North Portland Is Getting a Brewpub-Style Distillery

North Portland’s next brewpub isn’t a brewpub at all: Shine Distillery & Grill, a working distillery and restaurant, is coming to North Williams, delivering the classic brewery and restaurant experience with a focus on local craft spirits. “I spent 20 years working in local breweries,” says owner Jonathan Poteet, an Alameda Brewing alum. “I’m trying to copy what I call the brewpub formula... It’s not necessarily date night food; it’s Tuesday night food.”

The space will have two levels of indoor seating and a rooftop patio, with an assortment of burgers, sandwiches, and salads served alongside house spirit flights and a wide assortment of Oregon-distilled liquors. On weekend mornings, prepare for simple brunch fare, including eggs Benedict, Denver omelets, and, of course, bloody marys.

Poteet has a long personal history with distilling, though he’s careful as he discusses it. “Legal or not legal, it’s a bit of a family tradition,” Poteet says. “I might have learned it from my father maybe.” He brought on a guy with professional chops, however: fourth-generation distiller Matthew McLain, who spent time at Springfield’s Swallowtail Spirits before he moved north for Shine’s Master Distiller position. The distillery will sell bottles and cocktails of the house spirits, which will include basics like gin, vodka, whiskey, and rum, as well as seasonal specialties like brandy and infused rums and vodkas made with local blackberries. The distillery is tentatively set to open in mid-December.

• Shine Distillery [Official]
• Shine Distillery [Instagram]