Drink Richmond
Drink Richmond
3.5
Distillery ToursBeer Tastings & ToursWine Tours & Tastings
9:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 9:00 PM
About
Welcome to the newest attraction for adults in Richmond. Let our 14-person bus take you out for drinks, tours, and tastings at three of Richmond's alcohol producers. Drinks and at least one tour is included in the $69/person ticket price for the Drink Richmond Experience, offered at 1pm and 5:30pm. Please see our website for exact offerings and schedule. Our alcohol adventures are great for single riders, groups, and private parties.
Richmond, Virginia

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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.


3.5
3.5 of 5 bubbles10 reviews
Excellent
6
Very good
0
Average
0
Poor
0
Terrible
4

grhokie
Bon Air, VA134 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2018 • Couples
Took the DrinkRichmond tour bus with Ian on a Saturday night. We got front of the line service at two breweries, a cidery and the Cirrus Vodka Distillery. The bus was spacious and comfortable and set up so we could all talk. At the end of the tour, Ian dropped us off at Fat Dragon so we could have dinner (another review to follow). Our group had a fantastic time without having to worry about driving or one of us not enjoying it as much as a DD.
Written November 13, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for taking the time to write a review! I'm glad you had a great time! Front-of-the-line service is just one of the reasons to ride with DrinkRichmond.com
Written March 14, 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Kristie S
Richmond, VA3 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2017 • Couples
This is by far the most unprofessional business I have dealt with in a long time. I’m usually pretty laid back, but I feel the need to warn others about them. So prepare for a detailed review.

We signed up for the Saturday afternoon 1:00 tour and paid online about a week ahead of time. The website and confirmation email said meet at Union Market in Church Hill, which is great because we can walk there and it’s a fairly central/ downtown-ish location. Two days before the tour, they send an email indicating the pickup had been moved to Strangeways Brewery, which is 9 miles away in in the middle of an industrial park. Isn’t the whole point of a bus drinking tour to avoid having to designate a driver? My man, who had purchased the tickets, messages Drink Richmond to say that is not going to work for us and we will gladly take a refund. There followed several exchanges, one of which involved the Drink Richmond staff telling him not to “stress out” (unprofessional) and then asserting that they were just asking to see if a change in pickup location would be ok. The email was not worded as if it was a question. Then they send an email to all the riders stating essentially “this one guy complained, so we are switching back to the original location” (also unprofessional). Ok, we are happy again.

We get to the market on time and there is no sign of a bus. No new emails. No calls. We meet up with other riders and tried to figure out what was going on together. After waiting 20 minutes in the cold. I called the Drink Richmond number to confirm and the staff said he’d call the driver to check and call me back. He didn’t call me back (unprofessional). 15 minutes later I call him again and am told the bus is 5 minutes away. The bus does finally show and there are is a couple already on the bus.

The driver was really nice and helpful. He indicated he was actually called in to work his day off on a route he doesn’t usually work; he does the Williamsburg runs.

Stop #1. James River Distillery. Good tour. Good tasting. Well worth the stop. We are happy again.
Then we are informed that the remainder of the stops had been changed and I was frustrated again. The website listed the different itineraries that they rotate through during the week and we chose that particular one because they did not go to a cidery, but most of them do. We were supposed to go to Hardywood, then to Cirroc Vodka. Instead…

Stop #2. Blue Bee Cidery. As above, I’m not a cider fan. We got to try 3 samples. Then the staff took us out to the court yard and pointed at the different buildings and told us a little about their history. It was maybe 10-15 minutes to do the tasting and the “tour”. We go out to the bus and the driver is gone… he was told he got his lunch break then because we would be on an hour long tour.

Stop #3. Stone Brewing. I love Stone and live nearby. In fact we had just been there the previous weekend. That’s why we chose the tour that we choose… to go to new/ interesting places… that didn’t happen. Stone gives us all four decent pours of their IPAs, but no explanation of the beers, how they are made, nothing… and no tour at all.

Update: I'm not removing this because every word is true and I'll not be so dramatic as to say "they ruined my birthday", but it sure put a damper on things... but... they did give us a refund. Thanks for that.
Written November 15, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Brittany
1 contribution
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2019
If I could give negative stars I would and here is why:

1) We did 0 tours, although we went to 4 different locations. So our group learned nothing about beer or alcohol and its process. The Educational experience of the tour that is promised on their site and general opening guidelines on the tour was not provided in any form.

2) Only one location ever spoke to us about the drinks they were serving us and served us personally (i.e. the name, its background, alcohol content, etc.). At the other 3 locations we went to flights were just brought to our table randomly by our driver/guide. They were not labeled and they were not explained. Essentially we were given drinks with no idea what we were drinking, the alcohol content level and if we did want to purchase said drink there was no way of us knowing which beer and or alcohol was used. Furthermore, no one from the actual establishment greeted us, served us drinks and  or gave us any background on their brewery/distillery.

3) On their website the Saturday tour lists: Castleburg Brewery, James River Distillery, Cirrus Vodka and Guides Choice as the tours for the Saturday option. When we arrived at Castleburg Brewery our driver/guide informed us that we would be visiting 4 breweries. It wasn't until myself and two other people on the tour asked about the list online and  voiced our expectations to visit Distilleries as that was the main reason we chose Saturday's tour for the diversity that the guide "fit in" a tour to Cirrus Vodka and the rest of the tours were breweries.

4) Lastly, and the most disturbing of the entire day, one of the couples on the tour brought their infant (possibly a newborn) child with them (I did not ask but the baby looked to be less than 2 months old if not younger). The couple had the baby in a carrier while they went to each location and drank along with the rest of us and often times the child would begin to get fussy and or cry as babies do.  I was deeply disturbed by this for multiple reasons and was unaware that anyone under the age of 21 years old was even allowed to participate on a drinking tour with a waiver that requires 21 years of age. This amongst the other unexpected happenings on our tour made for a very disappointing, uncomfortable and frustrating experience.

