Ballast Point was also the first microdistillery in San Diego since Prohibition.
In 2008, Ballast Point Spirits was founded, with Old Grove Gin as its first product released. The Ballast Point Spirits family eventually included 14 spirits, as well as 2 cocktail mixers: Bloody Mary and Mai Tai.
The brewery was sold to Constellation Brands for $1 billion in 2015. Its distillery business was spun off to a new company, Cutwater Spirits, in 2017 and subsequently purchased by Anheuser-Busch in 2019. In December 2019, Chicago-based brewery Kings and Convicts announced it was buying Ballast Point from Constellation for undisclosed terms