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California grows the ingredients behind some of the most distinctive spirits: grapes, citrus, nuts, berries and more. The California Distillers Association (CDA) is building a way for consumers to find them.
What the California Distillery Trail is
The Trail is a consumer website with an interactive map of California craft distilleries and the specialty crops that go into their spirits. Visitors can explore by region, spirit type and specialty crop. They can read distillery stories and follow suggested routes.
Made possible through a USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant, the Trail is part of a three-year effort to raise awareness of California’s distilling industry and create new opportunities for distilleries to connect with consumers. The project’s goal is to grow sales of California specialty-crop spirits by 20 percent. Digital advertising, influencer campaigns, consumer events and partnerships with destination marketing organizations like Visit California will support it.
Who can join
Every licensed California distillery can join. It’s free, and CDA membership isn’t required. Fill out the intake form, and the CDA builds a profile for your distillery on the Trail.
When it launches
The CDA will introduce the Trail at a virtual webinar for the industry, media and tourism partners on October 20, 2026 at 11 am PT. But the intake form stays open after launch, so you can join at any time.
Why CDA membership is worth a look
While the Trail is open to everyone, a CDA membership adds advocacy, education and access to a statewide network of distillers. It also adds software savings: CDA members on DISTILL x 5 get 6 months of California Excise Reporting free with an annual subscription, plus 10% off DISTILL x 5. Learn more about the CDA→
Faster California excise filings with DISTILL x 5
If you file California excise returns with the CDTFA, our California Excise Reporting builds Schedules 240-A, 241-A, 242-A and 243-B from the production and sales data you already record in Dx5. Distillers tell us their prep used to take 2 to 4 hours per filing. Now it takes minutes.
California distilleries on Dx5 get 3 months of CA Reporting free with an annual subscription. CDA members get 6, plus 10% off their Dx5 subscription.
Same data, less manual work, and more time for the work that gets you on the map.
