Be Still My Heart

Pacific Distillery and Soft Tail Spirits turn passion into powerful drinks

by AJ Rathbun

On December 5, 1933, the 21st Amendment was ratified, repealing the 18th Amendment, which had banned the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol used for drinking. The Nobel Experiment, or Prohibition (or just a really bad idea) ended on that beautiful day. Except in Washington State.

Okay, maybe it wasn’t just here. There were, and are, other states practicing various forms of prohibition, due to the 21st Amendment’s setting regulation control at the state level. While these prohibitive measures haven’t recently held the heels of the wine industry, they have kept spirits distilleries from becoming established. But on April 10, 2007, Dry Fly announced their intention to be Washington State’s first grain distillery since Prohibition. The Dry Fly folks imported a German still, partook in some serious study, and have since released gin and vodka and will soon release a whiskey. They did run into a snag early on though; due to the existing regulation, they weren’t allowed to sell their products on the premises or to give visitors samples. For most new to a small batch spirit (or wine), the ability to sample product while hearing about it from the creators is a delicious experience.

Dry Fly agreed with that spirited sentiment, and so they worked with their local Senator to introduce and back a new “craft-distillery” bill, which went into law on March 20, 2008. Since then, distilleries under this new designation can serve four 1/2-ounce samples and sell up to two liters of spirits a day to a single customer, much like a Washington winery. To fall under the craft-distiller label, a distillery can produce no more than 20,000 gallons of spirits a year, pays less licensing, and—this is key—half their raw materials must be grown in the state.

This new law was ideal for Dennis Robertson of Soft Tail spirits, the first craft distiller in Western Washington. His distilling desire started when he went to Italy looking for stone for his construction company. There, he was enchanted by the lovely little Italian grapperias, where one samples and buys local grappas. Made from grape skins left over in the wine-making process, for the uninitiated grappa can be daunting, as it has a bit of a harsh reputation. The first time I tried it, for example, I remember thinking it tasted like a near relative of gasoline. Being somewhat of an Italianophile, I tried it again the next time there, at a restaurant in Florence that had a five-page grappa menu. This was a better example of grappa: bold and with flavor in abundance.

When Dennis returned from Italy, he decided he wanted to set up a grapperia here—realizing that living within a wine-rich state made it a natural match. Dennis, like most of the distillers I’ve met, is driven not only to have a product, but to have a top notch product. With this in mind, he brought in a European grappa master as well as a family recipe from his co-owner and partnered with the DiStefano Winery next door to use their testing facility (called the Enolab) to ensure consistent quality and control. The attention to detail and artistry slides even into bottling, as the grappas are housed in tall, slender vessels adorned with luscious labels.

Soft Tail currently has three grappa varieties: Blanco, Gialo, and Reserve (or, white, yellow, and, well, reserve). All three are made from Merlot, Syrah and Cabernet grape pomace, with the Blanco, at 84 proof, delightfully mild around the edges and carrying a smidge of sweetness. The Giallo, also 84 proof, is stored in French oak for six months where it develops a signature yellow coloring and an almost whiskey smokiness, while the Reserve is bottled at 100 proof and contains a force of character that’s stronger and richer and more lingering on the tongue. Dennis plans to distill a vodka made from 51% Washington wheat, and a corn whiskey which will also be stored in oak. Because of those craft distillery laws, you can stop by Soft Tail’s tasting room to sample and purchase the grappas, but they aren’t yet available in local liquor stores. Dennis is going to present to the Washington State Liquor Board in August, though, so keep your glasses crossed.

On the other side of the current Washington-craft-and-not-distillery cork—but driven by the same heady and inspiring passion for delivering a delicious product—is Marc Bernhard from Pacific Distillery, the second licensed Washington distillery. His story traces back to when he was a boy and his father gave him a sip of a gin and tonic, un-tapping his partiality for gin. This mixes with a later fascination with a spirit once thought of as being from the wrong side of the tracks: absinthe. Marc had heard about absinthe, and researched it, but two things happened that turned interest into a more ardent pursuit. Absinthe became legal again in the United States (finally), and he tasted a 100-year old absinthe and found that most people’s absinthe love wasn’t driven by a desire to discover madness, but because absinthe, when made right, tastes divine.

