Washington has more craft spirit distilleries than any other state, and more to come

Before June 2008, there were no craft distilleries in Washington state. But once the flood gates were opened, thanks to a law change, the booze began to flow.

“Now we have more distilleries than any other state in the U.S., currently 110 distilled spirit plant licenses,” says Jason Parker, co-owner of Seattle’s Copperworks Distilling Company and president of the Washington Distillers Guild. “In Seattle we have 17, which is more than any other city. Twenty-seven in King County, which is more than any other county in the US. And the whole state is being covered now. Where ever farms are tend to be where distilleries open.”

Now, after two years of working on legislation, Parker has helped open up even more options for local distillers.

“Recently we got about five new privileges. The ability to sell at farmers markets. We don’t have the ability to sample yet but hopefully we can get that soon. The ability to add non-alcoholic mixers in the tasting room. The ability to do Internet sales and shipping; that was a huge one. Now what we can do is have a special release of a new product or an anniversary party at our distillery and invite the public in. And then finally the ability to sell gift cards.”

Down in Seattle’s SoDo neighborhood is Nathan Kaiser’s distillery, 2bar Spirits.

“I came from high tech, so from bits to booze and hopefully never back again,” Kaiser said. “I want to do this ’til I die, it’s that much fun.”

He makes vodka, moonshine and bourbon.

“The bourbon is the first all local, made in Seattle bourbon ever produced,” he said.

His bourbon is made in Seattle, but the heart of his operation is in Texas.

“The heritage behind the name 2bar, I’m very emotional about it, it’s a wonderful thing, comes from my family’s ranch in south Texas, the 2bar Ranch,” Kaiser said. “For five generations my family has worked the land. It’s still in the family, my grandfather, who I call granddaddy, still works it, was born on it. He never moonshined but previous generations did. As a good Lutheran man he was very adamant that he never, ever participated in anything that would be illegal. And then he’d wink at me.”

Kaiser says local distillers are getting creative, incorporating locally grown fruit and grains and bringing back old styles of booze that haven’t been made in years.

“There’s a cherry bounce out of Old Ballard Liquor Company. Sidetrack Distillery down near Enumclaw is making some amazing liqueurs from locally grown fruit, whether that’s blackberries or blueberries,” Kaiser said. “So it’s not going to be the Jim Beam, the Jack Daniels. It’s going to be amazing whiskeys made from different kinds of grain. Glass Distillery down in SoDo is making a vodka purely from grapes. I think people who may have not been cocktail people before are going to be really excited and really open to what’s coming up.”

Right now, 50-60 percent of the beer and wine sold in Washington state is made by local craft breweries and wineries. But local spirits, the new kid on the block, only makes up a half of a percent point. But Parker, who has brewed beer professionally in Seattle since 1989, knows it’s just a matter of time.

“In 1986 is when beer really first hit Washington state &#8212 craft beer with Redhook. Before that we had wine, about 10 years before. At first not many wineries, now we’re up to 792. Thirty years ago there were no craft brewers in Washington, now there’s 286. Now we’re up to 110 distilled spirit plants,” Parker said. “The same sort of hockey stick curve has been repeating itself for each of those three industries, where there are none and then suddenly the growth is phenomenal. What’s actually interesting is we’re on a steeper incline than beer or wine was, for distilled spirits.”

If you want to taste all these new and interesting spirits, you can sample from 40 local distilleries at an event called Proof that’s coming up in July.