So, this just happened. Literally in the last handful of days. There is a lot more to it than meets the eye as we have been operating a quasi-covert operation over the past year that has now turned into a whole new thing. I am still attempting to figure out how to tell the story without a) taking up an insane amount of folks’ time or b) sound like a bloviating a-hole. So, while you all are sort of the first to know in a “general public” sense of the word you are also getting the unfiltered and unpolished version of things. So, here it goes.
As you know the wildfires of 2020 devastated the winery’s production capabilities. While it’s quite possible you picked up our little second label, Dollar Bills Only (and thank you if you did), a huge portion of our production was not fit for that or really any wine at all. For upwards of 9,000 gallons we turned to a completely different avenue that has led us on something of a journey both as a winery and for me as a person.
This gallonage of largely top tier Dundee Hills vineyards was distilled into brandy. Luckily the process of distillation removes the compounds that cause the off-flavors in wine. The brandy was completely clear of any such flavors and was quite beautifully textured with lightly sweet flavors. The question then became what to do with the 850 or so gallons of brandy that we now had on hand.
Fortunately, the northern Willamette Valley is not only a world class grape growing but a bread basket. With the country’s leading craft beer industry on its doorstep and a massive artisanal baking scene abounding in the region this area also is replete with an array of interesting and exquisitely grown grains. Specifically barley and rye.
Beginning in May of 2021 we started purchasing a variety of different barleys and ryes, having them malted and then distilling them individually. We then take the individual grain distillates and combine them with small amounts of our brandy to create, well, whiskey. Or, should I say, whiskeys. Currently we have 6 different barleys and a rye in barrel aging in a combination of re-purposed and charred French oak barrels and some Oregon oak barrels specifically made for whiskey aging.
The quality of these whiskeys is extremely high. Even at their youthful ages the richness, depth, texture, flavor and character of these whiskeys is evident. As they come to fruition over the months and years ahead I am convinced we will be able to put these next to any whiskey from anywhere in the world. And, because they will hail from Patty Green Whiskey Distillers there will be multiple bottlings that are about the grain from which the whiskey was born and derives its attributes from. Just as an example I can assure you that my personal favorite is going to be a stupendous bottling and the fact that it will bear the moniker Patty Green Whiskey Distillers Purple Karma Barley will not hurt.
Okay. Weirdly enough as cool as I think that all sounds (and really is) that’s a story that will unfold over time and, thus, it’s not really what I am here to talk with you about. It was just the setting of the stage.
I, along with my Associate Winemaker Matty Russell (who has been with the winery since 2007) and a woman named Lynsee Sardell, have purchased, as of today, a small, currently operating Oregon distillery. This distillery is the place where we have been contracting to produce the whiskey that we are making for PGC. The woman going in with us, Lynsee, has done all those distillations. She is amazing. I’ve told anyone who will listen that while I feel like I am pretty good at what I do, I feel she’s much better at what it is that she does. She is going to be famous some day. I know that with everything in me. And I am happy and proud to call her a friend and a business partner. She has her own small company as well called Big Wild Spirits (bigwildspirits.com if you’re so inclined) and she makes a Witches’ Gin that is a mind-expanding beverage.
We have excellent plans for cool shit but we can cross that bridge at some point. I feel I am correct in knowing that you carry spirits as well as wine. Think high end Oregon fruit Eau de Vies and maybe a high end brandy but along those lines for sure. I’ve even taken a stab at blueberry wine (I did grow up in Maine afterall) in conjunction with my girlfriend and Oregon winemaking legend Kelley Fox. We definitely have plans with the distillery to show off the non-grape bounty that Oregon has to offer in a variety of ways. This facet of the operation is our newly formed company and it is called Die The Wolf Distillery. Everything it produces will be handcrafted by us and distilled on site by Lynsee.
However, that’s some more back story. It’s great and I am excited and thrilled and eager to get going with all that. And we will…
So, the distillery we purchased, Dogwood Distillery (started in 2010), currently makes two (technically three but let’s go with two). You guessed it, it’s vodka and gin. Not original I know but that’s what distilleries largely do. They’re actually very decent (oooh, multiple distialltions and several passes through charcoal filtration and all) and honest products. The kicker here is the vodka, D.L. Franklin Vodka, retails for under $19 and the gin, Union Gin, for $24-$25. These are well-made and solid blue collar versions of vodka and gin. I think as time goes on we may refine them a bit or add something into the mix on the Dogwood side of things that complements these two items however we all like that they’re just really solid and very fairly priced white spirits. That they’re in OLCC store and at certain bars and restaurants already does not hurt the cause from a cash flow perspective. Getting them out there more and more will aid the cause of the production of what we see as an Oregon-focused artisanal distilling effort. And of course there is the ongoing Patty Green whiskey situation.
Anyway, that’s the story as it stands. There is going to be some crazy and amazing stuff that happens with this and at the very least it’s an entertaining thing. Clearly I needed more to do in my life!