Tucked into an industrial suite in Yucca Valley, just a short drive from the entrance to Joshua Tree National Park, this small-batch distillery punches well above its desert zip code. Founder Paul Chakalian spent nearly a decade learning distillation before opening in 2019, and that obsessiveness comes through in the bottle. The flagship Lost Horse Whiskey - a blend of single malt barley, rye, and bourbon mashes, non-chill filtered and aged up to six years - took Double Gold and Best in Category at the 2023 American Distilling Institute World Spirits Competition. Black Hole Vodka earned Gold at the 2022 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. The lineup also includes Giant Rock Gin and a small collection of agave spirits sourced from traditional producers in Mexico and bottled here in California, including a Maguey Tobalá Blanco from a single estate in the mountains near Chilpancingo. You can try all of it on-site. Tours of the production floor are free and walk-in friendly, and the tasting experience runs through neat samples alongside craft cocktails built on house recipes. The vibe is casual, knowledgeable, and genuinely welcoming - reviewers consistently flag the staff as the highlight. One percent of Lost Horse Whiskey sales goes directly to the Joshua Tree National Park Association.