House Spirits Distillery

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Group shot of House Spirits Distillery spirits

House Spirits Distillery is an American craft distiller based in Portland, Oregon. It was founded in Corvallis in 2004 and moved to Portland in 2005. [1] [2] Its production facility and tasting room is located on Portland's Distillery Row, in the Central Eastside Industrial District. [1] [3] The distillery's flagship brand is Aviation American Gin, which comprised 80% of its production in 2012, [2] [4] and around 40% in 2016, [5] after the company's move into a larger distillery facilitated a major expansion of production of its whiskey brand.

Contents

Production of Westward Oregon Straight Malt Whiskey, made from malted barley grown in the Pacific Northwest, [2] accounted for around 50% of the company's production in late 2016. [5] Other products include Krogstad Festlig aquavit and Volstead Vodka. [2] Small-batch artisanal liqueurs from House Spirits have included Japanese-style shōchū and coffee liqueur. [6]

In 2013, the company made plans to expand its distribution to 35 states in a deal with distributor Southern Wine & Spirits. [2] The same year, House Spirits opened a second tasting room at Portland International Airport. [7] Former NFL quarterback Joe Montana is an investor in the company. [2]

In November 2015, House Spirits opened a new, larger distillery in Portland's Central Eastside Industrial District. The $6 million, 14,000-square-foot (1,300 m2) facility, built almost entirely new, also included a tasting room. [8] At the time, House said the expansion would enable them to double their production of American Aviation Gin and increase their production of Westward Oregon Straight Malt Whiskey tenfold. [8]

In late 2016, the company sold its flagship brand, American Aviation Gin, to New York-based distributor Davos Brands, [9] but the company continues to be the gin's sole distiller. [10]

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 "House Spirits Distillery". Distillery Row PDX. Retrieved April 20, 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Culverwell, Wendy (March 8, 2013). "House Spirits' Gin Win". Portland Business Journal . Retrieved April 20, 2014.
  3. Culverwell, Wendy (May 25, 2012). "Portland's Growing Distillery Industry Provides Economic Boost". Portland Business Journal . Retrieved April 20, 2014.
  4. Cyd, Leela (July 18, 2012). "A Visit with Colin Howard of House Spirits Distillery in Portland, Oregon". The Kitchn . Retrieved April 20, 2014.
  5. 1 2 Korfhage, Matthew (November 17, 2016). "Portland's Aviation Gin Just Got Sold Off to New York—Here's Why". Willamette Week . Portland, Oregon. Retrieved 2018-03-06.
  6. Anderson, Heather Arndt (April 5, 2011). "Behind the Scenes at House Spirits Distillery". Serious Eats . Retrieved April 20, 2014.
  7. Gorder, Alisha (August 9, 2013). "Gorder House Spirits Lands at PDX Airport". Portland Monthly . Retrieved April 20, 2014.
  8. 1 2 Bakall, Samantha (November 18, 2015). "First look: House Spirits Distillery's new $6 million distillery and tasting room". The Oregonian . Retrieved 2018-03-06.
  9. Rogoway, Mike (November 17, 2016). "Portland-based House Spirits sells flagship Aviation gin to Davos Brands". The Oregonian . Retrieved 2018-03-06.
  10. Butler, Grant (February 27, 2018). "Actor Ryan Reynolds buys a stake in Portland-made Aviation Gin". The Oregonian . Retrieved 2018-03-06.