clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile
Distiller Tom Burkleaux standing with nine New Deal bottles and tasting glasses.
New Deal distiller Tom Burkleaux.
Nathan Williams/Eater Portland

Sample Craft Spirits at These 13 Portland-Area Distilleries

From Oregon single-malt to artisan aquavit, here are the distilleries delivering the booze

View as Map
New Deal distiller Tom Burkleaux.
| Nathan Williams/Eater Portland

In a traditional beer town just minutes from one of North America’s great wine regions, Portland’s under-sung distillery scene is still largely under the radar nationally, but growing in vibrancy ever year. Many distilleries are part of the Distillery Row group and its Passport Program for discounts, though the scene has grown beyond its traditional bounds in inner Southeast Portland.

With so many newer distilleries, younger spirits like gin and vodka tend to predominate, though some of the older ones are achieving increasingly distinctive results with their whiskeys. Some of Portland's most celebrated spirits include New Deal’s bourbon, Martin Ryan's dry gin, Westward single-malt whiskey, Stone Barn’s green walnut liqueur, and Vinn’s baijiu. But that's just the tip of the iceberg — an iceberg that also contains Portland aquavit, absinthe, herb-infused liqueurs, and more surprises.

Note: Health experts consider dining out to be a high-risk activity for the unvaccinated; it may pose a risk for the vaccinated, especially in areas with substantial COVID transmission.

Read More
Eater maps are curated by editors and aim to reflect a diversity of neighborhoods, cuisines, and prices. Learn more about our editorial process.

Quartz Mountain Distillers

Copy Link

Vancouver’s first distillery, Quartz Mountain opened in 2020 and now offers a young cask-strength bourbon, three gins, and fifteen flavored and unflavored vodkas. Quartz Mountain regularly rolls out new vodka flavors, and, as with many of Portland’s newer distilleries, expect whiskeys to continue to gain depth and character as they age in the barrel. The tasting room is open afternoons, Monday through Saturday, and offers distillery tours for those who schedule ahead.

Shine Distillery & Grill

Copy Link

Since 2019, Shine has offered a full dining experience with cocktails fueled by in-house spirits and a menu of elevated pub food classics like fish and chips, smoked salmon Cobb salad, and fried green tomatoes. You won’t just taste Shine’s spirits in the drinks: Many dishes feature the brand’s liquors in their preparation. Shine’s bottlings include pink hibiscus gin, a tequila-style agave spirit, and a filtered vodka. Dine and sip in Shine’s handsome dining room, order takeout cocktails, or join the party for its frequent drag brunches and bingos. Shine is open Wednesday through Sunday, with both an early and late happy hour.

Pilot House Distilling

Copy Link

Founded in 2013, Astoria’s Pilot House is an infant by Kentucky bourbon or Scotch standards, but positively mature measured by Oregon’s youthful distillery scene. Pilot House’s nautical-themed offerings include a tequila-style agave spirit, both American-style and London-style gins, an absinthe (wormwood included), and a single malt whiskey with each barrel “ocean aged” on a fishing boat. Take that, Kentucky. Portland tasting room and bottle shop hours vary, so calling ahead is recommended. Or swing by the more expansive Astoria or Cannon Beach tasting rooms open daily.

Aviation Gin

Copy Link

Founded by distiller Christian Krogstad and bartender Ryan Magarian, Aviation Gin is still distilled in Portland but now owned by British beverage mega-producer Diageo — though minority stake owner Ryan Reynolds (yes, that Ryan Reynolds) remains the face of the brand. Portlanders’ instinctive skepticism of outside companies scooping up local brands might wilt under the power of Aviation’s charm offensive, with an especially in-depth tour, a visit to Reynolds’ “office” that doubles as an escape room-style game, and an elegant nouveau Art Deco bar with an array of gin cocktails. No sign, as yet, of fellow celeb-endorser LeVar Burton. The gin itself is smooth and lightly floral, easily mixable or enjoyable over ice. Aviation is open to the public Thursday through Sunday afternoons.

Freeland Spirits

Copy Link

Based in Northwest Portland, Freeland launched in 2017 with a juniper and cucumber-forward London-style gin, soon followed by a bourbon and a rye-heavy Geneva gin, all poured from distinctive teardrop bottles. Sidle up to the mod, midcentury-style bar at Freeland’s distillery in Slabtown for gin flights, house cocktails, and light snacks like pita and hummus. Open daily with distillery tours every Friday at 3 p.m.

Martin Ryan Distilling Company

Copy Link

Aria Portland Dry Gin is an award-winning London-style gin, utilizing traditional gin ingredients and distillation techniques. The ten botanicals found in Aria produce a gin that is intended to help craft cocktails soar but serves up neat or straight over ice just as well. Unlike many Portland distilleries, Martin Ryan produces only gin — no vodkas, whiskies, or brandies. The Slabtown tasting room is open daily.

Bull Run Distilling

Copy Link

Lee Medoff knows his way around an adult beverage. His circuitous route to Bull Run started with a position as a brewer for McMenamins, and he dabbled in wine-making and co-founded Portland-based House Spirits before moving on to open the Bull Run Distilling Company — where he now produces an enviable line of vodkas, single malt and blended whiskeys, aquavit, and a starka (vodka aged in oak barrels). Tastings served Wednesday through Sunday.

