Pacific Distillery LLC

Pacific Distillery strikes Gold and Double Gold!

2011-04-08T07:24:00.000-07:00

We are very please to announce that Pacific Distillery has struck Gold...Gold Medals that is, in this year's San Francisco International Spirits Competition. Voyager Gin was awarded a Double Gold Medal and Pacifique Absinthe was awarded a Gold medal. We are proud that Voyager Gin was one of only five Double Gold medals awarded. To win a Double Gold, all the judges must award the spirit entrant a Gold Medal. The San Francisco International Spirits Competition is considered the most authoritative and definitive spirits judging competiton in the world. Over 1100 products from 61 different countries were entered. Judging is based on a blind consensual procedure ensuring competitive integrity, making this the most reputable and recognized competition in the spirits industry. More information can be found here: http://www.sfspiritscomp.com/

Pacifique Absinthe makes Wine Enthusiast Magazine's "Top 50 Spirits of 2010" list.

2010-12-03T11:29:00.000-08:00

In the upcoming issue of Wine Enthusiast Magazine, Pacifique Absinthe has been chosen to be included in the "Top 50 Spirits of 2010." We can't begin to describe how we feel about this honor. It was less than two years ago that we distilled our first batch of Pacifique Absinthe and we couldn't be more proud. I encourage all of you to check out this link and perhaps pick up an issue of the magazine when it becomes available. The description of Pacifique Absinthe is thus:

91 Pacifique Absinthe Verte Supérieure
(Pacific Distillery LLC, Woodinville,
WA, U.S.); 62% abv, $64. Yellow-green color
and a pronounced citrus/lime and vegetal fennel
aroma. Viscous, thick mouthfeel and strong alcohol
sting prior to louching. Initially, this absinthe has a
tart flavor, although ice water coaxes out more
herbal and grassy notes and the lingering finish is
smoothed with a touch of anise sweetness.

http://www.winemag.com/Wine-Enthusiast-Magazine/December-15-2010/Top-50-Spirits-of-2010/

Pacific Distillery shakes things up at Italianissimo Restaurant this October 20th!

2010-10-16T08:37:00.000-07:00

Well, it's time to update this blog. We've been so busy with our herb harvest and ramping up production that this blog needs some shaking up. With that in mind, I'd like to let you all know about an event we are very excited about. We are teaming up with Italianissimo Restaurant in Woodinville for an event of note. Italianissimo will be featuring Voyager Gin and Pacifique Absinthe cocktails paired with some very exciting dishes all for only $15.00! All of us from Pacific Distillery will be there to meet Italianissimo's guests and chat about our spirits and food pairings. For further information or to make reservations go to:
http://www.italianissimoristorante.com/events/1020-pacific-distillery-shakes-up-or-muddles-wine-wednesday.html

Pacific Distillery on TV

2010-08-09T20:26:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone,
Pacifique Absinthe Voyager Gin will be on the TV! You can find them featured on "Hotmixology" which will be on the Fox Business Network beginning tonight. For 3 episodes over the next 3 weeks, Hotmixology will have some views of Pacific Distillery's products.
The times are all Pacific Standard Time (I guess you can add or subtract hours to find your local time zone).
Monday (tonight) 10:30PM
Tuesday 10:00PM
and Thursday 1:30AM (actually Friday morning).
And eventually those episodes will be on the Hotmixology website in the next few weeks.
www.hotmixology.com

Preservation Kitchen does it again...

2010-07-11T12:35:00.000-07:00

...having another Pacifique Absinthe event that is.
Since Preservation Kitchen sold out the last event and had to turn away many nice folks from this event, they have decided to hold another. The event will be held next Saturday, July 17th from 6:00PM to 8:00PM in their bar. It will feature 3 classic cocktails that feature absinthe along with 3 small plates, all for the incredible price of $18.00. Voyager Gin cocktails will be available also. It will be another great event and us folks from Pacific Distillery will be on hand to meet you and chat about our spirits.

www.preservationkitchen.com/events.html
In addition to the food and drink, Preservation Kitchen will be hosting an art show featuring the art group, "Artist with an Attitude."
http://www.painterswithissues.blogspot.com/

Cocktail Event at Frank's Oyster House & Champagne Parlour

2010-06-23T20:24:00.000-07:00

Well, it's happening again. Another fantastic food and cocktail event featuring Voyager Gin and Pacifique Absinthe. Your hosts are the fine folks at Frank's Oyster House & Champagne Parlour near the University District in Seattle. The event is this Saturday, June 26th at 3:00PM. This event will feature food pairings and classic cocktails that highlight Pacifique and Voyager. Us folks from Pacific Distillery will be on hand to meet and chat with all the guests.

