San Juan Island Distillery

Interesting little distillery! I think it’s geared more towards cocktail aficionados and home bartenders than casual drinkers as you can’t order just a taste or cocktail there. The flavors were so unique and tasty for the gin and ciders and everyone there is very knowledgeable and hospitable to answer questions and let you try things. Highly recommend checking it out if you are a a spirit fan!

This is a great small operation that you can tell is dedicated to the craft. Meticulously crafted gins, apple brandy, and spirits that are worth exploring. They feature stand out ciders, including true dry ciders, that are refreshing without being cloying and don’t overwhelm the palate. I would recommend attending a tasting to get an understanding of the various styles (including some very unique offerings) and to dial in your preferences. Keep in mind that their pricing included taxes and fees so these are affordable, especially for the quality.

We decided to hunt down the distillery for a bottle of gin we had tried at Friday Harbor House. Unfortunately, they were closed but after contacting them, they had us come over for a tasting. We expected just to pick up a bottle and be on our way turned into one of our favorite hours of our trip to SJI. Hawk pulled out multiple gins, brandies, vermouths, and liqueurs. He spent so much time telling us how they distilled their spirits and plenty of stories about their distillery. His passion was infectious! If you're a fan of gins or brandies, stopping by the San Juan Island Distillery is a must!

I was surprised to see how highly related this place was. We were MUCH less than unimpressed. They only distill gin and brandy, and offer some combinations or variations of each. But we should have had enough sense to return to the car when our guide struggled through her presentation. I'd be shocked if she was legal drinking age, and multiple times when she had talked herself into a corner with her lack of knowledge of the product, her go-to solution was to say "so...yeah". I'm still struggling with the math she gave us with the apple brandy that it was four years old when it won a medal (2015?), which would make it six-and-a-half now. We braved the free tasting, but were not impressed with anything, although the apple brandy was better than the rest.

We happened across the distillery on a rainy grey day and had an amazing time! San Juan Island Distillery manages to create both elevated versions of bar shelf staples (local botanical gins, gorgeous apple brandy) and more unexpected items (apple-based gin!! Incorporating madrone??). We loved talking with Hawk and hearing about the distillation and development process. You can really hear how much of a labor of love this is, both the process and the incorporation of local bontanicals. We will absolutely be back, and will be ordering from them as well!