The Aimsir Distilling Company

Copy Link

Kerns’s Aimsir opened in 2020, another example Portland’s growing distillery scene reaching outside of traditional “row” in inner Southeast. With a Gaelic name conveying time, weather, and place, Aimsir is still early in its spirits journey but has already achieved national acclaim for its Aitil gin, winning Best of Class Contemporary Gin in 2021 from the American Distilling Institute, and its bourbon, winning double gold from the 2022 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. These bottlings, along with aquavit, vodka, and more are poured in the gorgeous Art Deco Emerald Room open Wednesday through Saturday.

Wild Roots Tasting Room

Copy Link

Each vodka from Wild Roots is distilled from corn and filtered five times over, then infused with more than a pound of locally grown fruit. The collection includes Washington apple and cinnamon, Oregon marionberry, and dark sweet cherry-infused vodkas. The more recently added gin collection includes cucumber-grapefruit as well as a more traditional London-style dry gin. Tasting are available in the bright and modern tasting room in the Central Eastside district Wednesday through Sunday.

Westward Whiskey

Copy Link

Westward Whiskey, founded in 2004 by Aviation co-founder Christian Krogstad, offers nearly a dozen bottlings, including a subtly vanilla single malt, meatier stout cask finish, and ultra-smooth pinot noir cask finish — with certain bottles only available to its whiskey club members. Tours are available by appointment only (each featuring a welcome cocktail and a flight at the tour’s end), but tastings are open to walk-in visitors. Portland visitors who missed Westward on their tour can grab a tasting last minute at PDX before their flight.

New Deal Distillery

Copy Link

From humble beginnings as the smallest licensed distillery in America, New Deal became the cornerstone of what is today inner southeast Portland’s Distillery Row, now open for tasting and flights daily from noon to 6 p.m. The purveyor of hand-crafted gins, vodkas, and other liquors is still most beloved for its rye, wheat, and bourbon whiskeys, with a casual tasting area just feet away from the distillery operations. Informal tours offered upon request.

Stone Barn Brandy Works

Copy Link

Co-founders Erika and Sebastian Degens source local ingredients for their extensive line of handcrafted brandies, liqueurs, and whiskeys. Visit the distillery just south of Powell Boulevard to sample everything from a sour straight rye whiskey, a chocolaty dark roast rye the Degens aptly describe as “hoodie weather rye,” an assortment of fruit brandies and liqueurs, and the flagship green walnut liqueur, with its bitter green walnut flavor tempered with sour rye and soft-edged pinot noir brandy. The casual tasting room is an organic extension of the cozy distillery — sip on the patio on dry-weather days.

Vinn Distillery

Copy Link

It’s a trek from Portland proper, but visiting this Wilsonville-based, family-owned distillery is worth the miles. The Ly family possess quite the lineage when it comes to distilling alcohol. With ties to both Vietnam and China, they’ve been producing spirits from family recipes for over seven generations, responsible for the first rice vodka and rice whiskey produced and bottled in the U.S. But Vinn is perhaps best known for its baijiu, a high-proof rice-based clear spirit with subtle toasty cereal notes. As a small family-run business, Vinn has no set hours but is typically open most afternoons — call to set up a tour or tasting.

Quartz Mountain Distillers

Vancouver’s first distillery, Quartz Mountain opened in 2020 and now offers a young cask-strength bourbon, three gins, and fifteen flavored and unflavored vodkas. Quartz Mountain regularly rolls out new vodka flavors, and, as with many of Portland’s newer distilleries, expect whiskeys to continue to gain depth and character as they age in the barrel. The tasting room is open afternoons, Monday through Saturday, and offers distillery tours for those who schedule ahead.

Shine Distillery & Grill

Since 2019, Shine has offered a full dining experience with cocktails fueled by in-house spirits and a menu of elevated pub food classics like fish and chips, smoked salmon Cobb salad, and fried green tomatoes. You won’t just taste Shine’s spirits in the drinks: Many dishes feature the brand’s liquors in their preparation. Shine’s bottlings include pink hibiscus gin, a tequila-style agave spirit, and a filtered vodka. Dine and sip in Shine’s handsome dining room, order takeout cocktails, or join the party for its frequent drag brunches and bingos. Shine is open Wednesday through Sunday, with both an early and late happy hour.

Pilot House Distilling

Founded in 2013, Astoria’s Pilot House is an infant by Kentucky bourbon or Scotch standards, but positively mature measured by Oregon’s youthful distillery scene. Pilot House’s nautical-themed offerings include a tequila-style agave spirit, both American-style and London-style gins, an absinthe (wormwood included), and a single malt whiskey with each barrel “ocean aged” on a fishing boat. Take that, Kentucky. Portland tasting room and bottle shop hours vary, so calling ahead is recommended. Or swing by the more expansive Astoria or Cannon Beach tasting rooms open daily.

