In Graton, California, Redwood Empire Whiskey (grasp distiller Jeff Duckhorn pictured) is making distillate from 100% California-grown grain and experimenting with domestically coopered barrels for growing old.
When touring northern California, it’s not grain that involves thoughts, however grapes. A mere hour north of San Francisco lie Sonoma and Napa Counties—house to over 1,700 wineries and the crown jewel of American wine, Napa Valley. Whereas picturesque wineries and verdant vineyards are the primary draw, craft distillers have staked their declare in wine nation too, and are providing up one thing totally different for the wine-loving plenty.
Making your strategy to Sonoma, Napa, or past from San Francisco, the closest main transportation hub, just isn’t too tough—simply hop in a automobile and hit Freeway 101, wine nation’s foremost artery. In an hour’s time, you’ll end up surrounded by lush expanses of vineyards, and fast journeys off the freeway can even take you to plenty of distilleries. One of many first is Sonoma Distilling Co. in Rohnert Park, a small metropolis with redwoods, creeks, and distant mountain views situated on the doorstep of Sonoma County. The distillery is housed in a contemporary hangar-like constructing that appears nearly industrial, however the whiskeys are solely grain-to-glass. A lot of the grain is sourced from California (Canadian and Midwestern grain is included to fill out wants), however all distillation, growing old, and bottling takes place on-site.
Sonoma Distilling was based in 2010. Rye was as soon as on the forefront, however nowadays the distillery’s Sonoma County bourbon is the star. It’s not the one standard bourbon made right here: Sonoma additionally gives a cherrywood-smoked bourbon, made utilizing an on-site smoker. Rye nonetheless performs a distinguished position, however in smaller, extra experimental methods, together with an annual launch that’s infused with Perigord truffles from France. Moreover, there’s a cherrywood-smoked rye on the roster.
In close by Sonoma correct, Prohibition Spirits has distilled whiskey within the metropolis’s industrial space since 2012. Right here, wine nation performed a direct affect on homeowners Fred and Amy Groth’s want to make whiskey. “We had been making an attempt to determine how one can make a wine country-influenced whiskey, contemplating that every one whiskeys, to me, begin out the identical,” says Fred. “Eighty % of the flavour is de facto coming from the barrel. So if we will affect that barrel, and growing old, then we will give you one thing that’s distinctive and consultant of Sonoma and wine nation—a real crossover hybrid.” Whereas Prohibition Spirits does distill a portion of its whiskey, Fred notes that he considers the distillery extra of a negociant, working with native distilleries and shopping for their whiskeys to spherical out their very own model: Hooker’s Home whiskeys.
Named after Normal Joseph Hooker (a Civil Struggle-era Sonoma legend), the core lineup features a straight bourbon completed in pinot noir barrels from Schug Vineyard, straight rye completed in zinfandel barrels from Gundlach-Bundshu Vineyard, and a bitter mash whiskey completed in wine barrels. Amy notes that there are different occasional one-off releases, because the distillery is continually experimenting. This yr, for example, they’ve been working with smoke—utilizing vacuum extraction to drag smoke by means of whiskey and brandy, and bringing peat in from Scotland.
Proceed north on Freeway 101 and also you’ll discover extra distilleries, some surrounded—fairly actually—by vineyards and vineyard tasting rooms on all sides. Not far exterior Santa Rosa is Sebastopol, house to many wineries, amongst them Kosta Browne, Clifton Household, Dunah, and Pax Wines—and that’s simply the tip of the iceberg. Nestled amongst them is Spirit Works, situated in an upscale procuring heart that was as soon as an apple cannery. This distiller revels in its standing as an outlier in wine nation, noting that most individuals who search them out are true whiskey aficionados quite than informal wine vacationers. Spirit Works’s grain is especially sourced from California, particularly the Sacramento Valley. A small proportion of its rye is grown proper down the street, and used for the annual launch of its Gazelle rye label. Whereas domestically sourced grain contributes to the general profile of the whiskeys, the distillery’s proximity to the Pacific shoreline—about 15 miles away—and its temperate local weather are key influencers. The absence of main temperature swings, as seen in locations like Kentucky or Texas, lends a mellow side to the whiskey, and the ocean air contributes a refined impact, finally creating clean, smooth, and sippable whiskeys. Spirit Works’s star performer is its 4 Grain straight bourbon, which routinely sells out, although its wheat whiskey and cask power variants of its core vary additionally drum up loads of curiosity.
Husband and spouse crew Timo and Ashby Marshall of Sebastopol-based Spirit Works, whose star performer is its 4 Grain straight bourbon. (Photograph by David Fenton)
A number of miles up the street from Sebastopol is the city of Graton, the place vineyard tasting rooms and grapevines abound. Within the thick of all of it is Redwood Empire Distilling, which is situated inside a vineyard. “We make the most of a number of the identical sources, individuals, supplies, barrels, growing old regimens, all of that, as…we’ve numerous ties to the wine world,” says head distiller Lauren Patz. Redwood Empire Distilling at present makes use of sourced liquid, however the model is ramping up manufacturing of its own-make distillate, constructed from 100% California-grown grain. Lately, the Redwood Empire label has additionally experimented with domestically coopered barrels. “There are a number of nice cooperages on the wine aspect constructing stunning barrels for wineries, they usually’re beginning to adapt for the whiskey enterprise,” says grasp distiller Jeff Duckhorn. (Each the Patz and Duckhorn names will likely be recognizable to wine lovers—Lauren is a part of the famend household that co-founded Sonoma-based Patz & Corridor, whereas Jeff is a part of Napa Valley’s Duckhorn household.)
