Jfletchgu Posted May 19, 2018 Share Posted May 19, 2018 Heading far west this week for the first time with some time in Napa and San Francisco. Any recommendations for whiskey bars/restaurants or liquor stores I need to stop by. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saul_cooperstein Posted May 19, 2018 Share Posted May 19, 2018 Hard water. N 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverc Posted May 19, 2018 Share Posted May 19, 2018 I've never been there, but when I finally make it to SF one of these days, I want to go K&L, both for the bourbon but also for the Armagnac picks they have there. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fosmith Posted May 19, 2018 Share Posted May 19, 2018 10 hours ago, silverc said: I've never been there, but when I finally make it to SF one of these days, I want to go K&L, both for the bourbon but also for the Armagnac picks they have there. K&L is great but the rare stuff usually sells out quickly because they post their inventory on their web site. They do have good store picks, though. Plumpjack Wines and Spirits on 24th St. has good stuff and store picks too. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeydk Posted May 20, 2018 Share Posted May 20, 2018 Here's some places, with links. The Broken Record. Escort Quality, Hooker Prices. https://www.yelp.com/biz/broken-record-san-francisco Bourbon and Branch. https://www.yelp.com/biz/bourbon-and-branch-san-francisco?osq=bourbon+and+branch Hardwater is likely the premier selection in the city, but you'll pay for it too. https://www.yelp.com/biz/hard-water-san-francisco?osq=Hardwater Rickhouse. https://www.yelp.com/biz/rickhouse-san-francisco?osq=the+rickhouse K&L is really great, but don't expect to find limited bourbon and rye there. They have a bountiful selection of store picks however. PlumpJack wines has 2 locations, and they've usually got some good stuff, but expect big city pricing. Blackwell's has some good selections too. Cask downtown has some really good bar tools and a very wide range of spirits that isn't wine centric. If you happen to venture into the East Bay, there are two bars that I would recommend. Hotsy Totsy. Great cocktails, pretty good spirits selection, and a taco truck in the parking lot until midnight. https://www.yelp.com/biz/hotsy-totsy-club-albany And if you wish to be overwhelmed by a whiskey selection, try ACME in Berkeley. https://www.yelp.com/biz/acme-bar-and-company-berkeley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EarthQuake Posted May 20, 2018 Share Posted May 20, 2018 Hardwater and Rickhouse are easy to recommend, both have massive selections but yeah, you're going to pay SF prices and especially some of the rarer stuff is going to hurt, but it's a good chance to try some unicorns without shelling out crazy money for a bottle. If you're into rum, check out Smugler's Cove, they have an insane rum collection, I think over 300 different bottles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCFan Posted May 20, 2018 Share Posted May 20, 2018 On 5/18/2018 at 9:28 PM, Jfletchgu said: Heading far west this week for the first time with some time in Napa and San Francisco. Any recommendations for whiskey bars/restaurants or liquor stores I need to stop by. When in Napa focus on the wine unless you want to be that guy who goes into a seafood joint and orders chicken. The sheer number of vineyards there is unbelievable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CardsandBourbon Posted May 20, 2018 Share Posted May 20, 2018 1 hour ago, DCFan said: When in Napa focus on the wine unless you want to be that guy who goes into a seafood joint and orders chicken. The sheer number of vineyards there is unbelievable. Yeah I think there are 541 wineries in the valley. We were out there a couple of years ago. I only have about 528 left to visit. Also if you get a chance check out the Napa Valley Olive Oil Mfg. in St Helena. They'll ship for you. Once you taste it you'll probably drop a couple of hundred $$'s there. Their lemon, Tuscan Herb and their EVO are especially good. Heck everything they have is good. No not good, great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhiskeyBlender Posted May 20, 2018 Share Posted May 20, 2018 On 5/18/2018 at 8:38 PM, silverc said: I've never been there, but when I finally make it to SF one of these days, I want to go K&L, both for the bourbon but also for the Armagnac picks they have there. K&L is great, but if you are looking for quality vintage Armagnac, you should also give D&M Liquors a visit. Their selection is usually excellent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigtoys Posted May 22, 2018 Share Posted May 22, 2018 I'll recommend a few wineries if you still have time. Cliff Lede Fleury (need appt) Arkenstone (need appt) Mumm (great tour) Domaine Carneros Miner (many varietals) Restaurants Bouchon (good