Aviation Gin

Founded by distiller Christian Krogstad and bartender Ryan Magarian, Aviation Gin is still distilled in Portland but now owned by British beverage mega-producer Diageo — though minority stake owner Ryan Reynolds (yes, that Ryan Reynolds) remains the face of the brand. Portlanders’ instinctive skepticism of outside companies scooping up local brands might wilt under the power of Aviation’s charm offensive, with an especially in-depth tour, a visit to Reynolds’ “office” that doubles as an escape room-style game, and an elegant nouveau Art Deco bar with an array of gin cocktails. No sign, as yet, of fellow celeb-endorser LeVar Burton. The gin itself is smooth and lightly floral, easily mixable or enjoyable over ice. Aviation is open to the public Thursday through Sunday afternoons.

Freeland Spirits

Based in Northwest Portland, Freeland launched in 2017 with a juniper and cucumber-forward London-style gin, soon followed by a bourbon and a rye-heavy Geneva gin, all poured from distinctive teardrop bottles. Sidle up to the mod, midcentury-style bar at Freeland’s distillery in Slabtown for gin flights, house cocktails, and light snacks like pita and hummus. Open daily with distillery tours every Friday at 3 p.m.

Martin Ryan Distilling Company

Aria Portland Dry Gin is an award-winning London-style gin, utilizing traditional gin ingredients and distillation techniques. The ten botanicals found in Aria produce a gin that is intended to help craft cocktails soar but serves up neat or straight over ice just as well. Unlike many Portland distilleries, Martin Ryan produces only gin — no vodkas, whiskies, or brandies. The Slabtown tasting room is open daily.

Bull Run Distilling

Lee Medoff knows his way around an adult beverage. His circuitous route to Bull Run started with a position as a brewer for McMenamins, and he dabbled in wine-making and co-founded Portland-based House Spirits before moving on to open the Bull Run Distilling Company — where he now produces an enviable line of vodkas, single malt and blended whiskeys, aquavit, and a starka (vodka aged in oak barrels). Tastings served Wednesday through Sunday.

The Aimsir Distilling Company

Kerns’s Aimsir opened in 2020, another example Portland’s growing distillery scene reaching outside of traditional “row” in inner Southeast. With a Gaelic name conveying time, weather, and place, Aimsir is still early in its spirits journey but has already achieved national acclaim for its Aitil gin, winning Best of Class Contemporary Gin in 2021 from the American Distilling Institute, and its bourbon, winning double gold from the 2022 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. These bottlings, along with aquavit, vodka, and more are poured in the gorgeous Art Deco Emerald Room open Wednesday through Saturday.

Wild Roots Tasting Room

Each vodka from Wild Roots is distilled from corn and filtered five times over, then infused with more than a pound of locally grown fruit. The collection includes Washington apple and cinnamon, Oregon marionberry, and dark sweet cherry-infused vodkas. The more recently added gin collection includes cucumber-grapefruit as well as a more traditional London-style dry gin. Tasting are available in the bright and modern tasting room in the Central Eastside district Wednesday through Sunday.

Westward Whiskey

Westward Whiskey, founded in 2004 by Aviation co-founder Christian Krogstad, offers nearly a dozen bottlings, including a subtly vanilla single malt, meatier stout cask finish, and ultra-smooth pinot noir cask finish — with certain bottles only available to its whiskey club members. Tours are available by appointment only (each featuring a welcome cocktail and a flight at the tour’s end), but tastings are open to walk-in visitors. Portland visitors who missed Westward on their tour can grab a tasting last minute at PDX before their flight.

New Deal Distillery

From humble beginnings as the smallest licensed distillery in America, New Deal became the cornerstone of what is today inner southeast Portland’s Distillery Row, now open for tasting and flights daily from noon to 6 p.m. The purveyor of hand-crafted gins, vodkas, and other liquors is still most beloved for its rye, wheat, and bourbon whiskeys, with a casual tasting area just feet away from the distillery operations. Informal tours offered upon request.

Stone Barn Brandy Works

Co-founders Erika and Sebastian Degens source local ingredients for their extensive line of handcrafted brandies, liqueurs, and whiskeys. Visit the distillery just south of Powell Boulevard to sample everything from a sour straight rye whiskey, a chocolaty dark roast rye the Degens aptly describe as “hoodie weather rye,” an assortment of fruit brandies and liqueurs, and the flagship green walnut liqueur, with its bitter green walnut flavor tempered with sour rye and soft-edged pinot noir brandy. The casual tasting room is an organic extension of the cozy distillery — sip on the patio on dry-weather days.

Vinn Distillery

It’s a trek from Portland proper, but visiting this Wilsonville-based, family-owned distillery is worth the miles. The Ly family possess quite the lineage when it comes to distilling alcohol. With ties to both Vietnam and China, they’ve been producing spirits from family recipes for over seven generations, responsible for the first rice vodka and rice whiskey produced and bottled in the U.S. But Vinn is perhaps best known for its baijiu, a high-proof rice-based clear spirit with subtle toasty cereal notes. As a small family-run business, Vinn has no set hours but is typically open most afternoons — call to set up a tour or tasting.

Related Maps