Ten finalists locked arms, drew mystery ingredients, and shook up cocktails in front of a crowd that hadn't gathered at Napa Valley Distillery in two years. The Iron Shaker cocktail competition culminated last Thursday, with San Jose bartender Janessa Yanez taking home the trophy and $1,000 cash prize in what doubled as the distillery's first major public event since a devastating fire shut it down.
The competition, held at the distillery's longtime home at 2485 Stockton Street in Napa, unfolded over three rounds designed to test both teamwork and improvisation, according to The Napa Valley Register. In the first round, contestants worked in teams, locking arms and using only one hand each to craft a Napa Valley-inspired signature drink built around Distillers Blend whiskey. Yanez, who works at Paper Plane in San Jose, teamed with Ian Avery of Cooperage in Santa Rosa to create Buzzin' La Vida, a drink that used frozen vineyard grapes in place of ice cubes, and the pair earned the most points of the round.
From Ten Finalists to a Final Five
The second round pared the field down further. Each bartender had seven minutes to prepare four classic cocktails with no variations allowed, a stricter format than round one, and it advanced five finalists: Yanez, Markley LaPointe and Ivan Bondarau of Press in St. Helena, Mahlik Blake of Lemon Drop in Alameda, and Valentina Nakic of The Pro in Palo Alto. LaPointe and Bondarau's round-two entry, called The Timeless, used dry ice and Napa Valley Distillery's Meyer lemon variety to make a quick ice cream, a technical flourish that stood out among the final field.
The last round put the remaining five bartenders on the spot, requiring each to draw and incorporate a mystery ingredient into their drink. Those surprise ingredients ranged from avocado and pickle brine to chipotle paste, Cool Ranch Doritos, and Sour Patch Kids. When the shaking stopped, Yanez claimed the win, with Blake finishing second and Bondarau taking third.
Yanez described the victory in personal terms, per the same report from the Register, saying the win felt “absolutely surreal” for her as a queer, brown, first-generation, first-year bartender. The judging panel included Tim Creedon, a local IT professional and bartender known as Liquid Chef; Jennifer Schulte, a local bartender and United States Bartenders' Guild board member; and bartending mentor Dante Javar alongside Meg Javar, a bartender preparing to open a downtown Napa cocktail lounge.
A Fire That Forced a Two-Year Shutdown
The celebration carried extra weight because of what the distillery had been through to get back to hosting events at all. In July 2024, a car accident on northbound Highway 29 sparked a fire that engulfed Napa Valley Distillery, causing immense damage to the property; no fire-related injuries were reported. Owner Arthur Hartunian told the Register this was the first time in two years he had seen so many people in the distillery who weren't construction workers, and Hanzel Dingler said the Iron Shaker finals welcomed guests back to the distillery after the two years of closure.
The fire's toll was extensive: a crash and blaze on northbound Highway 29 in July 2024 tore into the distillery's 2485 Stockton Street property, causing severe fire, smoke, and water damage to its upstairs offices, outdoor gazebo, and the Hollywood Room speakeasy lounge, according to First Street Napa. Hoodline reported on the original crash and fire in 2024, when Hartunian vowed to rebuild the damaged Stockton Street facility.
The closure forced the distillery to adapt on the fly. It relocated the 2024 Iron Shaker finals to the Culinary Institute of America at Copia's Chuck Williams Culinary Arts Museum that August, and in October 2024 it opened a temporary boutique pop-up and lounge called The Club Room at First Street Napa while the Stockton Street facility remained shuttered for repairs. The distillery kept its cocktail community engaged in the meantime through a preliminary Iron Shaker round in May 2025 at First Street Napa, where ticket-holding audience members sampled competing drinks and voted on mystery ingredients ahead of the finals.
What's Next for the Rebuilt Distillery
Beyond the trophy ceremony, this week's event featured Tamayodj, the Tacos de Gallo food truck, and Gavin's Photo Booth, giving the gathering the feel of a neighborhood block party as much as a cocktail contest. Napa Valley Distillery plans to reopen fully in mid-September, initially focusing on production, interactive educational tours and tastings, craft cocktails, and small bites. The distillery also plans to relaunch a private collection tasting and a chocolate-paired tasting as part of its return.
The Stockton Street facility's rebirth follows a long history for the business. Arthur and Lusine Hartunian founded Napa Valley Distillery in 2009, making it the first distillery to operate within the city of Napa since the repeal of Prohibition in 1933, according to The Napa Wine Project. Their first product was a Meyer lemon liqueur made on the founders' kitchen counter, which required hand-peeling 3,000 organic lemons with help from their three children, as detailed by DoNapa. A 2015 expansion at the Stockton Street site added custom-manufactured, direct-fire Charentais copper pot stills modeled after traditional French cognac stills.
Hartunian's influence has also shaped state law governing craft spirits. In 2013, while serving as president of the California Artisanal Distillers Guild, he helped advocate for Assembly Bill 933, which allowed California craft distillers to charge fees for tasting samples for the first time, per Park Street. California's Craft Distillers Act, known as AB 1295, took effect in 2016 and created a dedicated craft distiller license allowing small producers to run on-site dining, host private events, and sell up to 2.25 liters of spirits directly to consumers each day, according to the California Legislative Information record of the bill. That legal framework is what allows the distillery to run its tasting rooms and cocktail lounges today, including The ArBARetum on First Street and a craft bitters tasting bar at Oxbow Public Market, venues that helped keep the brand visible in downtown Napa while its flagship home was rebuilt.
