Lost Spirits
Lost Spirits is a celebrated Los Angeles based distillery producing whiskey and rum. The distillery is famous for both its innovative production processes, and immersive distillery experience. It was described in 2019 by Smithsonian Magazine as "a high-end Willy Wonka experience for adults."
In 2015 Lost Spirits and Davis were presented the Global Master Award for innovation from the Spirits Business for its technical achievements aging spirits in its laboratory.
In 2018 The Spirits Business Magazine, American Distilling Institute, and Drinks Business Magazine all judged Lost Spirits to be the world's best distillery experience.
In 2018 Jim Murray's Whisky Bible awarded one of Lost Spirits "Abomination" laboratory aged whiskies with a prestigious Liquid Gold award.
In 2019 Lost Spirits won the "Best World Whisky" award from the Wizards of Whisky for another of its "Abomination" whiskies.
History
Early years
Lost Spirits Distillery was founded in 2010 by distiller Bryan Davis and Joanne Haruta. The first location was in rural Monterey County California, built on land owned by Haruta's family. At that time, the two founders had little money and built almost the entire distillery by hand. The facility became well known for its distinctive artistic design, which included Japanese styled tea gardens and stills fitted with sculpted dragon heads.Lost Spirits initially produced highly idiosyncratic malt whiskies, fermented from malt smoked with burning peat. Unlike Scotch whisky, the peat was sourced from unusual locations. Burning plant matter preserved in the peat harvested from sources not typically used, such as Canadian forests or the Florida Everglades gave the whiskies peculiar aromas and flavors. The unusual profiles of the early whiskies earned the distillery highly polarized and mixed reviews. They were described by French whisky critic Serge Valentin as “It’s pretty useless to try to score this... All codes, barriers and tasting semantics have already been broken anyway.”
Cult Whisky Distillery
The early whisky period culminated with the release of Umami, Ouroboros, and Seascape II which represented a major turning point for the distillery. Umami was, at the time, the world's only whisky fermented in ocean water. Ouroborors was the only whisky ever made from California Island peat. The two releases won the distillery significant critical acclaim including its first Liquid Gold award in Jim Murrays Whisky bible.The distillery quickly sold out all of its annual production and auction prices for Umami climbed to over $1,600 per bottle at auction. At the time Davis was described by GQ magazine as “one of America’s most raved about young distillers” and Whisky Magazine nominated Lost Spirits for Craft Distillery of the Year.
Rum
In 2013, Davis ceased making whisky and began making rum. The new rum line was a critical success and became closely associated with the Tiki Revival Movement. The line was prominently featured in lectures and classes at Tiki Oasis in San Diego, the Hukilau in Fort Lauderdale, and Tiki Caliente in Palm Springs.The rum line earned Lost Spirits several best in class designations.
Technology & Controversy
In 2015 the company attracted global media attention when it announced that its co-founder, Bryan Davis, had invented a new means of aging spirits. Davis' process was shown, using modern analytical chemistry, to replicate the chemical reactions which take place as spirits age in barrels. It produces in days what is said to taste like decades aged spirits. This is done by a special processes that aims to replicate the ageing process in a laboratory while producing the same chemical signature and taste.In late 2014 Lost Spirits filed patents for a spirits aging technology. The technology was shown capable of reproducing the chemical signature of rum aged for 20 years in barrels, in less than a weeks time. The high-tech process utilized heat and specific bands of light to break down oak barrel wood. The process was granted a US patent in 2015.
According to the Huffington Post, Davis had been using preliminary versions of the technology to produce all of his past rums and some of the early whiskies, which may partially explain some of the distilleries critical successes.
Davis’ final rum produced at Lost Spirits Monterey county location was made entirely using the new technology. It was bottled under the brand name Lost Spirits Colonial Inspired Rum and sold exclusively through Bounty Hunter Rare Wines in Napa, California. The rum was initially released at $100 per bottle without disclosing the use of the technology. The critical reception was extremely favorable. Christopher Null broke the story of the technology in Wired Magazine creating significant controversy and a great deal of media attention.
In early 2015, just before the original distillery closed, the Spirits Business Magazine awarded Lost Spirits its first Global Master Award in the category of distillery innovation for its aging work.
2015 - 2017 Closure
In mid 2015, Davis and Haruta closed the original distillery and moved to Silicon Valley to focus exclusively on licensing technology to other distilleries.Lost Spirits - Los Angeles
In late 2016 Davis and Haruta began working with Los Angeles investor Dr. Wynn Sanders, Theron Regnier, and James Haruta. The group built a new highly thematic distillery in The Los Angeles Arts District. The distillery borrows elements from immersive theater, theme park design, and a distillery. The highly theatrical distillery features tasting rooms themed to each spirit and connected by waterways made of the distilleries cooling water.The Los Angeles distillery was both financially and critically successful. Forbes Magazine reviewed the distillery under the headline "Forget The Hollywood Studios: Lost Spirits Distillery Is The Best Tour In L.A.”. In late 2018 the distillery began working with renown architect John Berry to reimagine aspects of the tour.
In 2018 the Los Angeles distillery was named the world's best distillery experience by The Spirits Business Magazine, American Distilling Institute, and Drinks Business Magazine.
Accolades
2019
"Best World Whisky" by the Wizards of Whisky UK"Best Distillery Tour In the World" by Drinks International Magazine UK
"Liquid Gold Award" - Jim Murray's Whisky Bible
2018
"Best Distillery Tour In the World" by Drinks International Magazine UK"Americas Best Distillery Experience" by The American Distilling Institute
"Global Master Award for Distillery Experience" Spirits Business UK
"Global Master Award for Super Premium Rum" Spirits Business UK
"Liquid Gold Award" - Jim Murray's Whisky Bible
2017
"Best in Class" Miami Rum Renaissance2015
"The Best Spirits of 2015" by Serious Eats"The Years Best Spirits" by Wine & Spirits Magazine
2014
"Best Spirits of 2014" list by Liquor.com"Best in Class" by Miami Rum Renaissance.
Nominated for "Craft Distillery of the Year" by Whisky Magazine.