Post our tour I tried to contact the company multiple times via phone and e-mail. No one returned my phone calls and then when I was able to make contact with someone via e-mail and voiced the concerns above not only did they not feel the need to call as requested and discuss their response was "we believe we fully offered the service you paid for and will not provide a refund".

My husband and I were visiting Richmond for our wedding anniversary and up until the tour we were having a great and relaxing experience. We have done the Drink Williamsburg Experience tour in  November of last year and had such a great time we sought to do it with this company in Richmond. BIG MISTAKE.

THIS COMPANY IS DISMISSIVE, UNPROFESSIONAL AND SHOULD NOT BE LICENSED. DO NOT WASTE YOUR HARD EARNED MONEY.
Written September 4, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

NJay
1 contribution
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2019 • Friends
This company is unprofessional and no where near worth the asking price of $70. They bus is ‘janky’ to say the least and the battery died on a few occasions. On top of that the mgmt obviously doesn’t have itself together seeing as though they sent our driver on the wrong tour, each stop was closed, and ended up going to probably the worst 3 cideries/breweries in the RVa area. It saddened me that they can even hold them so highly, the website work is phenomenal and the tour looks great from there but I can promise you it is no where close to that - false advertising
Written July 9, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Laura L
1 contribution
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2019 • Friends
Don't do it! They charge a "booking fee", which you do not know about until it shows up on your credit card. And they aren't kidding when they say, non refundable, even when THEY cancel the tour! My tour in March was cancelled by the tour company. They rebooked me to a time I would not be in VA, even after being told I couldn't be there. I did finally get a 90% refund, but WHY? I wanted to take the tour. After all this, at the time of the rebooked tour, the tour guide called to ask where I was. WHAT? I was still at my origination airport. Choose another vendor. I had a wonderful time on the RVA Trolley!
Written April 1, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Maria F
6 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2018 • Couples
We went on a whim since we were in Richmond for 24 hours, and it didn’t disappoint. Our tour included the two of us along with another family of four that happened to be from MD as well. Ian, our tour guide, was great from beginning to end. The variety of the tour is probably what I appreciated the most since I’m not a beer drinker, but my friend is. Ian recommended A TON of other places we should visit while in Richmond. We couldn’t fit it all in, but we plan on coming back soon. He also did a great job making sure we were enjoying ourselves throughout the tour, and keeping us posted as to when we would have to leave for the next location.

While I know this is out of the hands of our tour guide, even with calling ahead, the last location was busier than the others and Ian had to hustle and bustle to find us a spot, which he did, amazingly! I don’t know how it may play out if the group is larger.
Written August 19, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Brandy O
1 contribution
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2018 • Friends
What a wonderful way to enjoy an afternoon of libations and the company of family and friends. From point of contact to the finale of our tour, the team was top notch! Excellent, easy, fun, and organized!
Written July 14, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks Brandy! We're glad you, your family, and friends had a great time. :) We hope to see you and your group again soon!
Written September 14, 2018
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

ijorelia80
Las Vegas, NV1 contribution
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2018 • Couples
We started the trip at Castleburg Brewery, which started with a brewery tour. We came back and got a flight of their beer, which was good. Also got a tour at Cirrus Vodka from the owner, followed by a sampling (a shot) of their vodka, and two mixed drinks. The trip ended at Buskey Cider. We also had a flight and a tour there. I wasn’t sure that 3 places would be enough, but the portions were plenty, and by the end of the trip I felt tipsy, so I suggest making sure you eat before, and don’t plan to drive after. This was neat because we got to learn about the places, and even met the owners- it wasn’t just about going into a place and drinking.
Written May 2, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for taking the time to leave us a review! We're so glad you had fun! We hope to see you on our Drink Williamsburg tour as well! Thank you so much for booking with us!
Written May 10, 2018
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

jribock
Orlando, FL1 contribution
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2018 • Couples
We had such an amazing time on the Drink Richmond tour bus. It included three tours and tastings of local distilleries and breweries. What made this tour bus unique was it had inward facing seats which allowed us to get to know the other people on the tour. Our Drink Richmond guide was also amazing. When the tour was over we went out with all the people we met on the bus to a great restaurant and bar which was suggested by our tour guide. What a great day!
Written February 25, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for taking the time to leave us a review! We're so glad you had fun! We hope to see you on our Drink Williamsburg tour as well! Thank you so much for booking with us!
Written May 10, 2018
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Jessica S
10 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2017 • Friends
What can I say about the Drink Bus tour. Well for starters, it's absolutely awesome! I mean it's a 15 passenger bus that handles the designated driver part of a happy hour adventure with you and your friends.The bus picks passengers up from Union Market in Churchill, and takes passengers to 2-4 various distillery/brewery in Richmond Virginia.
Recently I got to experience the drink bus tour and we made two stops. We first stopped at James River Distillery where the group tried various mini drinks from the craft distilled spirits produced on site at the distillery,
Next the group headed to Buskey Cider where we learned the history of the company, tried a craft beer flight then got a pint of our choice. I would recommend this for any craft beer lovers looking for a unique tour experience. Tickets can be purchased individually or a group can book a private tour. Five stars. Jess approved .
Written September 20, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello Jessica, Thanks for the Jess Approved Review! We are glad that you enjoyed the bus and the locations on the tour. We know the best local Richmond alcohol producers and we only take you to the most unique locations in town. We have a rotating itinerary that includes a variety of distilleries, cider houses and breweries, so check out our website if you would like to try something new on your next visit.
Written September 21, 2017
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

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