For more information check out:

www.franksoysterhouse.com

Bottling Event

2010-06-23T20:08:00.001-07:00

I would like to thank the fine folks who joined us last Saturday as we bottled cases upon cases of Voyager Gin. It appears everyone had a great time, bottling was done in record time, and we all had some time to relax for lunch after all was said and done. I'm looking forward to the next time we can have some fine folks help us out. If any of you are interested, email us at the distillery and we'll put you on the list for an upcoming bottling session. For some perspective, take a look at blog by Dennis (one of our volunteers).
http://spectrumsurfaces.com/ontherocks/?p=671

Volunteers for a Voyager Gin bottling.

2010-06-01T19:42:00.000-07:00

We are going to be looking for a few volunteers at the distillery to help bottle some gin in about two to three weeks. I had a list of folks who wanted to help, but a recent computer crash lost all my prior contacts. The bottling will be on a Saturday in mid-June, and begins around 11:00AM and lasts about 2 or 3 hours. ...If you are interested, go to our website:
www.pacificdistillery.com
and go to the "Find Us-Follow Us" link to drop us an email.
Cheers,
Marc

Absinthe Party at Preservation Kitchen

2010-05-19T16:04:00.000-07:00

Hello!

Preservation Kitchen and Pacific Distillery are having an Absinthe Party featuring Pacifique Absinthe. The event is this Saturday, May 22nd, from 6PM to 8PM in the lounge/bar at Preservation Kitchen in Bothell, Washington. This event is only $12.00 and includes 3 cocktails featuring Pacifique Absinthe and 3 small plate food pairings. There will also be Voyager Gin for those folks interested.

For more information go to: www.preservationkitchen.com

Look in the "Events" tab.

I.A.C.P. (International Association of Culinary Professionals)

2010-04-24T17:43:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday I had the honor of being invited, along with Gwydion Stone/Absinthe Marteau, to showcase our absinthes at the I.A.C.P Conference 2010 in Portland, Oregon. The I.A.C.P. Conference provided an "Absinthe Salon" for attendees to sample traditionally distilled absinthe in the classic French manner. I had a great time being able to speak with so many culinary professionals and culinary writers. An opportunity was had for us to help dispell some myths regarding absinthe and inform the attendees as to what goes into making and how to enjoy a traditional, distilled absinthe (we also sneaked in some Voyager Gin to sample). From the many, many positive comments regarding Pacifique Absinthe and Voyager Gin, I was most gratified at how these culinary professionals appreciated Pacific Distillery's traditional approach to spirit making and our products.

Earth Day Event at the Columbia Tower Club

2010-04-20T07:04:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,
Just a word to invite everyone to the Earth Day celebration being held in the top-of-the-tower at the Columbia Tower Club in downtown Seattle. This fabulous event will be held on Thursday, April 22nd from 6:30PM to 9:30PM. Many vendors will be participating in this celebration of food and wine from many local producers include us, Pacific Distillery. You can find more information here:
http://www.clubcorp.com/club/scripts/calendar/view_club_calendarItem.asp?CID=757169&src=&GRP=10&NS=PCH&MFCODE=TOWCB
and here:
http://barbaraevans.wordpress.com/
We hope to see you there!

A brief follow up to this wonderful event. A wonderful time was had by all of us from Pacific Distillery who presented our products at the CTC Earth Day Event. We are looking forward to participating in the upcoming Bastille Day celebration with its focus on French cuisine and absinthe. Look to this blog and the CTC website for updates.

Voyager and Pacifique now available at Binny's in Chicago

2010-03-06T12:52:00.000-08:00

Great news for you folks in Chicago. Binny's is now carrying Voyager Gin and Pacifique Absinthe! Binny's also has an online order service for those of you folks not within the local area.
http://www.binnys.com/

Rawstock--Short Film Festival at the ACT Theatre, Seattle.

2010-03-02T15:50:00.000-08:00

A local medial production company called "Rawstock" is presenting a film festival featuring film shorts at Seattle's ACT Theatre.
Pacific Distillery is one of the sponsors:

http://www.rawstockmedia.com/

https://www.acttheatre.org/TicketsPlays/Play.aspx?prod=2965

Stevi Deter discovers another great drink using Voyager and Pacifique

2010-03-02T15:42:00.001-08:00

Stevi Deter, a local cocktailian and blogger of infinite grace, has come up with a great cocktail called the "Atlantic Cocktail" which features both Voyager and Pacifique. Check out her blog:
http://www.twoatthemost.com/mxmo-xlvi-absinthe-the-atlantic/comment-page-1/#comment-913

Absinthe Night School

2010-03-01T15:09:00.000-08:00

Monday, March 1, 2010
An Absinthe Soiree March 7th. Drinking Lesson number 14.