Out of round 5,000 barrels at present growing old on-site at Redwood Empire, 4,000 comprise house-made whiskey, although Duckhorn continues to buy whiskey from MGP and Bardstown Bourbon Co. to fulfill demand. Of the practically 35,000 instances Redwood Empire sells yearly, 20,000 are house-made whiskey—the rest are sourced. A second nonetheless has been bought to spice up manufacturing, and the crew is in search of a brand new facility close by to assist additional development.
Amongst Redwood Empire’s whiskeys are two newly launched bottled in bond expressions, Grizzly Beast bourbon and Rocket Prime rye, which will likely be launched yearly. These be a part of a core lineup that features Pipe Dream bourbon, Emerald Big rye, and Misplaced Monarch blended whiskey. For each Patz and Duckhorn, the distinctive proposition of California whiskey is its light taste profile, in addition to every distiller’s dedication to following their very own path. “California whiskey embraces this ‘go your personal approach’ method, and we see every distillery crafting their very own spirit in their very own particular approach,” says Patz. “We try this right here, by means of the addition of bought whiskey into our mix, and we put a number of effort into balancing the flavour profiles. The final growing old course of in California, too, lends itself to a softer, mellower taste profile, as we age for longer and below much less drastic temperature adjustments.”
At Prohibition Spirits in Sonoma, Amy Groth (pictured) and her husband Fred have been distilling whiskey since 2012.
Additional north and barely extra inland, in Healdsburg, Alley 6 Craft Distillery experiences extra dramatic temperature adjustments from evening to day and season to season, which finally means the whiskeys are bolder and take much less time to develop. “We don’t have hibernating alcohol that’s going to take 4 to 5 years to evolve,” says Alley 6 distiller Jason Jorgenson. “This implies we will fairly persistently have enjoyable with bizarre stuff we’re experimenting with.” Such experimental releases embrace a collection of whiskeys completed in seven totally different wine casks, a single malt, and a rum-cask completed whiskey. Whereas Jorgenson takes pleasure within the distillery’s experimental nature, rye is on the coronary heart of its manufacturing, and was the primary whiskey he ever made. “The rye is our flagship product, and it was the one whiskey we had created in our storage earlier than we truly began the distillery,” he says. Alley 6 rye accounts for almost all of manufacturing, and is likely one of the solely whiskeys out there exterior the distillery, along with the Alley 6 single malt.
One of many northernmost distilleries in California wine nation—and likewise the veteran of the group— is Charbay, situated in Ukiah, in Mendocino County and based in 1983. As with its fellow wine nation distilleries, Charbay’s locale is thought much less for distilling than winemaking, with some large-production wineries—like Frey, Bonterra, and Fife—inside metropolis limits. That makes Charbay’s calling card much more opposite, because the distillery makes a speciality of distilling beer. Considered one of its main releases, R5, is double-distilled from Sonoma County-based Bear Republic Brewery’s Racer 5 IPA, and is chock stuffed with intense hop taste. A newer launch is Doubled & Twisted, a mix of three whiskeys: a 4 yr previous from straight malt, an 8 yr previous from stout, and a 4 yr previous from pilsner. Grasp distiller Marko Karakasevic is eager on getting ultra-aged whiskeys out the door within the close to future. “The following small run we’ve is a whiskey from 2011, and that’ll come out later this yr,” he says. “It’s a freak of nature, and I don’t know if I’ll ever have the ability to duplicate it once more—we’ll solely have 200 bottles on the market.” As a result of its dimension (it’s the biggest distillery in Mendocino County, and one of many bigger distilleries in California wine nation total), Charbay can’t but have a tasting room, as California regulation doesn’t allow retail gross sales from distillers producing over 100,000 gallons of spirit annually, thus making a go to to the distillery considerably moot. That is in distinction to many different California distillers (not less than these talked about on this story, all of which have tasting rooms open to the general public).
Whereas Healdsburg’s Alley 6 Craft Distillery is extra experimental than a few of its friends, a flagship rye stays its main focus. (Photograph by Cynthia Glassell)
Should you’re leaving wine nation the identical approach you entered—from San Francisco—a fast detour on the way in which again down will take you to Mare Island, a small peninsula in Vallejo, 23 miles northeast of San Francisco. Mare Island is house to Savage & Cooke, the brainchild of famed California winemaker Dave Phinney, who’s behind family names like Orin Swift and The Prisoner. Since Savage & Cooke opened its doorways in 2018, it has relied completely on sourced whiskey—primarily aged bourbons from Kentucky, Indiana, and Tennessee. By subsequent yr, nonetheless, its own-make distillate will make its approach into bottles, particularly because it creeps up in age (the distillery’s oldest barrels at the moment are between 3 and 4 years previous). Among the many first bottlings to function Savage & Cooke’s personal distillate will likely be Second Look American whiskey and The Burning Chair bourbon.
The whiskey now growing old at Savage & Cooke is made primarily from grain grown lower than half-hour from Mare Island. For Phinney, California’s agricultural prowess is exactly what makes his whiskey so particular. “The truth that we’re in a position to get our grains from so near the distillery, and that our water is sourced from a tremendous spring in Alexander Valley, is what makes this space so nice for whiskey,” he says. “Ultimately, we’ll have a product that’s grown, made, and bottled on the supply. Even the barrels are made right here.” All Savage & Cooke’s whiskeys are completed in wine barrels from Phinney’s Napa Valley Cabernet tasks. Phinney has created a multidimensional expertise for his friends, providing excursions, specialised tastings, and a restaurant.
So, whereas wine might prime the agenda for many vacationers visiting California’s wine nation, take into account stopping at a distillery in your subsequent journey. You’ll uncover that the inventive California mindset extends far past wine, to distinctive whiskeys as effectively.
