Kiss My Glass: Help me help you
Laura Johnson fell in love with the idea of making spirits when in high school she toured a distillery with her father. After moving from Texas to attend the University of San Diego, where she studied international business and economics, she spent her college years growing her love for spirits.
The day after graduating from USD, she flew to Washington where she enrolled in a master distiller’s course. At the same time she was falling in love with distilling, she fell in love with gin, which is one of the two flagship spirits she would eventually create to open You & Yours Distilling Co. in 2016 in San Diego’s East Village.
Customers at the bar of the You & Yours Distilling Co. in East Village.
The urban destination distillery is every bit as unique in its location as it is in its airy, inviting design. In just two short years the distillery has helped land Johnson on the Forbes “30 Under 30” list, grown to include canned cocktails and multiple collaborations, and there are plans to expand in the coming year.
While the new cocktails were rolling off the canning line, Johnson sat down with podcast host Edwin Real to chat about the following:
- Getting into distilling
- Launching can cocktails
- Creating a destination distillery
- How local water comes into play when distilling
- Being featured in national media
- Target audience
- Influential distillers
- Setting up a business plan for success
- Expanding further into East Village
- Adding a beer & wine garden in Summer 2019
- Five-year plan
- Distillery No. 2: Dallas
- Collaborative projects
- Where to eat/drink around San Diego
- Where to find You & Yours spirits and canned cocktails
Kiss My Glass is a collaboration between PACIFIC and Facebook group Eating and Drinking in San Diego.
Listen and subscribe to Kiss My Glass and sister podcast Dish It Up wherever you listen to podcasts, including iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and Soundcloud.
Keep up
You & Yours Distilling Co. tasting room: 1495 G St., East Village, 619.955.8755, youandyours.com
Instagram: @laurakjohnson @youandyourssd
Twitter: @youandyourssd
More...
You & Yours Distilling Co. expands, releases canned cocktails and collaboration citrus vodka
Distillery entrepreneur’s mention on Forbes’ list has a romantic twist
You & Yours distillery to focus on gin, vodka
San Diego gets into the spirit with craft distillery tours
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