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OREGON HOME TO NATION’S FIRST ARTISAN DISTILLERS GUILD
Portland Development Commission and Travel Oregon provide
marketing support for fledgling organization
PORTLAND, Ore. (August 20, 2008) - Oregon, a state that is well known for its wines and craft beers, is now emerging as the leader in micro-distilled spirits. With 20 distilleries located throughout the state, Oregon is home to more craft distillers per capita than any other state in the country. To help support and grow the burgeoning industry, the Oregon Distillers Guild, the first of its kind in the country, was founded in the spring of this year.
"With more craft distillers coming on line each year, we are now in need of some structure and organization in order to promote and guide this young but rapidly growing industry," said Mike Sherwood, vice president of the Oregon Distillers Guild and owner of Sub Rosa Spirits. "What the Oregon Brewers Guild has been able to do to focus national recognition on the state’s craft brewing industry, is exactly what we want to replicate for the distilled spirits industry." Sherwood was the founding executive director of the Oregon Brewers Guild, which is now the largest craft brewers’ guild in the country.
Oregon’s emergence as the center of the craft distilling industry is a natural extension of the state’s beer brewing and wine making industries, both of which have matured into high value-added sectors in the local and state economy. Recent economic studies indicate that Oregon’s wine industry contributes more than $1.4 billion to the state economy while brewing has an economic impact of $2.2 billion.
The increasing popularity of cocktails has spawned everything from flavored vodkas, to gins with botanicals such as lavender and cucumber, and even the once forbidden absinthe. The newly formed guild currently has 17 members with a significant cluster located in the Portland metropolitan area. These include:
- Artisan Spirits, makers of honey-based and wine-based vodkas;
- Clear Creek Distillery, makers of eau de vie, grappa, single malt whiskey, and fruit liqueurs;
- Highball Distillery, makers of organic vodka;
- House of Spirits, makers of gin, vodka and aquavit;
- Indio Spirits, makers of flavored vodka, whiskey and gin;
- Integrity Spirits, makers of a flavored vodka, gin and absinthe;
- McMenamins Edgefield Distillery, makers of whiskey, brandy, gin and coffee liqueur;
- New Deal Distillery, makers of flavored vodka and flavored lemoncello;
- Rogue Distillery, makers of rum, gin and whiskey; and
- Sub Rosa Spirits, makers of intensely flavored culinary-inspired vodkas.
In addition to the cluster of distilleries located in Portland, artisan distillers are located throughout the entire state including:
- Bendistillery, makers of flavored vodkas and gin, located in the central Oregon city of Bend;
- Brandy Peak Distillery, makers of brandies, grappa and liqueur, located in Brookings on the southern Oregon coast;
- Cascade Peak Spirits, makers of organic vodka, located in the southern Oregon town of Ashland;
- Dolmen Distillery, makers of distilled mead, located in McMinnville just west of Portland;
- Hood River Distillery, makers of a wide variety of spirits including whiskey, vodka and rum, located in Hood River on the Columbia River Gorge just east of Portland;
- Liquid Vodka located in Warren in northwest Oregon; and
- Ransom Spirits, makers of grappa and malt-based gin, located in McMinnville.
The Portland Development Commission (PDC) recently provided $5,000 in seed money to the guild for development of marketing materials such as a Web site and point-of-purchase displays and liquor store shelf tags to identify that the products are made in Oregon.
"PDC’s support of the artisan distilling industry is consistent with the agency’s commitment to small business development within the specialty foods cluster," said PDC Economic Development Director Erin Flynn. "It aligns with regional and state goals to promote Portland, and Oregon, as smart places to do business."
Additionally, guild members will be participating in the annual statewide Oregon Bounty promotion that celebrates the state's culinary abundance. This year, Oregon Bounty and the Oregon Distillers Guild are sponsoring a series of open houses, public tastings and spirit dinners along with a statewide cocktail competition. The Oregon Bounty promotion is held throughout the state in October and November and is produced by the Oregon Tourism Commission with the goal of encouraging economic growth and enhancing the quality of life in Oregon through a strengthened economic impact of tourism statewide.
"Winemakers, brewers, distillers and restaurateurs are fortunate to have a population in Oregon that is eager to try new products and take a fresh look at unconventional pairings," said Sherwood. "It's a great environment to experiment in. We've found Oregon to be an ideal place to start and grow our businesses before we introduce our product to the world market."
