a great chat with Jason. Got to learn a lot…read moreabout the process and experimentation that goes into making their spirits. They've got everything I love about small-scale craft places: passionate people, great spirits, and no pretentiousness. They're also not afraid to recommend and promote the wineries and tasting rooms around them. Got some nice recommendations from Jason. If you're staying at Dry Creek Inn and like all things whiskey, gin, and brandy, you gotta pop in.

Great little tasting room just off the downtown area in Healdsburg! We were greeted by Alec, who…read morehosted us--and he was fantastic. He walked us through the different whiskeys, gin, bourbon, bitters, and brandy they make there, and even gave us a tour of the fermentation process. We visited for my dad's birthday, and they had a "Happy Birthday" sign set up, which made the whole experience feel extra special. The pours were generous and the price was super reasonable. It made for a really memorable birthday. We'll definitely be back!

11/2025 - Super cute distillery with STRONG drinks. A cute tiny place but trendy and fun…read more They have a few tables on the inside and several picnic benches on the outside. They sell their drinks in a can if you'd like to take some home.. I didn't try it, but I think their canned drink was a lemon drop. Looks like they have daily specials.

Had a great time tasting all the different options here! The candy cap whisky, apple moonshine, and…read moresmoked salmon vodka were definite standouts and were all delicious. I tried the smoked salmon vodka in a Bloody Mary and it was delicious! The staff are super knowledgeable and very friendly. Definitely work checking out!

If heaven opened a restaurant and taught it how to distill , this place would be it. Nestled in the…read moreheart of the kind of quaint little town where flower baskets sway from every lamp post and strangers still wave at you from porches, this restaurant and distillery feels less like a business and more like a family The lighting is warm and inviting enough to make everyone look like they've just returned from a European vacation, and the staff somehow manages to be both impossibly professional and genuinely charming. The food? Absurd. Borderline offensive to every other meal I've ever eaten. I ordered one dish and ended up emotionally attached to it. Every bite tasted like a chef looked deep into my soul and said, "I can fix you." The wings and Caesar salad are impeccable. And the town itself? Storybook levels of adorable, tiny boutique shops, tasting rooms and, sweet locals. You half expect a folk band to appear in the square at sunset while someone offers you something. 11/10. I would fake a birthday, anniversary, or minor personal crisis just to have an excuse to go back.

I was really torn between whether this was a 3- or 4-star experience. We came in because of the…read morestrong reviews and had high expectations, but unfortunately the service was pretty disappointing. We ordered quite a bit of food, including the burger, fish and chips, cauliflower, and chicken wings. To their credit, all of the food was very good. The issue was the service. We waited close to an hour, our water wasn't refilled, and no one checked in to see if we wanted more drinks. The staff hinted a few times that they were understaffed, but it was hard to fully understand given the restaurant wasn't nearly half full. What made it more frustrating was watching a table that arrived 15-20 minutes after us get their food first, including one of the dishes we ordered. Our appetizers also ended up coming out at the same time as our mains, which was disappointing. We probably wouldn't have ordered them had we known. That said, the food really was great. I hope this was just an off night, because the kitchen is clearly doing something special, especially for such a small rural town. But the service made the experience much harder to enjoy, and we were honestly very close to leaving and going somewhere else before the food arrived.

Key highlights - Really friendly and knowledgeable bartender, casual and fun space to hang out with…read morefree board games, fantastic gins. Will be back next time we are in the area!

Gotta go there every time we're in Healdsburg. Great selection and the mixologist (gal) was…read moreimpressive. Actually adjusted our drink after straw test. Impressive attention to detail.