The slight tulip shape of the traditional Glencairn glass is ideal for exploring and appreciating whiskey. Choose a clear vessel so you can observe the whiskey’s color and legs, which are the residual sugars running down the insides of the glass.

Swirl the glass gently and note the spirit’s viscosity and the legs left behind when you do so. Take some time to smell the whiskey.

Plan on exploring the whiskey for a few minutes, with at least three sips. And feel free to drink water between each. To start, take a small sip—and don’t judge the spirit by that first sip. You’ll need your palate to get accustomed to the alcohol’s heat on your tongue and taste buds. Then take another small sip. Move it around your mouth. Some people even “chew” their whiskey. Take a third sip. Name the flavors you sense; you can even record them.

To open up the whiskey, you can add some water after the first few sips. It’s like oxygenating wine; it will lower the proof and bring more nuanced flavors to the surface. However, adding too much water can over-dilute the spirit. Water is preferred over ice, which can blunt flavors once the whiskey is too cold.

Savor the experience, and remember that whiskey is always best enjoyed in the company of family and friends.

After the whiskey is distilled, it’s proofed to 55% alcohol by volume with purified Cascade Mountain water.

The barrel wood is seasoned for 18 months in open air, wind, rain, and snow before being coopered. We fill the barrels with new make whiskey at our processing and aging facility in Quincy, WA.

All our whiskey is aged for at least five years at our Central Washington private barrel houses. Hot summers and cold winters cause expansion and contraction in the barrels, forcing the whiskey deep into the wood, where it can steal coveted vanilla, butterscotch, and spice notes. This process repeats over five years so what emerges when it’s time to bottle is a whiskey of stunning complexity, character, and finesse.

It fluctuates through the year, but typically the Woodinville production crew bottles biweekly. After their five-year slumber, the barrels are decanted, filtered, chilled, proofed down (except for cask-strength runs), and filtered. Then the liquid is pumped to the bottling line, where the finished whiskey fills handsome rectangular bottles with cork tops and “Made in Washington” running down the sides.