Bourbon Report: Dry Fly Releases First WA State Bourbon
Dry Fly Bourbon
Continuing to be a leader, Dry Fly Distilling, the first craft distiller in the state since prohibition, will be soon releasing the first bourbon produced in Washington State.
The bourbon, aged in American Oak for three years, is hyper-local--produced using ingredients from Washington state. When asked what differentiates their bourbon from others, owner and master distiller, Kent Fleishmann replied:
"As a true craft distillery, meaning unlike so many others, we make all our products from scratch. Bourbon requires 51% corn. As corn grows here, we knew we were able to utilize this grain and create something special. Ours has aged in full-size 53 gallon barrels for three years. Some may say that is too young, but as a small business we are anxious to get a rare product out to the market and at only three years we think its pretty tasty."
Composition of the 101-proof bourbon includes 60% corn, 20% malted barley and 20% malted wheat. According to the owners/distillers, flavor profiles include Madagascar vanilla and spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, caramel and dried orange peel.
They say, the bourbon reflects Dry Fly's farm-to-bottle philosophy by using only sustainable ingredients. This is integral to how Dry Fly operates and approaches making their spirits. "We truly believe that craft distilling is a responsibility. That to the community and our customers. Our farmers are our family too. Without them we would not be as good." says owner Fleishmann
This video explains much of the philosophy and principle behind Dry Fly:
Ok, we get that these factors are important. But what we want to know is how does the bourbon taste, and will we be sipping on a Manhattan mixed up with it? Fleishmann notes that "we have obviously set the bar pretty high. We have the big brands nervous. Ha Ha.... Ours is like no other.. we will stand up against anyone anytime.." Obviously that is a pretty strong endorsement, but til' we get our hot little hands on a bottle, we won't make any judgments in our camp.
Our first opportunity to find out is at their August 5, First Taste Bourbon Release party at the Mayflower Park Hotel. Outside of Spokane, this is the first time anyone will have a chance to taste the limited produced sauce. That would be 480 bottles to be exact. Ten bottles of Dry Fly Bourbon will be raffled off and a special bourbon package will be auctioned off to raise money for Ronald McDonald House of Spokane and Casting 4 A Cure. Your $75 ticket includes cocktails made with Dry Fly spirits and hors d'oeurvres. Reservations can be made by emailing dryfly@evadopr.com.
The second opportunity is a bit more attainable-- all it involves is lining up at the Interbay Liquor Store (1827 15th Ave W) on Saturday, August 6 at 10 a.m. This will be the only location in the state to carry a limited 240 bottles of the bourbon. The other 240 are allocated to be sold at the distillery in Spokane. We expect local bourbon and liquor enthusiasts will be camping early to get their hands on some. The owners and master distillers will also be at the store to sign bottles and raffle off a few Dry Fly related products.
Will we see more bourbon released from Dry Fly in the future? Fleishmann indicates yes, but hold tight for approximately two more years. What's next for Dry Fly? He notes, "We will continue to make spirits the right way. We have been working on a new whiskey made from a indigenous grain that no one has made whiskey from as yet. The test barrel samples were mind-blowing." In short, stay tuned.
Want to learn more about about the specifics behind bourbon? Sonja Groset has the scoop and the facts.
What do you say, readers? Who makes your favorite bourbon-based drink in town?