An Absinthe Soiree. Forget the Academy : The Green Goddess is better than the Red Carpet...

*With Robert Hess, Gwydion from Marteau Absinthe and *Marc from Pacifique Absinthe, and esteemed cocktail historian Paul Clarke. Held in the Fireside room - the more the merrier. This more casual drinking lesson is only $20 and includes absinthe tasting, history, tasty bites from the kitchen, and a bar selling several absinthe based cocktails. The evening will feature the sounds of French cabaret performers Nikki Dee & Bonnie Birch. Tickets here.
http://www.nightnightnight.com/2010/03/absinthe-soiree-march-7th-drinking.html

* they will show you how to drink copious amounts of the mythic spirit. It is in the ever luscious Fireside Room, there will be live cabaret music to get dizzy to...

Kathy Casey's Sips & Apps

2009-12-23T15:57:00.000-08:00

Here in Washington we are lucky to have one of the most vibrant and growing cocktail and culinary scenes in the nation. One person who is creating and taking that scene to the next level is Kathy Casey of Kathy Casey Food Studios and Dish D'Lish. As some of you may know, Kathy Casey was gracious enough to participate in our tasting panel when we were finalizing the recipe for Voyager Gin back in 2008. Her input and the input of other cocktail and culinary experts helped make Voyager a rising star in many local cocktail establishments. She also has recently published a wonderful book called "Sips & Apps" which features classic and contemporary cocktails and appetizers.
http://www.kathycasey.com/shop_cookbooks.html
We recently had an opportunity to see Kathy in action as she appeared on the "Kelly Moore Show-Moore to Life"
http://www.king5.com/on-tv/moore-to-life/Moore-To-Life-How-to-party-like-a-pro-69409727.html
In this episode, Kathy creates a cocktail featuring Voyager Gin called the "Sparkletini." To create the Sparkletini, Kathy infused the Voyager with a small sprig of Douglas fir to create this unique holiday cocktail.
Here's another take on Kathy's Sparkletini:
http://www.smallscreennetwork.com/video/368/inspired_sips_kathycasey_dougfir_640x360/
We would like to thank Kathy for being a friend of Pacific Distillery supporting our Voyager Gin and Pacifque Absinthe. We heartily encourage you to pick up a copy of Sips & Apps to help you with your holiday entertaining.

Our new marketing reach in the Seattle Weekly

2009-11-09T19:20:00.000-08:00

Well, we've done it. Pacific Distillery has purchased some advertising in the Seattle Weekly. It is our first real foray into advertising in a regional setting. The ads began to run last week and will continue through the New Year's edition. As some of you may remember, Seattle Weekly was the first media to write about our new distillery.

http://www.seattleweekly.com/

Drink Up New York (DUNY) has Pacifique and Voyager back in stock!

2009-11-08T07:12:00.000-08:00

Great News! After a long dry summer, Drink Up New York is getting its long-awaited supply of Pacifique Absinthe Verte and Voyager Dry Gin! They are taking orders now and will begin shipping on or around November 13, 2009. Remember, all orders over $99 will include free shipping.

www.drinkupny.com

Media and Press for our products

2009-10-20T17:47:00.000-07:00

I'll try from time-to-time to include little tidbits that give an accounting of Pacific Distillery and our products. Here's a few:

Imbibe Magazine gins things up:
http://www.imbibemagazine.com/Ginning-Things-Up
AJ Rathbun from Wino Magazine has a few words:
http://www.winomagazine.com/2009/08/be-still-my-heart/
The Absinthe Review Network has a current review of Pacifique:
http://www.absinthe-review.net/Pacifique_review.htm
The Cocktail Hacker reviews Voyager Gin:
http://cocktailhacker.com/?p=1175
Sated in Seattle give us their view of our distillery:
http://satedinseattle.wordpress.com/2009/02/12/pacific-distillery/
Alcohology gives us a gin lesson:
http://alcohology.wordpress.com/2009/01/18/new-american-gin/
Stevi Deter's blog teaches us the Gin-Gin Mule:
http://www.twoatthemost.com/voyager-gin-and-the-gin-gin-mule/
Paul Clarke give Voyager some love in a recent Serious Eats post:
http://www.seriouseats.com/2009/09/serious-cocktails-the-gin-boomlet.html

We'll try to bring you updates on a more regular basis...I promise.
Cheers!

