Charbay Distillery operates out of Ukiah, California, about 90 minutes north of San Francisco in Mendocino County’s wine country. Founded by Miles and Susan Karakasevic, this family operation has been distilling since the 1980s with Miles bringing Old World European distilling knowledge from his Yugoslavian heritage. The distillery sits in an industrial complex but don’t let that fool you—inside, you’ll find copper stills and aging barrels where they’ve been crafting everything from whiskey to flavored vodkas for decades. Miles Karakasevic, who studied distilling in Europe, brought techniques that were pretty unconventional for California at the time. The operation started small and stayed that way by design, focusing on experimental batches and unique flavor profiles that bigger distilleries wouldn’t touch. Susan handles much of the business side while Miles focuses on production, creating spirits that range from traditional whiskeys to wildly creative infusions. What started as a pursuit of craft distilling before ‘craft’ was trendy has evolved into one of California’s more interesting small-batch operations. You’re not visiting a polished tourist destination here—this is a working distillery where the founders are still hands-on with production and genuinely excited to share what they’ve learned over 40+ years of distilling.