Distillers from around the country set up tables Saturday and Sunday at the Bossanova Ballroom (722 E Burnside), this year’s venue for the 5th Annual Great American Distillers Festival. From the tables they offered samples of spirits and schwag in the form of buttons, stickers, and brochures.
Heather, Diane, and I made it to the festival Sunday afternoon. We sampled local Integrity Spirit‘s Trillium Absinthe and Pacifique Absinthe from Pacific Distillery in Woodinville, Washington. Though I enjoyed them both, Pacifique’s smooth, slightly coriander-sweet floral concoction beats Trillium, which tastes and smells predominantly of anise and alcohol.
Four LOFT liqueurs made their way into our tasting thimbles. My favorites, just like last fall, were spicy ginger and tangerine. Lemon grass was nice, but lavender is just sweet and only vaguely floral – not even aromatic enough to complain it tastes like soap.
We tried a sample of New Deal‘s just recently OLCC approved Mud Puddle Chocolate Vodka. Imagine straight, unsweetened vodka with a cocoa aftertaste. Very nice!
One of my favorite spirits is Clear Creek Distillery‘s pear brandy. Clear Creek did not participate this year, but Brandy Peak, out of Brookings, brought a tasty, though not quite as refined, bartlett pear brandy.
Bend Distillery‘s Cofia Hazelnut Espresso Vodka would have been great on top of ice cream. The Mazama Infused Pepper Vodka tastes like concentrated fresh pepper flavor – odd, but tasty.
Out of Ashland, Organic Nation, brought a complex/confusing gin unlike any gin I’ve tried before. I kinda liked it. Cucumber and a hodgepodge of interesting spices.
Alas, I couldn’t bring myself to try the Bakon Vodka, blech, but they had the niftiest schwag: bacon buttons!
Visit Cocktalia for another account of the festival, including news on the cocktail competitions that took place over the weekend too (and which I missed in my short visit): Great American Distillers Festival 2009
You should make it a point to visit the tasting room for House Spirits. I still say that their Krogstad aquavit is Portland’s finest distilled spirit, and their aged “gammal” aquavit is quite an interesting evolutionary step. (You might also get to try some of their rarer stuff, like their “palinka” plum brandy, their shochu or maybe even their un-aged “white dog” rye.)
SauceSupreme – Thanks for the tip. House Spirits is one of the local micro-distillers I’ve missed up until now. Looks like they’re open 11am-4pm Monday through Saturday!
The Bakon Vodka was actually really good. I think there is a limited number of drinks you could use it in, but overall very tasty. Surprisingly though, its flavored, and not actually made from real bacon (something about the fat actually coating your mouth, which turned some people off) so they can also claim to be vegan.
One of the tastiest infused ones (or rather, most dangerous) was actually the cranberry vodka (it was from someone out of state). While obviously designed for sweeter drinks, it actually tasted ALOT like cranberry and REALLY hid the 80 proof alcohol (be that good or bad).
Gin’s were really good too, as there were a few that you’d taste that didn’t smell/taste like being in a juniper tree (lots of cucumber/other assorted botanticals being the dominant flavor)
Zaggy – We *did* try the cranberry vodka, now that I think of it. I didn’t see which distillery it came from. It was nice – I didn’t realize it was full strength vodka – dangerous!
Did you try the chamomile liqueur by J. Witty Spirits? That was my favorite spirit at the festival. I also really liked the NY- based whiskey. Tuthilltown, I think?
Wendy – Whiskeys aren’t my thing – they’re all a little rough for me. I did see the chamomile liqueur but didn’t try it – perhaps I should have!