Food And Drink
Artisan Spirits in Portland, Oregon
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Thirsty (and industrious) Portlanders — inspired by their forerunners in the beer and wine scenes — are blazing another trail, making the city the center of a new artisan distillery movement.
Several of these new distillers started life as brewers and are applying the skills they developed in beer making — passion for quality, dedication to local ingredients and willingness to take risks — to crafting spirits. Other Portland distillers sprang from the local wine industry, recycling the grape material left over from winemaking into eau de vie or grappa. Still others became interested in traditional distilling techniques, and like Oregon’s early vintners, realized there was no reason that the world’s best couldn’t be produced here — in fact, the region’s natural bounty and entrepreneur-friendly atmosphere give Portland a distinct edge.
Since 2004, Portland has hosted the annual Great American Distillers’ Festival, the first gathering of its kind in America. Each fall, the festival features craft distillers offering pours of more than 40 spirits, a bartenders’ competition and seminars about distilling and appreciating spirits.
