Woodinville Whiskey Company

From the May/June 2011 issue of Northwest Palate

With large-scale gleaming copper and German-made stills (including, as their website says, “two dephlegmators for amplified rectification”), seductive packaging and marketing, and the assistance of a Kentucky distilling master, the recently opened Woodinville Whiskey Company is an impressive new presence in the Northwest distilling scene.

Founded by Woodinville-area residents Orlin Sorensen and Brett Carlile, the distillery focuses on small-batch production using organic grains grown in Washington, and is guided in their distilling by David Pickerell, former master distiller of Maker’s Mark. As is typical for any new distillery, the first products are white (unaged) spirits. Their Peabody Jones Vodka is made from all-organic Washington soft winter wheat, while the Headlong White Dog Whiskey is a bourbon-style whiskey made from corn, wheat, and malted barley.

The distillery is currently ageing whiskeys for future release, but are also offering an Age Your Own Whiskey Kit consisting of two bottles of 110-proof unaged whiskey, a two-liter ageing barrel, pouring funnel, tasting glasses, and step-by-step instructions.

With an enthusiastic style and an appreciation for both quality of product and message, Woodinville Whiskey Company makes for an intriguing new destination amidst the wine-centric tasting rooms of this Seattle suburb.

www.woodinvillewhiskeycompany.com

—Cole Danehower

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