We never quite knew what to make of Lost Spirits Distillery at Area 15, which may have been part of the problem.
The venue, which included the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea restaurant as well as an immersive circus-type-thingy, will close April 29, 2024.
The culprit? Poor management. Sorry, officially? The company says it can’t “claw its way” out of the “immense debt accumulated in recent years,” presumably because of the pesky pandemic.
Bryan Davis of Lost Spirits Distillery says the venue welcomed 250,000 guests and served up 1,000 performances in its Las Vegas incarnation.
The official statement announcing the closure of Lost Spirits Distillery said, “After 14 years in business, Lost Spirits Distillery will close its doors for good…” Most of those 14 years weren’t in Las Vegas.
The distillery opened in 2010 in Salinas, California. We know this because we looked it up to Tweet about it.
Lost Spirits Distillery is out at Area 15. Initially located in Salinas, California, opened in 2010. pic.twitter.com/SaMXDNkV4y
— Vital Vegas (@VitalVegas) April 3, 2024
We feel for the more than 40 performers, many of whom see very bendy, who will lose their gigs when Lost Spirits Distillery, of course.
We’ve heard some wild stories about the culture at Lost Spirits Distillery. For starters, job applicants were met with a panel of interviewers, and asked wacky questions while being given puzzles to solve to see if they’d be a good fit for the company.
We’re told the interviews were like sales presentations, complete with PowerPoint decks and lots of touting of the brand.
We never got to check out Lost Spirits Distillery, but it got great solid reviews on sites like TripAdvisor (4.5 out of 5 stars, or circles, or whatever the kids are rating things with now).
From how it’s been described, Lost Spirits Distillery was certainly unique, with rum distilled on the premises.
From what we can tell, all the remaining seatings at the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea restaurant ($355 a pop) have been sold out, other than a $500 “Last Supper” on April 29, 2024.
Today we learned “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” isn’t a reference to depth, it’s distance. It turns out 20,000 leagues is more than 40,000 nautical miles, which is like sailing around the world twice. Oh, and it’s worth mentioning Lost Spirits Distillery got the name wrong, as have many people. The French book was “20,000 Leagues Under the Seas.” Plural. Yes, we are that guy.
The most intriguing part of the restaurant has always been this small print: “The menu does include several ounces of spirits gelled into the food. A non-alcoholic version is not possible.”
That’s the spirit!
Our other favorite part: “Lost Spirits is for adults 21 and over.”
Tickets to the entertainment portion of Lost Spirits Distillery are still available at $59. If you still don’t know what it is, here’s an FAQ.
Time is running out for Lost Spirts Distillery.
ChatGPT said it best: “Pouring rum from a bottle is like time slipping away. Just as the rum steadily flows from the bottle, so does time from our grasp. At first, it seems abundant, but as it pours, it becomes apparent it’s finite. Each drop represents a moment lost, reminding us of the fleeting nature of time. And just as we can’t reverse the pouring of rum, we can’t turn back the clock. We’re left with only the residue of memories and experiences, urging us to savor every drop before it’s gone.”
We are so out of a job.
