Page 38 - Beverage MasterOct Nov 2020

Craft Distillery

orange peel. ished in casks that previously held spirits such as
Laphroaig Single Malt Scotch Whisky and Caol Ila
These botanicals are steeped in neutral grain spirit Single Malt Scotch Whisky.
for about 18 hours and then combined with water
and distilled in a steel still for about seven hours. Surveying Other Gins
The resulting product is 142 proof initial-ly but cut in the Pacific Northwest
to 84 proof for bottling.
In what appears to be a trend, Freeland Spirits in
The name Aviation came from the iconic Aviation Portland, Oregon, founder Jill Kuehler also be-gan
Cocktail created in the early twentieth centu-ry. distilling gin while waiting for their bourbon to
Their bottle design, Krogstad noted, is “almost rem- mature. Named in honor of Kuehler’s grandmother,
iniscent of the Chrysler building in New York City,” Meemaw Freeland, this women-owned distillery
and brings to mind the style of the TV series “Mad seeks to capture the flavor of Meemaw’s garden
Men,” circa 1960. gin. Kuehler’s team combines traditional heat distil-
lation with vacuum distil-lation to turn fresh Pacific
In 2016, owners Christian Krogstad, Thomas Northwest grains, ingredients such as cucumber,
Mooney and Ryan Magarian sold the Aviation rosemary and mint, as well as other dried botani-
brand to Davos and put their money and ener- cals, into the small-batch gin. They also produce an
gies toward expanding production of Westward award-winning canned gin and tonic cocktail, and
Whiskey. (Incidentally, Westward Whiskey is also Geneva, a spirit inspired by genever that showcases
partly owned by Diageo). Oregon-grown rye with savory botanicals.

Cask Finished Gin at Scratch Distillery in Edmonds, Washington, was
Copperworks Distilling Company born out of Kim Karrick’s passion for making

gin– from scratch–using locally sourced organic
Jason Parker, first head brewer at Pike Brewing ingredients. Scratch Gin is crafted from the dis-til-
Company and co-founder of Copperworks Dis-tilling lery’s organic, non-GMO, wheat-based vodka,
Company in Seattle, Washington, took a some- and vapor infused in the still using a gin basket.
what similar route to Krogstad when he founded Customers can choose from a barrel-finished, mar-
Copperworks in 2013 with fellow craft beer maker, tini-style or gin-and-tonic-style gin, depending on
Micah Nutt. They began distilling their small batch their taste preferences. Knowing that each person
gin so the proceeds could keep their business afloat has a unique palette, Karrick also developed the
until their American single malt whiskey matured GINiology program. Here, participants choose from
and could be marketed. Their gin is distilled from more than thirty different botanicals, spices and
a base of Washington-grown malted barley with a other flavors to create a personalized gin to take
balance of juniper and hints of coriander, citrus and home.
other exotic bo-tanicals.
AJ Temple of Temple Distilling Company in
They also began experimenting with cask finished Lynwood, Washington, distills his gin using a cus-
gins. Copperworks New Oak Cask Finished Gin is tom stainless steel and copper bain-marie style
finished for roughly three months in charred, new pot still. This double boiler heating method lends
American Oak barrels, the same barrels used to age an even and soft heat to the botanicals. Temple
Copperworks’ single malt whiskies. Distilling’s first and flagship spirit, Chapter One
London Dry Gin, was made to showcase a love for
Cask finishing brings forward floral, coriander and old world-style gins. Other offerings include Navy
cinnamon notes and softens the juniper. Also, the Strength gin, aged in once-used bourbon casks, and
presence of caramel and vanilla comes from the a limoncello. Since Temple discovered citrus oils
barrel. “The other spices really pop forward, and play better at higher strengths, they use fresh lime
you get this kind of burnt character to the orange. peel and dried grapefruit, as well as cassia bark for
It’s really delicious,” Parker said. added body, when making their Navy Strength gin.

This venture led to an experimental cask finished Rusty Caldwell, co-owner at 503 Distilling in
gin series that includes limited-edition gins fin- Oregon City, Oregon, views gin like a calling card.

36 October - November 2020 BEVERAGE MASTER

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