In a region that has established a solid reputation for craft beer, local distilleries are working to elevate craft spirits to a greater height.

“We’re a destination,” said Matt Lessnau, who is head distiller at Long Beach-based Adrift Distillers. “Astoria is a destination, (the) Long Beach Peninsula is a destination and people want more than beer.”

David Kroening, president of Buoy Beer Co., which owns Pilot House Distilling, said, “People enjoy the camaraderie and community, being able to imbibe something made here in town by their neighbors and friends.”

Pilot House Distilling

After Larry and Christina Cary moved to Astoria, they noticed an absence of distilled spirits in town.

“Passion and learning turned into a distillery,” Christina Cary said. Pilot House made its first clear spirit, a vodka, more than 10 years ago.

Its next creation, Painted Lady Gin, has since become the company’s flagship. The botanical American-style gin layers a bouquet of chamomile, lavender, cinnamon and red peppercorns over a juniper base. Last year, Wine & Spirits Magazine awarded Painted Lady as its best domestic gin.

For Pilot House, with the years came aging spirits.

The highlight: Hell or High Water, a limited-edition, single-malt whiskey aged in American oak barrels — first in-house for over two years and finished for a year onboard commercial fishing boats, plying the Pacific Ocean waters between California and Alaska.

The churn of whiskey on the ocean in barrels, exposed to the elements, brings out the spirit’s complexity. “It’s literally — go out, slosh around, create some magic and come on back,” said Michael Cox, a tasting room associate.

Because each fishing trip varies in duration, route and weather conditions, each numbered and dated batch subtly differs in its profile.

One recent batch, No. 13, includes hints of baking spice, clove, and cinnamon, whereas a preceding batch brought out notes of ripe banana. The uniqueness and variation of ocean aging have turned the product into a collector’s item.

“The terroir is not as evident with spirits as with wine, but it still plays a part,” said Ben Thompson, a tasting room manager.

Ingredients, like barley, are grown in the Pacific Northwest, where a relatively steady climate aids the consistency of production. Then, there’s the ocean aging.

“Even if you can’t necessarily taste that terroir, you can feel it,” Thompson said.

Pilot House was acquired in 2019 by Buoy Beer Co. The move has helped expand the distillery’s capacity and distribution. The brewery ferments the mash foundation for the spirits, which are then distilled at the distillery’s Duane Street site.

A new, bigger still is projected to grow the operation eight-fold this year, according to Kroening.

The fusion also opened new taps to creativity and innovation. In addition to gins, agave spirits and whiskeys, the lineup includes infused vodkas, absinthe and canned cocktails.

In fact, Pilot House’s Astoria Mary was the first canned cocktail in Oregon.

Its introduction prompted a change in the state’s liquor law to allow the sale of canned cocktails. Since then, Astoria Mary has received industry recognition and, according to Cox, has developed somewhat of a cult following.

A tasting room fronts the Astoria distillery (another tasting room is located in Cannon Beach). All products are offered in sample sizes or as flights. A new addition of mini-cocktails allows for mixing at home.

“It’s a great spot to come in and try a couple of things,” Cox said.

Pacifick Distillers

On the Astoria Riverwalk at 4th Street stands an 1892 warehouse that is now the home of Pacifick Distillers. Its founder, Steve Fick, who is the owner of Fishhawk Fisheries, located behind the building, launched the distillery last year.

His grandparents told stories of a moonshine maker living on family property in Jewell during Prohibition. Nearly a century later, armed with friends’ encouragement and motivated by better using the building and offering his employees more stability, Fick dove into distilling.

After vodka and gin, both clear spirits that don’t require aging, the distillery recently added a whiskey to its fleet.

In bottles or flights, the distillery’s products are available at a tasting room and bar that gives a whiff of a speak-easy. Murals and paintings by local artists anchor the brick walls. Some of the decor creatively reuses parts of long-gone buildings, including wood from a defunct cannery and a stepping stone from an early Astoria post office.

Snacks like clam chowder, shrimp cocktails and shrimp or crab melts, made with the fishery’s produce, complement the offering.

“One of the opportunities in a business like this is to educate the public where their food comes from,” Fick said. “We’re celebrating the seafood that comes from our region.”

Many events are planned for the future, including a jazz brunch, spring salmon night and crab boil event, as well as partnerships with other citywide events like the FisherPoets Gathering and the Astoria Scandinavian Midsummer Festival.

“Those are things that really tie this type of business and that can actually help people understand their sustainable resources,” Fick said.

In its early days, Pacifick’s spirits are available in local liquor stores. The next step is to expand.

Adrift Distillers

On the Long Beach Peninsula, Adrift Distillers has been manufacturing spirits since 2017, remaining the first and only distillery in Pacific County.

Their inaugural product remains their flagship. Adrift’s cranberry liqueur was created with a local touch in mind. Cranberries for the burgundy-red spirit come from Starvation Alley Farms, with familial ties binding the two companies.

“It’s something really hyperlocal to the area and showcases what we can do here with the terroir of the region,” said Lessnau, who is also an Ilwaco city councilor.

Building on a positive initial reception, the distillery grew, adding a tasting room in 2018 and now offering a 12-strong lineup of liquors, including whiskeys, gins, vodka and aquavit.

Their products have garnered accolades and awards over the years, including a 2019 Sip Magazine double gold for their vodka. In addition to the tasting room headquarters, Adrift’s spirits and liquors are poured into several bars and restaurants on the peninsula.

The process takes place in a building located steps away from the expanse of one of the longest beaches in the nation. “We’re green to bottle,” Lessnau said. “We mill, mash, ferment and distill all on-site.”

Adrift’s focus this year is on expanding distribution to Oregon.

Collaborations

Regional distillers agree the adage “the more the merrier” clinks true. “It’s great to have variety,” Cary said. “It brings people to the area.”

The collaborative nature of their craft elevates the spirit of place. One of the vessels aging Pilot House’s whiskey this year is South Bay, whose owners operate the eponymous seafood restaurant, South Bay Wild Fish House, in Astoria. Local breweries have used spent barrels to age their beers.

In addition to using cranberries from a local farm, Adrift has partnered with Columbia River Coffee Roaster on a coffee liqueur and Obelisk Beer Co. on an aged Belgian Dubbel. The latter was also a collaboration with North Jetty Brewing, in Adrift’s whiskey casks, which they returned to finish a bourbon.

“Collaboration is how we can differentiate ourselves and have deeper ties to the region,” Lessnau said. “There’s a destination aspect to it. Why are you going to pick our stuff off the shelf? It’s because of that attachment that you have to the area, to the region and your experience here.”