Redfin recently ranked America’s top 12 cities for whiskey, curating the best metro areas and bars from across a variety of other lists and publishers around the internet. The results pegged Los Angeles No. 8, with this to say:

“There is a reason the City of Angels is often portrayed in period films as a liquor paradise, even when it was outlawed. While LA may no longer receive its spirits supply from covert transport via underground tunnels, the whiskey scene is alive and well. No matter if you’re looking for vintage or contemporary decor, classic or craft cocktails, or are wandering the streets of Hollywood or Downtown LA — Los Angeles has something for every whiskey buff.”

Seven Grand In Downtown LA / Photo by Sam Howzit / CC BY

According to Redfin, the most frequently mentioned whiskey bars in the greater LA area included Santa Monica’s Daily Pint (also one of the Westside’s top beer haunts) and the Edison in Downtown LA. Critics were most enamored with Downtown’s Seven Grand and its backroom whiskey room Bar Jackalope.

While Los Angeles would typically get dinged on a list like this for a lack of walkability (Redfin scores LA a 67 out of 100), there are five more cities in the rankings to score much lower by that measure — a critical one for those looking to make an evening of trying out the city’s best bourbon selections. 

Though LA may not have the whiskey traditions of other cities like Louisville and Lexington (No. 4 and 5 on this list, respectively), there’s a growing number of distilleries coming to the area as well. Greenbar Distillery has been making spirits right along the Los Angeles River since 2004, while more recent additions like El Segundo’s Rob Rubens Distilling & Brewing have continued the steady craft whiskey progress in Los Angeles County.