Great American Distillers Festival

2009-10-14T18:52:00.000-07:00

For those of you in the Portland, Oregon area (or would like to visit), Pacific Distillery will be at the 5th annual Great American Distillers Festival on the 24th & 25th of October. We will be pouring samples of our Pacifique Absinthe and Voyager Dry Gin. The event will be held at the Bossanova Ballroom on E. Burnside St.
http://www.distillersfestival.com/index.html
In addition to over 20 distilleries offering their spirits for tasting, there will be a mixology competition sponsored by the Oregon and Washington Bartenders Guilds. Also featured will be an assortment of seminars, food & spirit pairings, and local distillery tours. Drop in for a visit, we would love to chat with you!

Teaming up with Tempus Fugit Spirits

2009-10-14T18:40:00.000-07:00

I know it's been a while since my last post. Things have been very busy for us here at the distillery. I am happy and proud to announce that Pacific Distillery has made an agreement with Tempus Fugit Spirits to be our USA representative for all states other than Washington. Many of you may know Tempus Fugit as the company that brings you excellent absinthes such as Duplais, Vieux Pontarlier, and Mansinthe to the USA market.

For further information, contact Tempus Fugit Spirits at:
www.tempusfugitspirits.com

Our first Distiller's Dinner at Prohibition Grille

2009-06-10T20:44:00.000-07:00

For those you folks who are local (or near local) we are pleased to announce the inaugural gourmet Pacific Distillery dinner with paired cocktails featuring Pacifique Absinthe Verte Superieure and Voyager Single-Batch Distilled Gin from Woodinville, WA. This event will be next Tuesday, June 16, 2009 starting at 6:00PM. For a mere $50 (five courses, premium cocktails, not including tax and gratuity) you will be able to enjoy the unique and adventurous collaboration of Chef Rocky of Prohibition Grille and Master Distiller Marc Bernhard. We will begin with a brief overview of the menu and then continue with insights into each course pairing, while also allowing for interaction with the guests as the evening progresses. The educational opportunity and gastronomic offerings will surely prove to be an experience to be treasured for years to come! Due to a limited number of available spaces, we encourage you to immediately call our gracious hosts:

PROHIBITION GRILLE
1414 Hewitt Ave.
Everett, WA 98201 RSVP @ 425.258.6100

http://www.prohibitiongrille.com/
As usual, any questions may be directed to us- we look forward to your response! Many thanks for your continued support

New York, New York...

2009-06-06T12:30:00.000-07:00

Last month we made a trip to the Big Apple, New York City for the roll-out of Pacifique Absinthe and Voyager Gin. While there we visited three premiere NYC liquor stores that are now carrying our gin and absinthe. We were well received by these fine establishments and wanted to update our friends of the availability of our spirits by these folks. All these liquor stores sell our products online (in case you live in a state where our liquors are not yet available). With no further ado, here are links to these fine liquor outlets:

DrinkupNY
http://www.drinkupny.com/

Astor Wine & Spirits
http://www.astorwines.com/

Beekman Liquors
http://www.beekmanliquors.com/

We will keep you posted as new stores come into carrying our products.

Also, we visited Pigalle, a fabulous French restaurant in the Theatre district. We had an opportunity to visit with Thibault, the restaurant's manager. Thibaud made our visit to Pigalle a truly special event. Pigalle was like a little bit of Paris in the heart of NYC. If you happen to be in NYC, we encourage you visit Pigalle and sip a glass of Pacifique.
http://www.pigallenyc.com/

...more good press for Pacifique Absinthe

2009-05-17T13:07:00.000-07:00

Recently last week some of the good folks at KOMO news (the local ABS television affiliate) dropped by to talk about our Pacifique Absinthe.
http://www.komonews.com/news/44950672.html

Good press for distilleries

2009-05-10T08:58:00.001-07:00

Just to share with the fine folks here. In today's Seattle Times business section, there is an article discussing the growth of distilleries here in my home state of Washington. The article prominently mentions our distillery, includes some photos of us, and a video of one of Seattle's top cocktail bars louching up a glass of Pacifique. Here is the link:http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2009201758_localliquor10.html

Voyager Single-Batch Distilled Gin on The Small Screen Network

2009-04-23T20:27:00.000-07:00

A good friend of the distillery, Robert "Drink Boy" Hess, is not only known for his wit and charm, he is also quite the cocktail guru. As many of you may know, Robert has created a special cocktail known as the "Clipper Ship" featuring, and based on, our gin and absinthe. He is also host of Small Screen Network's Internet-based show, "The Cocktail Spirit."
Robert recently produced an episode featuring Voyager Gin in an interesting new cocktail creation, "The Petruchio" from Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew.
Take a look:
http://www.smallscreennetwork.com/video/194/petrucio/#vcx_2sqngi0b4081
Cheers,
Marc

News...

