LOFT AND BEAR

Loft and Bear got its start in 2013 when distiller Paul Bear Ryan started distilling in a loft in the Downtown Los Angeles Arts District. After he graduated from Chapel Hill, feeling unfulfilled at his post-grad job, he was searching for a way to stimulate his creativity and entrepreneurial spirit. Thus, Young State America was born a distillery focused on artisanal vodka, only the second in Los Angeles to open its doors since prohibition.The operation with its humble beginnings soon grew into a respectable 1,400-square-foot distillery, focused on producing premium craft vodka. "The distillery started out of my love for vodka," says Ryan. "I grew tired of being the consumer of a product I knew that with enough time and effort I could learn to produce better myself" They donate a part of their profits to the international nonprofit health organization PATH and other charities.The artisanal vodka is hand-crafted in small batches, starting with the distillation of the organic winter wheat and Californian mountain spring water. A copper pot still is used to distill the vodka 4 times. Bottled, labeled, and signed by hand, the 80-proof spirit has a super-clean, smooth, and creamy profile with gentle notes of vanilla and lemon and has struck silver at the 2014 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, among several other awards.Grab a bottle today!