Pacific Distillery’s Absinthe Pacifique, first distilled in late 2008, follows an 1855 French recipe that Marc tracked down and uses solely organically-grown botanicals (which flavor the absinthe), including two types of wormwood, Grande and Roman, grown in his own herb garden, which allows him to control the growth process, as the wormwood needs to get to a flowering state. Many modern absinthes utilize flavoring oils, and not actual herbs and pants, leading to a lesser absinthe—if it can be called absinthe at all.

Aiming for a true traditional Belle Époque style of absinthe demands not only attention to craft and specificity, but incredible attention to ingredients, which is why, though Marc grows what he can, he has to get fennel flown in from Florence, Italy, and has had to explore worldwide for other crucial products. In the same way, Pacific’s Voyager gin utilizes juniper berries from Eastern Europe, which deliver the smoothest and richest juniper flavor and aroma. Following along the absinthe’s strict commitment, Voyager gin is made in the same style as archetypal gins of 100 years ago (it took twenty-four test batches and a panel of spirit experts before discovering the delicate balance of juniper, florals, spice, and umph that it delivers today). It also uses completely organic botanicals.

The far-reaching ingredients lists have Pacific falling outside the “craft-distillery” designation, so you can’t stop by and taste or buy a bottle straight from the distillery or listen to Mark preach the organic-spirits mantras. You can buy it in Washington liquor stores, and many local bars are stocking and shaking up both products. That’s wonderful for us drinkers, because the gin works well both when mixed into drinks and also served solo, and the absinthe lingers in a lovely way when consumed in the classic manner (which isn’t lighting it on fire—please, please, unless you like destroying your drinks, don’t light it on fire, for me) at four or five to one, water to absinthe, dripping the water through a sugar cube first if sweetness makes your afternoon hum.

Though one carries a “craft-distillery” label and one doesn’t, both of these new Washington State distilleries share a dedicated enthusiasm for creating quality spirits made in a classic style, producing intriguing imbibables that we, as drinkers of all shapes and sizes, are lucky to have access to. While the current laws still echo prohibition, at least the spirit distillery doors are opening. So get out there and start sipping.

Try these wine cocktail recipes at home

Monkey Gland

Seemingly the final ingredient used by a witch doctor when making a potion to finally turn Tarzan into a full-fledged gorilla, or a black market commodity renowned for its ability to turn a lunkhead into a lothario, or the latest reduction aid for the haute-est of haute-cuisine sauces, the Monkey Gland is, instead, a first rate thirst-quencher.

Ice cubes
1-1/2 ounces Voyager gin
1 ounce freshly squeezed orange juice
1/2 ounce Absinthe Pacifique
1/4 ounce grenadine

1. Fill a cocktail shaker halfway full with ice cubes. Add the gin, orange juice, absinthe, and grenadine. Shake well.

2. Strain into a cocktail glass. When drinking, remember that zero monkeys were harmed during the making of this drink.

Recipe from Good Spirits: Recipes, Revelations, Refreshments, and Romance, Shaken and Served with a Twist by A.J. Rathbun, Harvard Common Press, 2007.

Basil Grappa

Most won’t jump right into the idea of infusing grappa, because most, or at least many, are a tad scared of the grappa. If you haven’t come around yet to enjoying grappa straight, this basil grappa may be right up your after-dinner drink alley, as it softens and familiarizes the drink.

Makes about 1-3/4 pints

1 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 cups grappa
1/2 cup simple syrup

1. Put the basil and lemon juice in a glass container with a tight-fitting lid. Using a muddler or wooden spoon muddle the basil leaves and the lemon juice.

2. Add the grappa, stir, and seal. Place the container in a cool dry place, away from the sun-light. Let sit for 1 week, swirling occasionally.

3. Add the simple syrup, stir, and reseal. Return to its spot. Let sit for 2 more weeks, swirling occasionally.

4. Strain the liqueur through a double layer of cheesecloth into a pitcher or other easy-pouring vessel. Strain again through 2 new layers of cheesecloth into 1 large bottle or a number of small bottles or jars.

A Serving Suggestion: Serve Basil Grappa chilled or at room temperature in small glasses; it’s especially good for alleviating that over-full feeling when you’ve had a couple bites too many.

Recipe from Luscious Liqueurs: 50 Recipes for Sublime and Spirited Infusions to Sip and Savor by A.J. Rathbun, Harvard Common Press, 2008.