Interesting stories of the adventures of craft whiskey distillers come from all corners these days, sometimes in the more out of the way places. It is on an island in Washington State I learned of Keith Barnes and his Bainbridge Organic Distillers, the only certified organic grain-to-glass distiller in that state. Founded in 2009, Barnes, a Seattle native, is unabashedly proud of the ship he captains: they do just about everything except grow their grains (which are all locally and carefully sourced to maintain the strict organic certification from the Washington State Department of Agriculture).
Yama Mizunara oak aged whiskey
With this in mind, Bainbridge is undertaking a rather unique project which we’ve written about previously. Barnes and the Bainbridge crew are set to release their much anticipated Yama whiskey, an homage to the Yama village of Bainbridge Island founded in 1883 by Japanese immigrants seeking new opportunities in America. It is the first-ever non-Japanese whiskey to be aged exclusively in hand-crafted barrels made from rare Mizunara oak harvested from the Japanese island of Hokkaido.
Typically, only the major Japanese distillers have access to the standing timber, therefore Barnes had quite an exercise in patience when it came to sourcing the virgin Mizunara oak that would become his barrels. The wood was purchased as lumber (selected specifically for cooperage purposes) and quarter sawn for barrel staves in Japan, then air-dry aged for three years. After that, the lumber was shipped to a family owned barrel maker in Arkansas for assembly into 10 and 15 gallon barrels.
What Will Whisky Look Like in 2027? Voices from Whisky Live Paris
READ THE STORYThe spirit was made with Scottish yeast and 100% organic Alba and Full Pint barley grown locally in the Skagit Valley in Washington. After fermentation, the mash is double-distilled (diluted to 126.5 proof before introduction into the casks). I had the pleasure of sampling the spirit before it was ready, and it already possessed some of the most unique and sophisticated flavors I’ve experienced. Expect the distinct coconut aroma that virgin Mizunara barrels offer as well as a warm, but smooth oak finish from the rich copper spirit.
The Bainbridge way
As with Yama, Bainbridge is all about doing things in special ways. Take the organic whiskey push, for example One of the reasons it’s so much harder to produce an organic whiskey, Barnes explained, is because some of the old varieties of grain used in organic agriculture don’t have yields as high as their modern counterparts, and no modern technology is used to maintain or harvest the grain. All that extra labor translates to input costs two to three times higher than the cost of conventional grain.
Bainbridge tripled its overall whiskey production in 2015, but they have yet to keep up with demand. For Barnes, however, there is no compromising the integrity of the spirit. Distillers have a responsibility to scale their business accordingly. Barnes notes, “you can tell when they miss a head or a tail cut, or when they extend the cut to get more yield.” Barnes’ favorite whiskeys are those that have something unique to say: “you can tell when it tastes like something that was really cared for.”
Trending Content
If you happen to find yourself in Washington anytime soon, Bainbridge Organic Distillers is generally open to the public Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., from October to April; and seven days a week from May through September.
