Maine Craft Distilling

Came for the $1 oysters on Wednesday's, stayed for the lively atmosphere and music. Food was surprisingly good; highly recommend the shrimp. Great indoor and outdoor areas available.

I stopped in during vacation to taste some of the spirits. I sat at the bar and ordered a sampler of two gins, and a blueberry spirit.

I'm a gin fan in general, and I like, no love - most things blueberry. But, for my palate, I was disappointed. The gins were overwhelming on the juniper front and the blueberry spirit reminded me of cough syrup.

I enjoyed the ambiance of the place though. During my next visit to Portland, I plan to come back to try the food and some of the other spirits and maybe a cocktail.

Service was good.

#MaineCraftDistilling

I was looking for some live music on our vacation and glad we found this place! Fiancé was happy there was beer there too.

I'm writing this review due to the unprofessional, disrespectful, and bizarre behavior exhibited by a particular staff member, which left our table in a state of shock, embarrassment, and an overwhelming desire to promptly leave and never return.

My friends and I were in town to celebrate a wedding when we decided to go on a pre-celebration adventure, visiting a few bars for drinks and light snacks. A Portland local, whom I will refer to as John, acted as our impromptu tour guide for the afternoon. He was a "friend of a friend" who knew all the nicest bars in town. John took us to three different places that day, one of which was Maine Craft Distilling. According to him, this bar had good drinks and the perfect vibe for what we were looking for. For the most part, he was right. My negroni was delicious, but the old fashioned didn't really taste good. The snacks were solid, and the overall vibe was relaxed and fun. We sat outside, surrounded by a mix of families and friend groups.

During our second round of drinks and while waiting for our small bites, a staff member approached our table. He stopped a foot away from me, looked at John, and pretty loudly called him out and uttered, "Hey! *something* boy." He made a reference to a personal matter between John and another staff member, and finished the interaction by saying, "Don't come back here again." The staff member abruptly walked away, leaving us stunned and struggling to process what just happened. It's important to note that this exchange was not discreet; the staff member's comments were audible to other customers sitting close around us. So one could reason that he wanted to embarrass all of us.

While I don't know much about John or his personal affairs, this event appeared to stem from a personal issue that should not have been addressed like that. If the staff had any concerns regarding John, it would have been more appropriate for a manager to discreetly approach him and communicate the issue privately. Confronting customers in such a berating and intrusive manner is unacceptable. I have to emphasize that I've never felt such discomfort, disrespect, and unease in any bar or restaurant before. Although the comment was directed specifically at John, the entire group felt a sense of embarrassment, prompting an immediate desire to leave. As we completed our drinks and small bites, an individual who appeared to be a manager approached our table, urging us to consider returning and offering a 25% discount voucher for a single purchase as a response to the incident (see the attached photo, which I took later at the wedding venue). While we appreciated the management's acknowledgment of the event, a 25% discount voucher did not fix anything. If the establishment truly values customer service, they should have waived the charges for our drinks and snacks in addition to implementing severe disciplinary measures against the staff member involved.

But it seems that the staff member will get what he asked for. John will never return to the bar, my friends and I will never set foot there again, and the friends and family to whom we've told this story will be dissuaded from visiting as well. There are so many other good bars in Portland, so do yourself a favor and visit them instead.

Sat outside, like most peeps. Had to go in and get our own cocktails which is fine, but when a server comes for table service and you order food and Prosecco and he keeps checking- everything ok and you remind him that you ordered food and wine? Not great on the service front.

Spirits were tasty, food menu limited and adequate. Lots of outdoor seating but the fires were not burning tonight. Left before the band started playing. Will return when music is flowing an fire is burning, but for this evening there were definitely better options, especially for outdoors in Portland.

Good drinks, thanks to their own crafted spirits. Vibe was hopping, with folks watching the live music outside and a bachelorette party inside. But we sat at the bar and had a nice time, thanks to our super friendly bartender, who was busy experimenting. He was testing out something he heard, that Coors Banquet mixed with Disaronno tastes like Dr. Pepper. We got to be his taste-testers, and that's exactly what it tastes like. The drinks that are actually on the menu were good, too. I can recommend the Mai Tai with the house rum.

MCD never disappoints and our most recent visit was great like every other one. I love the fact that any question I have in the distilling process can be answered while there by the staff. Quality cocktails, take away bottles and their shop are all great. Their prints for their different products are also unique and look great. The only decorations in our sunroom at home are eight of their prints that we love framed and hung.

Great spot for drinks! We did not try their specialty drinks (I did hear the blueberry moonshine is a hit here though!!). We got a couple different gin cocktails which were all great. Nice place to spend some time and great for big groups!

90 minutes for an order of tacos... no awareness of my order at all, until I went to the counter. Then they asked if I wanted a refund! Very Poor customer service! I like coming to see music here but this was not a good experience.

What a gem I stumbled upon during my trip to Portland, Maine. Damariscotta oysters, whiskey, and live music made for an ideal Saturday. Oysters were only $1.00. I was thrilled to try seawood infused scotch cocktail here. I hadn't see this on a cocktail menu before: added a briny forward taste to this adorable fishing town. The spirit tasting was my personal favorite for a boozy day. Would recommend trying the Cannon Shit cinnamon flavored vodka. The outdoor seating area had wood fire pits for a cozy stay on this sunny yet cold day.