8th Annual Great American Distillers Festival

Rain slapped the wet pavement of downtown Portland during a typically gray weekend in the Rose City. Fortunately, for about 1,000 admirers of fine liquor, the 8^th annual Great American Distillers Festival offered a warm refuge from the elements.

35 distillers came from all across the country (including one from Brazil) in order to showcase their hand-crafted liquors as well as mix and pour samples of their holiday cocktails. Within the mass of finely-tuned blends, designed to conjure nostalgic memories of fall, three particular distillers managed to marry a perfect combination of sweet and spicy essences that made their liquor come through smooth and warm. 

Louisville Distilling Co. poured a "Fallen Angel"; aptly named after their Angel's Envy Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey which was the base liquor for the drink. A combination of Ruby port, lemon juice, apple cinnamon fall syrup, aromatic bitters, and orange peel (flamed, of course) was one of the three mixology contest winners.

Sound Spirits of Seattle pulled out all the stops as well, inventing their very own "Self Starter". The cocktail is a mixture of their Ebb+Flow Gin, absinthe, Cocci Americano, and apricot brandy. The strong absinthe flavor didn't overpower, as it was only used to rinse the chilled coupe that the drink was mixed in. Sound Spirits is a landmark distiller in the Northwest as Seattle's first distillery since Prohibition. Their liquor has a lot to live up to and it does so with humility.

Portland's own Bull Run Distilling Co. poured the most talked-about cocktail (likely due to their use of pumpkin butter). The "Temperance Harvest" was a mixture of Bull Run's Temperance Trader Bourbon, pumpkin butter, fresh lemon juice, Angostura bitters, and dry hard cider. The drink was then finished with whipping cream, more bourbon, and a dash of allspice. It's no doubt that on a cold, rainy weekend, the most buttery drink got the most buzz.

Although the event provided liquor enthusiasts with a variety of spirits, many distillers focused on bringing character back to vodka, claiming that many large distilleries have saturated the vodka market with odorless and tasteless vodkas. Instead, distilleries like OYO (out of Ohio) and Dry Fly (of Eastern Washington) make their vodka from scratch and use locally sourced soft white wheat to produce a round, flavorful alcohol. By their careful distilling process, oily fusil alcohols are removed without sacrificing the integrity of the vodka. These legitimate vodkas instill a sense of place within the drinker distinctively reflective of their origins. Dry Fly won the World's Best Vodka in 2009 and was the first distillery in Washington State, essentially writing the laws for future Washington distilleries.

Portland's own distilleries had a strong presence at the event, their products standing out and their booths swarmed. But as seems to be the case with northwest micro distilleries, these crafters are still new to the market. According to the folks at Portland's New Deal Distillery, there was no micro distilling industry at all when they tried to get their start in 2001. New Deal paired up with other distillers in the area and formed Distillery Row, a community of practicing distillers in Southeast Portland who would break into the industry together through what could be called a distiller's incubator. Now, after 9 years, people are finally becoming aware of the movement as the industry matures. 

Rest assured, not only is the craft movement alive and thriving throughout the nation, it is hitting its stride in the Pacific Northwest. And although the competition is tough, distillers everywhere are looking to each other for inspiration in order to create better spirits across the country. MicroShiner will be eagerly awaiting next year's Great American Distiller's festival where liquor devotees can retreat from the omnipresent Northwestern drizzle and warm themselves from the inside out. 

words and photos by Robin Johnson