Spirits · Santa Cruz, CA
Venus Spirits
Organic small-batch whiskey, gin and aquavit from a former brewer in Santa Cruz.
- Founded by
- Sean Venus
- Based in
- Santa Cruz, CA
Their story
Sean Venus got his start in craft beer as an assistant brewer at age 20 while at the University of Oregon. He worked at breweries in Eugene, spent six years at Gordon Biersch in San Jose, and then eight years in organic food.
A love of whiskey pulled him toward distilling. He decided in 2012 to open a distillery in Santa Cruz and began distilling in 2014 on Swift Street, where Venus Spirits also runs a tasting room.
How it's made
Venus makes certified organic spirits in small batches, including Wayward Whiskey, two gin blends, aquavit, vodka and El Ladrón blue agave spirit. The vodka, for example, starts with organic winter wheat and is run many times through the distillery's column pot still.
We started off with organic wheat and ran the spirit multiple times on our column pot still
Why we carry them
Venus is a Central Coast distillery we like for spirits with real character. Their aquavit is a fun one to explore if you have never tried the style.
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