There was a great article in the Portland Tribune about Distillery Row and this Friday’s TOAST event (The Oregon Artisan Spirits Tasting). Excerpts of the article are included below, and you can read the entire article at the link above.
Oregon distillers boost spirits
BY ANNE MARIE DISTEFANO
Appropriately enough, Portland’s Distillery Row doesn’t follow a straight line. It’s a zigzag tour from Stone Barn Brandy Works in the Brooklyn neighborhood down to House Spirits, Deco Distilling and New Deal Distillery in the lower Hawthorne area and Integrity Spirits near the Morrison Bridge. They are all open for tastings, at varying times, with the exception of the new Deco Distilling, whose tasting room will open soon. [Editor’s note: It’s now open on weekends!]
That’s just one cluster in a city and state where stills are popping up everywhere. The Oregon Distillers Guild has 23 members, and claims there are 31 independent distilleries in the state – at last count, that is. The number keeps going up.
It can be hard to keep track, which is where T.O.A.S.T. comes in.
T.O.A.S.T., or The Oregon Artisan Spirit Tasting, is a one-day tasting event in downtown Portland on April 8. It’s timed to coincide with the annual Craft Spirits Conference of the American Distilling Institute, which is being held in Portland for the first time this year.
Having the national distilling organization come to town is a big deal, explains Ryan Csanky, the executive director of the Oregon Distillers Guild. Portland distillers are in an “amazing position right now,” he says.
The conference has frequently been held in Kentucky, which clearly has us beat for volume of distilling and heritage. But Portland offers diversity, with vodkas, rums, whiskeys, gins and brandies all being made in the city. Portland also has bartenders dedicated to working with local ingredients. The Distillers Guild and the Oregon Bartenders Guild work hand-in-hand, and Bartenders Guild members will be mixing up cocktails at T.O.A.S.T.
If you can’t make it to T.O.A.S.T., you don’t have long to wait for the next party… sorry, I mean convention. Cocktail Camp, on Sunday, April 10, focuses on mixology and includes tastings of spirits, wine, beer, cocktails and punch. Seminars include one on the new trend for making cocktails with beer and one called “Yes, You Can Entertain!”
Final word of advice: when parking is limited and booze is involved, don’t drive. Take the bus.
