Is the Lost Spirits Distillery Tour the Wackiest in the World? (2025)

For longtime fans of Lost Spirits, distiller Bryan Davis has been many things: crafter of some of the most fascinating U.S.-made rums on the market, maker of out-of-the-box whiskeys distilled with the likes of Pacific seawater and the creator of a controversial reactor that cheats time to “flash-age” spirits.

Last year, with his longtime partner, Joanne Haruta, he opened the brand-new Lost Spirits distillery in downtown LA, arguably the most whimsical booze destination in the world—one that’s inspired as much by Walt Disney and H.G. Wells as by the art of distilling. It’s the kind of place you waltz into for a taste of overproof rum and walk away having witnessed a parrot show.

Over the years, Davis has developed cult rums and whiskeys from a still he built by hand in Lost Spirits’ original Santa Cruz distillery. After years of nonstop experimentation—aging whiskeys in California wine barrels, playing with different bacteria to produce funky, overproof rums—he earned a following. Bartenders and spirits geeks couldn’t get enough. Production ceased for a while as they searched for a new distillery space and the patented reactor started being used by spirit makers around the country.

“We couldn’t scale our old facility,” says Davis. “Instead of being in a barn in the middle of an artichoke field, it was either going to be LA, San Francisco/Oakland or New York; and LA had favorable zoning laws.” They got in just under the wire, says Davis, as zoning laws are due to change in the coming years.

Lost Spirits is buying an Islay Scotch whisky base and experimenting with it in Davis’ reactor until he can expand the distillery with stills for whiskey production. Produced on his hand-built, fire-breathing dragon stills (no joke), Davis has already released two rums, with more to come.

“The rums are all coming back,” he says, “But modified.” Given complexities like the differences in airborne bacteria between Lost Spirits’ original countryside location in NorCal and its urban environment in LA, its Polynesian and Cuban rums, for example, taste different distilled in LA. This means Lost Spirits is experimenting with different styles to lock in the best versions.

Is the Lost Spirits Distillery Tour the Wackiest in the World? (2)

On the ever-developing, eastern side of downtown LA, Lost Spirits’ boxlike red building belies the wonderland that awaits inside. The inspiration for the one-of-a-kind facility comes from Davis’ first job out of college, where he helped build amusement park rides.

“We wrote a list of everything we’ve always wanted to do, and the single biggest thing everybody agreed on was the jungle cruise,” says Davis.

Guests entering the building are greeted by large topiary shaped like triceratops. The tour begins in a dark and breezy hallway set to automated voices that recall the haunted elevator at Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion.

Is the Lost Spirits Distillery Tour the Wackiest in the World? (3)

A curtain opens to a dim lantern-lit room that looks like a 19th-century opium den. Here, the first pours of rum are dispersed. Rum in hand, you board a wood-carved boat marked by dragons through a dark waterway where the temperature fluctuates and impromptu storms, humidity, breezes and even a volcano can pass through unexpectedly.

Though it’s part of the show, even the canal is part of the distilling process, cooling the still and fermenters as the boat floats down the dark, narrow waterway.

“The idea is that you can drink booze in the terroir we imagined it had,” says Davis. “It’s like how much better scotch tastes when it’s drunk in a castle in Scotland. You can’t quite put that in a bottle, no matter how hard you try. The idea was to create that effect but for places that don’t exist. For example, imagine if you were able to jump into Pirates of the Caribbean, reach out and grab the rum and drink it.”

Is the Lost Spirits Distillery Tour the Wackiest in the World? (4)

There are no pirates on the tour—yet. As the tour progresses, you’re led from fermentation tanks to Davis’ futuristic-looking reactor, where the booze is aged, to an outdoor tropical garden and a safari tent lined with a dinosaur head that looks as if it was pulled from an archeological dig. There are also artifacts from Africa, a miniature ship and a first-edition H.G. Wells books, including one of the distillery’s influences, “The Island of Dr. Moreau.” After a whiskey tasting, you’re whisked off to the gift shop where an international crew of plastic parrots badger you in different languages.

This was all built by Davis and his team, and they’re not finished. Each month, new elements are added to the facility so that the tour constantly feels fresh with surprises. And as they just expanded with a new warehouse space next door, expect the evolution to continue.

Details: There are multiple tours weekly, capped out at eight people per tour (the max number that fits on the boat). There are also evening tours, but they book up quickly, so plan ahead. At $35 a ticket, the tour runs approximately one-and-a-half to two hours. You can get tickets here.

Is the Lost Spirits Distillery Tour the Wackiest in the World? (2025)

FAQs

Is the Lost Spirits Distillery closing down? ›

Lost Spirits Distillery at Area 15 Las Vegas is permanently closing at the end of April 2024. After years of reimagining the flow and style of the show they continue to struggle to find their target audience. This quirky, circus variety act held in an actual distillery was one part tour and one part show.

How long is the Lost Spirits Distillery tour? ›

Plan on going and spending 2 hours getting lost, rather than having an agenda.

How much does it cost to go to the Lost Spirits? ›

A normal distillery tour runs between free and $20 with tastings.

Who owns Lost Spirits Distillery? ›

Bryan Davis

Is the Lost distillery closing in Area 15? ›

The venue provided the following statement: After 14 years in business, Lost Spirits Distillery will close its doors for good on April, 29th 2024. The debt burden accumulated from both COVID, and the slow reopening after COVID, forced the decision to close.

Does Lost Spirits serve food? ›

Tickets are sold with a reserved time for you to enter and are $59 ($49 NV resident/$46.50 military and first responders). *These tickets do not include their 16 Course Fine Dining Experience. You have to make a separate reservation for that.

Who owns Lost Spirits NYC? ›

Tamer Mahmoud, a former director of operations for The L Group, and Ron Rodrigo, owner and CEO of Rated R Management, are the owners of Lost Spirits, which debuted in November 2022.

What to expect on a distillery tour? ›

On your tour of this place, you'll see the whole process of making bourbon. You'll have a view of their milling area, malting room, lab, tasting room, bottling room, and their distillery (the place where all the stills, fermenter, and cookers are placed).

Why is Cruzan distillery closed? ›

The safety of our staff and guests is our primary concern, and that is why we have remained closed. We are excited to announce that we will be re-opening our visitor experience on March 11, 2024.

Who bought few spirits? ›

Evanston's FEW Spirits has been acquired with a portfolio of craft distilleries by Heaven Hill Brands, FEW founder Paul Hletko said Tuesday. Hletko already sold his business once, in 2016, to Samson & Surrey, a Miami-based spirits portfolio started by two former Bacardi executives.

Who owns Lost State Distilling? ›

Lost State Distilling's products are made “with uniqueness in mind” and "represent the heritage of Appalachia." The spirit-making processes use only Tennessee-sourced ingredients whenever possible, said head distiller Nick Bianchi, who co-owns Lost State with his father, Joe.

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