Woodinville Whiskey Co. and Bainbridge Organic Distillers, two big names in the local distillery scene, took top honors at the prestigious San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
Woodinville Whiskey Co. won Double Gold for its popular Straight Bourbon Whiskey, which was made on the Eastside but aged for eight years at the Omlin Family Farm in Quincy, using corn, rye and barley from the farm.
Bainbridge Organic Distillers, as expected, also took Double Gold for its famed Yama Mizunara Cask Whiskey, along with two other products: Whiskeys Forty Saloon and Battle Point Barrel Proof.
Yama, arguably the most prized whiskey in the state, is made from barley grown in Walla Walla. It’s aged in Mizunara oak imported from the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido, which gives the juice its distinctive mango, star anise and sandalwood flavor profile that makes Yama a perennial winner at many whiskey competitions and a favorite of collectors.
Other Double Gold winners: Doc Swinson’s, which blends its products at its Ferndale facility, won for its Exploratory Cask Moscatel, Exploratory Cask French Toasted, Bottled in Bond Rye and Exploratory Cask Golden Hour. Rediviva Distilling in Washougal medaled for its Cherry Almond Liqueur.
Started in 2000, the San Francisco World Spirits is arguably the largest booze competition in North America, with up to 5,000 entries annually. The blind tasting was completed in late April, and winners were announced over the weekend.
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