Lost Spirits was a working distillery and immersive circus show located in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was founded by Bryan Davis and Joanne Haruta.[1][2]
The distillery was initially located in Salinas, California, where it opened in 2010.[3]
Lost Spirits closed at the end of April 2024.[4][5] At the time of the closing Lost Spirits had hosted over 250,000 guests in its Las Vegas location[5] and was generating an estimated $12.9 Million in Annual Revenue.[6]
Technology
In 2015, the distillery attracted attention after Davis developed technology to create mature whisky and rum within days.[7][1]
Davis's process was shown, using modern analytical chemistry, to replicate the chemical reactions that take place as spirits age in barrels.[8][1] The process aims to replicate the aging process in a laboratory while producing the same chemical signature and taste.[7]
Whisky made using Davis' process performed favorably in blind tastings hosted by Whisky Advocate,[9] and won a Liquid Gold award in Jim Murray's Whisky Bible (widely considered the world's most influential whisky critic).[10][11]
In 2016, the distillery was moved to downtown Los Angeles, California.[12]
Circus
In 2021, Davis and Haruta moved the distillery to Las Vegas.[1] The new location included a tour described as "equated to an adult Disneyland."[13][14] The Las Vegas version featured a large cast of live actors, acrobats, contortionists and singers.[15] The experience of visiting Lost Spirits has been described as "cult hit among spirits geeks".[16]
In 2023 Lost Spirits was listed on the annual Thrillist list of the best live shows & musicals in Las Vegas.[17]