2009-04-23T20:04:00.000-07:00

Wanted to let everyone know that we received word today that our Pacifique Absinthe has been selected for listing in Washington State Liquor Stores! Hopefully by the end of June, WSLCB-owned stores will be stocking our absinthe.
There are a select few liquor stores in that now have special ordered a limited stock of Pacifique Absinthe. They are:
#020 Woodinville , 425-483-2219
#078 Shoreline, 206-366-2634
#179 North Bend, 425-888-2624
#136 Ballard/Crown Hill, 206-545-6780
#028 Seattle, (12th & E. Pine), 206-720-3459
#046 Seattle, (6th & Lenora, for Bars/Restaurant only), 206-464-7841
#010 Vancouver, 360-750-4048
#077 Seattle, (Queen Anne) 206-298-4616
#101 Seattle, (4th Ave. S.) 206-587-5687
#062 Edmonds, 425-778-4001
#093 Kenmore, 425-486-0538
#118 Seattle, (Raineer Beach) 206-721-4175
#096 Seattle, (University Village) 206-545-6650
#092 Tacoma (Evergreen Plaza II, for Bars/Restaurants only) 253-471-4400
We anticipate this stock to run out before all the stores are supplied from our being listed, and from our experience with Voyager becoming listed, there will not be anymore special orders or re-stocking until the June time-frame.

Our Gin and Absinthe are now available at Drink Up New York!

2009-04-08T12:51:00.000-07:00

Our Voyager Gin and Pacifique Absinthe are now available for pre-sale at Drink Up New York. This is good news for those of you that don't have access a Washington State Liquor Store.
Drink Up New York (DUNY) is one of the premier online retailers for premium spirits and wines. Their main web address is:
www. drinkupny.com
The specific link for Voyager pre-sale is: http://www.drinkupny.com/Voyager_Gin_p/s0779.htm
The direct link for Pacifique pre-sale is: http://www.drinkupny.com/Pacifique_Absinthe_Verte_p/s0778.htm

Also, remember that orders over $99.99 at DUNY get free shipping!

Absinthe, part IV & Voyager update

2009-03-06T08:53:00.000-08:00

We have delivered more cases of absinthe to the WSLCB main warehouse. It will be going to the Woodinville store #20 and to the South Seattle Store #101. We anticipate it to arrive at the stores late next week. If you're interested contact the stores.
Woodinville #20, phone 425-483-2219
Seattle store #101, phone 206-587-5687

Also, as many of you know, our Voyager Single-Batch Distilled Gin is now a listed product for Washington State liquor stores. State-owned stores have been receiving their cases beginning this week. If the store that serves you is a contract liquor store, ask the owner/manager to stock our gin. The WSLCB ordering code is 32700.

Absinthe, part III

2009-02-18T11:19:00.000-08:00

We recently delivered some special order cases of our Pacifique Absinthe Verte. For those of you in the Seattle restaurant/bar trade, we delivered four cases that are destined for the "restaurant/bar" liquor store in downtown Seattle. If you have a favorite restaurant or bar in Seattle to drink an absinthe, let them know it is available from the 6th & Lenora store. We also delivered some for the Woodinville WSLCB store #20 for individual bottle sales. To see when they actually have the Pacifique in I would suggest you call them to save a trip. The Woodinville store's phone number is: 425-483-2219 and the Lenora store's phone is 206-464-7841. Also, any WSLCB store will special order you our Pacifique, but it is only in 6-pack cases at this time.

Bars featuring Voyager Gin

2009-01-25T11:37:00.001-08:00

I would like to update you fine folks who are following this blog and have been a source of support for us. Voyager Single-Batch Distilled Gin has been approved for listing with the Washington State Liquor Control Board (WSLCB) and should be showing up soon at a local WSLCB store within the next month or so. I would like to shout out to some of the local bars in the Seattle area that have stepped up to the plate and special-ordered Voyager for their establishments:

Andrew at Liberty Bar in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood. Liberty has the distinction of being the first establishment on the planet to feature Voyager Gin.

