After finding a downtown Bellingham location, we set about getting the federal, state and local permits, building out the space and finding the right equipment. Two long years later, in late 2013, we debuted our first spirit: a potato vodka made from Skagit Valley Yukon Gold potatoes.

We didn’t have an electric grinder then, and couldn’t afford one. So Matt connected a bicycle frame to Kelly’s old apple grinder and pedaled his way through more than 13,000 pounds of potatoes. The effort paid off with a Double Gold medal from the New York International Spirits Competition.

We’ve since retired the bicycle grinder (much to Matt’s relief), but you can still see it on the distillery tour.

Since then we’ve broadened our lineup, won national and international awards, moved into a beautiful new home, and enjoyed ourselves immensely along the way. We’re proud to count ourselves among Washington’s pioneering craft distilleries.