luck) Redd Press Market (no corkage, i think) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lenient Posted May 22, 2018 Share Posted May 22, 2018 (edited) It's across the bay from SF, but I went to American Oak (which is in Alameda) a few years ago for my birthday and they have a pretty big whiskey selection and flight options. They serve full dinners as well. I enjoyed it. Edited May 22, 2018 by Lenient 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeydk Posted May 22, 2018 Share Posted May 22, 2018 13 hours ago, Lenient said: It's across the bay from SF, but I went to American Oak (which is in Alameda) a few years ago for my birthday and they have a pretty big whiskey selection and flight options. They serve full dinners as well. I enjoyed it. Shhhhhh.... that's one we locals don't share with the "public." However, you are correct. It's pretty damned good, and a great place to get some stuff you rarely see. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fosmith Posted May 22, 2018 Share Posted May 22, 2018 14 hours ago, Lenient said: It's across the bay from SF, but I went to American Oak (which is in Alameda) a few years ago for my birthday and they have a pretty big whiskey selection and flight options. They serve full dinners as well. I enjoyed it. How pricey are their pours? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tanstaafl2 Posted May 22, 2018 Share Posted May 22, 2018 On 5/20/2018 at 11:24 AM, EarthQuake said: Hardwater and Rickhouse are easy to recommend, both have massive selections but yeah, you're going to pay SF prices and especially some of the rarer stuff is going to hurt, but it's a good chance to try some unicorns without shelling out crazy money for a bottle. If you're into rum, check out Smugler's Cove, they have an insane rum collection, I think over 300 different bottles. Probably more like 500+! But you will pay for rare rums there much like you for whiskey at Rickhouse and Hardwater. It is SF after all. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lenient Posted May 23, 2018 Share Posted May 23, 2018 9 hours ago, fosmith said: How pricey are their pours? I don't remember--maybe it's on their website or somewhere online though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fosmith Posted May 23, 2018 Share Posted May 23, 2018 8 hours ago, Lenient said: I don't remember--maybe it's on their website or somewhere online though. They have their spirits menu online but it doesn't show the prices. I guess I'll have to go there and find out for myself... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fosmith Posted May 23, 2018 Share Posted May 23, 2018 1 minute ago, fosmith said: They have their spirits menu online but it doesn't show the prices. I guess I'll have to go there and find out for myself... I typed in a smile emoji and it came up as ???? Same thing happened when I inserted an emoji from the menu. Why does it do this???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeeTen Posted May 23, 2018 Share Posted May 23, 2018 19 minutes ago, fosmith said: I typed in a smile emoji and it came up as ???? Same thing happened when I inserted an emoji from the menu. Why does it do this???? Emojis no workee! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jfletchgu Posted May 25, 2018 Author Share Posted May 25, 2018 Man you guys came through with the ideas. I tried to get into Bourban and Branch, but unfortunately there was no availability for the time I was here. I guess it must be pretty popular. I did visit Napa Valley Distillery and while I normally don't have much high expectations for craft stuff I did very much enjoy their bourbon (big cocoa flavor). I did also come across some Weller while in Napa that I can bring back home (Tennessee has been pretty dry lately). It might not be bourbon related, but I did get in 8 wineries in 3 days in Napa. All in all a successful trip. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lenient Posted May 25, 2018 Share Posted May 25, 2018 3 minutes ago, Jfletchgu said: Man you guys came through with the ideas. I tried to get into Bourban and Branch, but unfortunately there was no availability for the time I was here. I guess it must be pretty popular. I did visit Napa Valley Distillery and while I normally don't have much high expectations for craft stuff I did very much enjoy their bourbon (big cocoa flavor). I did also come across some Weller while in Napa that I can bring back home (Tennessee has been pretty dry lately). It might not be bourbon related, but I did get in 8 wineries in 3 days in Napa. All in all a successful trip. If you find yourself in California again, the central coast is also a nice stretch of wine country. There's also Firestone brewery which has some nice and highly popular (here anyways) offerings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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