Murray and Kacy from Zig Zag in Seattle's Pike Place district. Murray told me that they went through 4 bottles of Voyager last Friday night!

Jim from Vessel in Seattle's Downtown district.

I would like to give a great "Thank you" to Robert Hess, who many of you know as DrinkBoy from www.drinkboy.com Robert has created a new classic cocktail we call the "Clipper Ship" featuring Voyager Gin. Here's a direct link to the cocktail:

http://www.drinkboy.com/Cocktails/Recipe.aspx?itemid=198

There are a few things that we will be sharing with all of you in the near future regarding the rollout of Voyager Gin and Pacifique Absinthe. Stay tuned!

Absinthe, part II

2009-01-05T15:46:00.000-08:00

Well, we have our absinthe label approved as of last month and have about 400 liters of still-strength spirit "resting" (the TTB doesn't allow us to call it aging) and have received our new absinthe labels. We have also made a few test bottlings to see how the new label looks. So far the absinthe tastes wonderful. We could not be happier with the results. We plan on doing another run of the absinthe and gin this upcoming weekend. Maggie Dutton of the Seattle Weekly came by last week to take a look at our distillery. Hopefully you'll be able to read something about Pacific Distillery in the near future. Also, there is a brief feature by Anna Roth concerning our distillery and Pacifique Absinthe in this month's Seattle Metropolitan magazine. Unfortunately they botched the picture by showing the bartender lighting absinthe on fire at the Polar Bar in downtown Seattle's Arctic Club Hotel. I need to pay those guys a visit and show them how to serve an absinthe.Oh well, at least my name was spelled correctly. Also, for you gin fans, Liberty Bar in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood now has our Voyager Single-Batch Distilled Gin in their bar!!! They are the first commercial bar in Washington to offer our gin to you fine folks. Zig-Zag near Seattle's Pike Place Market should soon have Voyager on their bar also. I strongly suggest you visit these fine establishments and order a Voyager Martini! We'll keep you posted as more bars pick up our fine spirits.

UPDATE! Maggie Dutton's article has just been published in the Seattle Weekly. Here's the link:

http://www.seattleweekly.com/2009-01-07/food/and-then-there-were-two/

Absinthe Pacifique

2008-12-05T11:19:00.000-08:00

Well, our Absinthe Pacifique has been in the tank for about a month now. We have almost 200 liters in the aging tank and we are planning on another 200 liter distillation in the next two weeks. For those of you who are interested, our Absinthe Pacifique has been made in exact accordance with an 1855 French recipe, using only organically-grown botanicals. Much of the Grande wormwood and Roman wormwood used was grown in our own herb garden. We hope to have our label approval within the next few weeks and to begin bottling.

WSBG Event

2008-11-11T09:53:00.000-08:00

We recently had the opportunity to meet with some of the best bartending professionals at the inaugural meeting of the Washington State Bartenders Guild held last Sunday in Seattle. It was a priveledge and an honor to meet so many persons dedicated to the furthering of cocktail culture here in Washington State. We also had a chance to discuss the marketing of our Voyager Single-Batch Distilled Gin with many of those in attendance. I would like to thank Andrew Friedman of Liberty Bar in Seattle, Zane and Anu for their hospitality, and for inviting Pacific Distillery to this important event. For further information regarding the guild go to: www.wsbg.org

Our first bottling of Voyager Gin

2008-10-19T10:32:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we bottled our first batch of Voyager Single-Batch Distilled Gin. In addition to our family helping out we had a few volunteers with the work. The first part of the process was to bring the still strength gin from 156 proof down to the drinking strength of 84 proof. This was done by blending in purified water and testing it for proof.

The next step was to fill the bottles. The newly proofed spirit is now pulled through via a sterile filter into the bottle filler. The picture below shows us filling a test bottle to insure accurate filling of the bottles.

The next step is to actually fill and hand cork the bottles.

The next part of the process is to apply our labels. Here you see my daughter Anastasia applying the labels.

The next step is to seal the bottles and place them into cases.

And here's the finished product. Feel free to go to your local liquor store and ask them to stock our fine Voyager Single-Batch Distilled Gin.

