What Sets us Apart
- Strong PNW orientation – most ingredients sourced within 25 miles
- Grains are unmalted coming straight from the farmer
- Whiskeys are mashed, fermented, distilled, and aged on site – no sourced/MGP whiskey smoke & mirrors
- Open-air fermentation in traditional wooden washbacks and longer fermentations allow more unique flavors to develop
- Traditional 'on-grain' fermentation method where grains are carried through the entire process
- No added colors or chill filtering
Our Space
Located in a historic 18,000 square foot building in the heart of beautiful downtown Bellingham, WA featuring a large scale production facility, tasting room, restaurant & bar plus a ballroom event space and rooftop bar.
Tasting Room
Penny Farthing Bar & Restaurant
Immersive Tours
Our Story
Chuckanut Bay Distillery began in 2011, the brainchild of Matt Howell
and Kelly Andrews, longtime friends who share a passion for premium
distilled spirits and challenging projects.
After identifying a downtown Bellingham location, we set about obtaining the necessary federal, state, and local permits, building out the space, and procuring the necessary equipment. Two long years later, in late 2013, we debuted our first spirit, a potato vodka made from Skagit Valley grown Yukon Gold
potatoes.
We didn’t have an electric grinder at that time, nor could we afford
one. So Matt connected a bicycle frame to Kelly’s old apple grinder and proceeded to grind down over 13,000 pounds of potatoes. His pedaling efforts were rewarded 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 see it if you come take the distillery tour.
Since then, we’ve broadened our spirit selection, won national and
international awards, moved into a beautiful new space and enjoyed ourselves immensely throughout the process.
We’re proud to count
ourselves among the growing number of pioneering Washington craft distilleries.
