Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/343292
Awards. "Battle Point whiskey was conceived to be enjoyed neat," Barnes adds, "but I have tasted some delicious cocktails made using Battle Point whiskey. Battle Point Whiskey was recently named "World's Best American Wheat Whiskey" by World Drinks Awards. For benchmarks, Barnes samples older spirits, even those made before Prohibition, then localized their recipes—for example, using soft wheat in Battle Point and Douglas fir as one of the botanicals in the Heritage gin. With its products currently marketed in Washington and California, Bainbridge has added new fermenters and a larger still to increase capacity. "But we don't want to move into any market that is the wrong one for our brand or one we can't fully support," Barnes says. "Our packaging is upscale and classic, and we've created a brand identity that we can grow into for the next ten years." fter almost 30 years in spirits marketing, Keith Barnes knew precisely the kinds of products he wanted to make when he established Bainbridge Organic Distillers in 2009 on an island in Washington State's Puget Sound. Barnes would first be true to the name, becoming Washington's first organic distiller. He would also produce small-batch, artisanal spirits made from grains grown on Washington farms, and would develop regionalized recipes. "We spent the first year fine-tuning," Barnes says, "working with yeasts and fermentation tests and methods of distillation." "The next thing we did was to make a whiskey," Barnes says, and for that he sought out soft white wheat from a family-run organic farm near Walla Walla in the state's vast eastern valleys. Barnes discovered a family cooperage near Hot Springs, Ark., and asked them to build Bainbridge's small, heavily charred ten-gallon barrels—used to age his Bainbridge Battle Point Organic Whiskey (43% abv). Bainbridge does not utilize added flavors or colors or perform chill filtration. While waiting for Battle Point to age for 24 months, Bainbridge released its first two products—Legacy Organic Vodka followed by the Heritage Organic Doug Fir Gin. Bainbridge Organic Vanilla vodka has just been released and is available in Washington state and California, and a barley whiskey is resting in small barrels for release, perhaps in two years, with an old-style bourbon whiskey in distillation trials. Bainbridge crafts its clear spirits for mixability, and has received accolades for excellence, winning a gold medal from BTI for its heritage gin and gold for "World's Best Vodka" from the UK-based World Drinks A Battle Point Organic Whiskey Shows Its Washington Roots Bainbridge Organic Distillers' old fashioned Affair • 2 oz. Bainbridge Battle Point Organic Wheat Whiskey • 1 barspoon organic cane sugar • 1 dash Angostura • 1 dash Bitter Truth Chocolate Mole Bitters Build in Old Fashioned glass and stir. Garnish with orange and lemon peels. SPRING/SUMMER 2014 • 21