DISTILLERY PROFILE
Woodinville
This distillery in Washington State was founded in 2010 by friends Orlin Sorensen and Brett Carlile, and mentored by US distilling royalty Dave Pickerell. SMWS ambassador Lee ‘Connas’ Conner continues his North American distilling deep dive with a look at Woodinville distillery and their meticulous approach to production
Ask any fledgeling distiller and they’ll tell you – you can’t just buy the kit and hope for the best. There’s also a huge amount of pressure, with guarantees of quality expected before the spirit so much as runs off the still.
At Woodinville distillery, best friends Orlin Sorensen and Brett Carlile started the process with one all-encompassing philosophy: “Make the greatest craft whiskey in the world.”
It’s a noble pursuit, no doubt – but as you’ll appreciate, this is a dream that is far from a “click of a finger” away. So, Orlin and Brett recognised that they needed some help.
LEARNING FROM THE BEST
The duo had three simple requirements for any potential partners they turned to. Rule one – no jerks; rule two – have a sound business plan; and rule three – be a learner. They found the ideal mentor in Dave Pickerell, a chemical engineer and former master distiller at Maker’s Mark who is considered something of a “founding father” of craft distilling in the United States.
Dave brought an unparalleled level of experience working for a bewildering expanse of distilleries during his career – and collaborating on innovative bottlings such as Metallica’s Blackened whiskey. Orlin and Brett brought Dave onboard to design and deliver exactly what Woodinville required. The whiskey legend brought all his skill and experience to Woodinville, and it was with great sadness that Orlin and Brett received news of his untimely death in 2018 at the age of 62.
ABOVE: Woodinville has won multiple awards for both its bourbons and ryes
BELOW: The distillery was founded by best friends Orlin Sorensen and Brett Carlile in Washington State in 2010
ATTENTION TO DETAILS
The distillery started out with a philosophy of precision, from the sourcing of their raw materials to distillation through to the bottling and maturation of their whiskey. It starts, naturally, with grain. In this case it comes from Arnie Omlin, a third-generation Washington farmer whose 800-acre family business was all but saved by securing Woodinville as a customer back in 2011.
Once they’ve milled the corn, rye or malted barley from the Omlin farm, they use a 1,320-gallon handmade pot still with a 16-plate bubble-cap ‘superaromator’ rectification column. At over 25 feet tall, it is designed to maximise the potential for a pure spirit. As if that wasn’t enough, they also incorporate two condensers for ultimate control of distillation.
Maturation takes place in their warehouses in the east of Washington State, to take advantage of the fluctuating weather conditions with the intention of achieving richness and complexity.
ENJOYING THE ACCOLADES
Woodinville’s resulting whiskey has spawned multiple awards, with an impressive and extensive list of accolades for both their bourbons and ryes, enough to turn the head of anyone with even a passing interest in the category – enough indeed to engage the interest of the world’s leading whisky club!
Distillery B8 has appeared three times so far from The Scotch Malt Whisky Society. Cask No. B8.1: The thriller from vanilla, Cask No. B8.2: Lakeside huts and hazelnuts, and Cask No. B8.3: Marshmallow moonboots have all been well received by members thus far. And trust us, there’s more where that came from!
Find out more about Woodinville distillery at woodinvillewhiskeyco.com/