Red Eagle Distillery — Local services in Saybrook

Really enjoyed the vibe of this place. The old barn, redone, the distillery pieces and parts here and there. The Staff was great. The place was clean. The whiskey very good, the mixed drinks excellent and I heard others remarking that the food that day was super. Why 3 stars.... it is not handicapped friendly in the slightest. Maybe you can enter from the ground floor in the back but honestly, being disabled now myself, I don't like being made to feel like that. The front is a set of stairs and a step up to actually get in the door, it's marked but not much and it's just enough to catch a bad leg or cane and keep a walker and wheelchair out for sure. Once inside there is a step down to the bar and if you do come in the back, there are steps leading up to the main bar. I did not go downstairs and check it out down there, too many steps, especially after I found out I had to go back outside and around back to a small shed like building they use as a bathroom. Don't get me wrong. It is wonderful inside, new and modern and neat and clean. But if you have mobility issues, you need a scooter to get to it but you can't take your scooter in the barn to the bar. Damned if you do, damned if you don't. I was very torn. I wanted to like this place so much. I have a 60th birthday coming up in June and this might work in good weather but this is off my winter list for sure, I've made the trip from main barn to milking shed many times as a kid in knee high snow, not interested in a bad acid...

This was the biggest disappointment of my Geneva on the Lake trip! We came to the restaurant next door, wanting some lunch, but we had a half hour to kill before it opened, so we went over to the Red Eagle Distillery. Not a soul was in there, but that was okay, it was like noon, so that's understandable. The atmosphere was nice and cozy. Lots of small tables. The bartender was friendly enough. She informed us that the restaurant didn't serve food in Mondays. That was extremely disappointing because we were starved. But it was confusing why it would still be open on Mondays, just without food. Weird. Anyway, we were excited to try some bourbon Christmas cocktails, since this was a distillery. Again, a disappointment. Almost every cocktail was a vodka cocktail. Bummer! Not a big fan of vodka. Not of the cocktails seemed very appealing, but my husband and I both felt awkward, so we each got a different cocktail. They were both undrinkable. Seriously, yuck! We are both not picky, and are very easy to please. But they were not good. Then I asked to use the bathroom. And THEY DONT HAVE A BATHROOM. It's in a barn across a field. What? I felt like I was in some kind of PUNK'D, but alas, no Ashton came out of hiding.

I absolutely do not recommend if you enjoy fine cocktails and/or anticipate needing a bathroom. If you're 18-21 and have never had an alcoholic drink, you'd...

If you plan on visiting Red Eagle Distillery. Do not bring your dog. The owner is not dog friendly. I called prior to arrival and asked if we were permitted to bring our dog outside while we visited and was told yes, by a staff member, as long as the dog was outside, it wouldn't be a problem and if it was well behaved. Upon arrival we were told the dog could be outside by the owner and then we proceeded to sit on the outside patio. I did tell him that we called ahead and asked prior to bringing our dog, out of respect for his rules.He then came up and told us that we could not have the dog up there but had to go sit in the grass with her. Which would have been fine if he would have told us that initially. He then told me she was too big of a distraction (she is a 126 lb sweet New Foundland) and that he was afraid his patrons would be drunk and get distracted by the dog and fall down the steps.... Then he tried to tell me that he asked his staff and no one took a phone call from me about bringing a dog. I live locally and and am all about supporting small local businesses. We will not be going back to his...