First Commercial Distillation

2008-10-04T07:53:00.000-07:00

Well, last Saturday, September 27, we completed our first run of Voyager Single-Batch Distilled Gin. The still worked marvelously with no flaws. It was a unique experience to taste the varied flavors as they came across. The flavor was nothing short of fantastic. We had a good number of visitors and neighboring area commercial vintners dropping by for a visit We now have about 20 cases worth of uncut gin in storage and plan to make another distillation run in the near future. For those of you in Washington State, please go to your local liquor store and ask the manager to consider stocking our fine gin. Feel free to print the label below to show the manager or your favorite local bar/restaurant that our product does exist, and is available soon. We will have it available for the WSLCB (Washington State Liquor Control Board) to special order it within the next two weeks. Unlike many other states, Washington does not give preference to in-state distillers, brewers, or vintners in bringing in their products to market in their state stores. It appears that we can't even attend a listing meeting until this January. On the other hand, states like Oregon have a much more progressive attitude in helping to promote locally made alcoholic beverages.

Our new label

2008-10-04T07:51:00.000-07:00

Here is a copy of our recently TTB approved gin label.

Voyager Single-Batch Distilled Gin

2008-09-17T10:26:00.000-07:00

With our Federal and Washington State licensing behind us we have turned our attention to getting TTB (Federal government) formula approval for our Voyager Gin and Pacifique Absinthe. I spoke to our formulation agent this morning and he states that our gin formula is in the final stage of approval and we should have our hard copy by the end of this week. If all goes well we plan on distilling our first batch of gin by the September 27th. The absinthe is going to take a little more work for the approval process. We plan on submitting our absinthe laboratory sample and formula to the TTB next week. Our original aim was to have our gin ready for market by the end of October, but it appears that we are probably looking more towards the end of November.

New happenings

2008-08-10T09:28:00.000-07:00

Well, we've been busy as of late harvesting the herbs for our absinthe from our family-operated herb garden. This weekend we've completed harvesting the common wormwood (Artemisia absinthium), the Roman wormwood (Artemisia pontica), and our hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis) which is in beautiful bloom. All the herbs are now hanging to dry and season. The wormwoods will hang for a year to be ready for next year's absinthe production, and the hyssop will be used for this year's production.

Federal Permitting

2008-07-30T12:19:00.000-07:00

Good news everyone, the TTB has just informed me that our federal "Distilled Spirits Plant" (DSP) has been approved and our permit has been mailed to us a couple of days ago. Next step is waiting for the State of Washington license.

Our still, some tanks, and our new bottle filler.

2008-07-24T21:13:00.000-07:00

Well the work keeps moving forward. We've recently taken delivery of our new bottle filling machine, had our State of Washington inspection, and our federal paperwork is in the final waiting stages. Here's a picture of how the distillery is shaping up. We've been in discussion with suppliers from bottle companies, label printers, and a whole lot more. We recently had the news team from NWCN (Northwest Cable News, a Washington, Oregon, and Idaho TV news organization) come by and feature us in one of their newscasts last week. Unfortunately they did not post the video of it on their website.

Thanks to all our volunteers.

2008-06-22T16:14:00.000-07:00

I must give a huge "Thank you" to my brother Paul. Paul has donated much of his time and talent in the past few weeks to help bring Pacific Distillery up to speed. His talents as a carpenter, plumber, and all-around worker have endeared him to the distillery. As of today we have added more water outlets, upgraded the electrical, installed our water filtration systems, and have made our upstairs herb storage/office area much more usable. We would also like to thank the volunteers who showed up to help us paint and make the place look more spiffy. A big thanks to Steve, Mike, Noel, and my bother-in-law Bruce. And a thanks to my Mom for the lunches and cleanup/organizing. You guys rock!

Alambic stills

2008-06-07T09:38:00.000-07:00

A couple of days ago we finished installing our new hand-made copper alambic (it's also called "alembic") in our distillery. Ours is a 500 liter alambic hand-crafted out of solid copper with brass fittings. Since all of our products will be single-batch, hand-made premium spirits, it only made sense for us to obtain an alambic still that was made with those goals in mind. We've been asked several times why we don't use one of those high-tech modern stills from Germany that look so nice and shiny with stainless steel tubes all over. We have several reasons. One is our approach to spirits making. We are committed to the methods of spirit-making as practised by the craft distilllers of the 19th Century. To this day, fine whiskeys, gins, cognacs and many other fine liquors are manufactured using the same methods, and often the exact same stills that have been in use for well over 100 years. Another reason for choosing a copper alambic is the chemical properties of copper during the process of distillation itself. Copper has excellent heat transfer capabilities, resistance to corrosion from wine being distilled into brandy, and copper helps strip out some of the unwanted flavors that can ruin a liquor. We hope to be able to show off our new copper alambic still to visitors in the near future.

