Art Chowder January | February 2022 Issue 37 | Page 42

Grain to Glass at BENDISTILLERY
Portland ’ s Distillery Row were essential to gaining new customers ( the tasting rooms are shuttered for pandemic concerns .) Ly said few people are familiar with Vinn ’ s rare spirits , and their retail partners are keeping them afloat .
In a nod to the future , their father named the company “ Vinn ” for the middle name shared by all five of the Ly children .
Baijiu as a spirit traditionally includes sorghum , a grain that when distilled yields high proof ( 50-60 percent ABV ) spirit and a taste unfamiliar to Western palates (“ Is that alcoholic soy sauce ?”)
However , Michelle ’ s family makes their version completely with rice , the only version so produced in the U . S . The spirit takes on a silky , sake-esque texture and it works everywhere that vodka would be used . The difference is in the texture — no matter the proof — but the version they make comes in at 80 proof to fit the American palate .
Opportunities for craft distillers have broadened and Michelle says the Vinn tasting rooms at the distillery and on
Even if Chinese New Year were not upon us ( February 2 , 2022 ) Vinn Distilling ’ s Baijiu is a versatile and complementary addition to any liquor cabinet or back bar . Grab a bottle to explore the creativity and culture that is embodied in this unique liquor . Vinn Baijiu is available at many Northwest liquor stores and with this locator map : www . vinndistillery . com / locations / liquor

Grain to Glass at BENDISTILLERY

Bend , Oregon
www . bendistillery . com
Down the road in Oregon on a rural 24-acre farm , America ’ s most awarded craft distillery has made a home to grow everything from beets to ginger , potatoes to apples to inform the intensity and flavor of their Crater Lake Spirits .
Since 1996 , starting with a line of vodkas and gins , Bendistillery has made craft spirits under the Crater Lake Spirits label . Within five years , they expanded to whiskies and flavor-infused vodkas including versions with huckleberry , sweet pepper or ginger . Between the awards and the innovation , this craft distiller has helped expand the Pacific Northwest beverage movement that has taken hold over the last couple decades .
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