Our new still

2008-05-27T19:42:00.000-07:00

Here's a picture of our new handmade, 500 liter copper alembic still. As I type this it is winging its way to our distillery. The still is manufactured by Destillarias Eau de Vie (copper-alembic.com) of Portugal. My thanks to David and Jose for sending me this picture.

This has nothing to do with the distillery...

2008-05-19T05:36:00.000-07:00

...but we wanted to share with all of you.
Our family went to the University District Street Fair yesterday (each year a springtime street fair is held in Seattle's University district). During our visit we went into "Gargoyle." Gargoyle is a shop that specializes in unique fantasy art and such. On display is a show featuring a selection of wonderful drawings and paintings from local Seattle artist Trinity Stone. There was a wonderful absinthe-themed portait based upn a famous Belle Epoque advertising print by Charles Maire. The show runs through this month and we encourage you to visit.

Dedication to quality

2008-05-17T17:16:00.000-07:00

Well, we've put the knowledge we've accumulated over the years of running our small family herb business to good use. We have begun sampling varieties of botanicals that we will be using in our artisan distilled gin and absinthe. Botanical samplings from around the world have been coming in, that's in addtion to what we've been growing ourselves in our own place. We strongly believe that to make world-class products, you must search the world for the best ingredients. The botanicals in our products will be not only some that we grow ourselves, but will include those from faraway places like Italy, France, Spain, Sri Lanka, Asia and North Africa. Our alcohol will be of the purest USP grade. It wouldn't make much sense to source the best botanicals when you're using inferior spirits now would it? We can't tell you how disappointing it is to sample a new spirit that you have been waiting for only to find that the makers have cut corners in materials to save a few bucks, or they haven't captured the essence of what the spirit should taste like, or the base alcohol isn't recitifed (pure) enough and muddles the flavor of the spirit. Clear, clean, and pure alcohol is essential to making gin and absinthe. We will always source the best materials for our spirits.
On the equipment front we have taken possession of our new mixing and storage vats, imported from Italy. We are still on track to have our still delivered by the first week of June. We've installed the sinks and water piping for the still condensor yesterday.

2008-04-23T18:23:00.001-07:00

Well, the paperwork for our surety bond to satisfy the TTB's requirements has just been completed and paid for. More equipment has been coming in. We've purchase a few more hydrometers, alcohol pumps, fire & safety equipment, scales, and more computer stuff. I'm beginning to feel like a kid at Christmas time! I'm about 1/3 of the way through with the paperwork for my TTB permitting. We're aiming for having our paperwork ready for submission on June 1, 2008.

We have a place!

2008-04-09T12:40:00.000-07:00

Our patience has paid off. We will soon be taking possession of our location to build our distillery! We will be in the heart of Woodinville's Wine Country near many of the fabulous wineries. We should be finalizing our lease this week, and taking over our new distillery home by the first of May, 2008. I hope to have some pictures up in the near future. We have also finalized the specifications for our new 500 liter traditional hand-made copper alembic, and will be making the formal order this week. We should have our new alembic still within the month.

I've been interviewed by the paper

2008-03-30T16:21:00.000-07:00

I was interviewed by the Everett Herald (of Washington State) reporter Sarah Jackson last Thursday regarding the passage of SB2959 into law here in Washington.
Here's the link:
http://heraldnet.com/article/20080330/NEWS01/331878595&news01ad=1#Hard.liquor.business.made.easier.in.Washington

2008-02-16T18:55:00.000-08:00

Well the equipment is starting to flow in. We have our copper alembic test distiller in house, all the laboratory equipment, and our IRS/TTB certified hydrometers and thermometer delivered. We are still on track to take possession of our facility (hopefully) on April 1st (I hope we can avoid the "April Fools" scenario).

Pacific Distillery welcome!

2008-02-07T19:03:00.000-08:00

Hello,
Welcome to the blog for Pacific Distillery LLC. We are in the process of opening our micro-distillery in Woodinville, Washington. We plan on making premium gin along with our flagship product, absinthe. We are currently in the process of working out the details of our lease and beginning the process of ordering our "major equipment" per the requirements of the US Government's Alcohol, Tobacco & Tax Trade Bureau. We hope to have our lease in place by the end of February, 2008. Stay tuned for more information. In the meantime, we have a splash page for our developing web site: http://www.pacificdistillery.com/
Thanks!