James Bay Distillers Ltd.
Whiskies, gins, vodka and finocchietto!
(Why Canadian & Scotch whiskies? What's made where?)
We have Canadian whisky because that's where we started in 2017 before pivoting to return to the USA in 2018. We continue to have our pipeline of Canadian whisky. We offer our own Scotch whisky because we're the only craft distillery in America with a permit from the Brits to import, blend & release our scotch whisky. Our scotch whisky started as a fun project and now it's grown on its own! We make our gins, vodka and specialty spirits, like our Finocchietto - and our bourbon is resting in the back barrel room until we're ready to release!
Galloping Goose Canadian Whisky is made to a bourbon recipe and process, and has been aged 3-years in medium char new oak barrels. "The Red Goose," as we call her, has been available for sale at our U.S. distillery tasting room in Everett, WA since September 2019. It now has six gold medals, a 97-point double-gold medal from Las Vegas' PR%F Competition and was named "Canadian Whisky of the Year" in 2020 at the Asia International Spirits competition. This whisky opens with notes of caramel and vanilla, then moves to baked chocolate with a lingering honey finish. We proudly feature the Canada Goose on the front label. We also offer a blue-label cognac-cask finished version of the Galloping Goose with 36-months of finishing in a cognac cask, for exceptional notes of plum, dark cherry and dark chocolate. Just ask for "The Blue Goose" when you come in!
Citrus-forward Lochside Summer Gin No. 5 is a 92-point gold medal winner described as, "Fun, Lively & Summer in a Glass" according to Sunset Magazine! Released in January 2020, our first bottling sold out within a week. We use a 2-step process: production of a London Dry style is followed by cold infusion of the more fragile botanicals such as orange blossom, kumquat and others. This is a true sipping' gin, with no mixers required, but permitted if you wish. Bottling at 80-proof, in 750ml size. Summer Gin No. 5 is a silver medal award winner from the American Distilling Institute, gold medal winner from PR%F in Las Vegas and rated as 1 of the top 12 favorite gins in the USA by Wine Enthusiast.
Organic chocolate-infused Cadboro Chocolate Whisky is now on the market, winning a medal from Distilled San Diego and is a 94-point gold medal whisky from the PR%F Competition in Las Vegas, released in early February 2020. For the Cadboro, we infuse organic, sustainable and renewable cacao from Ecuador, and the filter out the cacao at the 1/2-micron level to leave a clear whisky with a persistent chocolate note in the mid-palate. "The Cadboro" was a Hudson Bay Company ship which sailed Puget Sound from 1820-1864, and now lies just offshore at Port Angeles, WA, where the US Coast Guard have their runways. You could dive on the wreck, but she's a bit too close to the Coast Guard to permit diving!
Barrel-agedGintrigue Gin is a 95-point gold medal winner, released in April 2020. This is currently a 31-month aging in ex-bourbon/ex-cognac barrels that previously held both Kentucky bourbon (4 years) and French cognac (7 years). We will release other expressions of this gin as aging continues. Gintrigue's95-point Gold Medal is from the Asia International Spirits Competition, and a Gold Medal winner at the "Fifty Best" competition in New York City.. Perfect as an Old Fashioned whisky drink, or as a "Mukilteo Mule" gin drink with ginger ale and lime! The name "Gintrigue" is of course a bit of a dad-joke, because her flavors are "gintriguing!"
Navy Strength Gin features notes of elderflower, vanilla and lemon - because we think a Navy Gin should have flavor! She's a double-gold medal award winner and rated "dangerously smooth!" Our Navy Gin is like 2 gins in one: at the high proof, she's lemony, but when you add a mixer, she transforms and becomes elderflower forward. We selected these flavor notes because they were the favorite flavor combination of the late Queen of England. The so-called "navy gin" has to be 114-proof (57% alc./vol.) because the British Navy gave their sailors a gin ration, back in the day. They found through trial and error that if the gin were below 114-proof, and spilled on the gun powder, that the powder wouldn't burn. So: to burn the powder, fire the cannon and sink the French...it has to be 114-proof!
Our first Scotch whisky release is Inner Harbour, our blend of Speyside and Highlands scotch whiskies. Tasty, with notes of pear, butterscotch and salted caramel. Inner Harbour has the same awards as 18-year Johnnie Walker, Balvenie and more, from the Tokyo Whisky & Spirits competition! We also have permits from the United Kingdom - "From the King himself" as we say, to import Scotch whiskies in bulk and then release our own new blends of Scotch: single grain, blended malt, blended Scotch.
Strait Up Killer Vodka features both corn- and wheat distilled to 192-proof, then cut to bottling strength, with two post-distillation processes we developed. The first, a special filtration method we learned from high-end foreign vodka producers, and the second developed in-house to eliminate any potential off flavors from lingering long-chain polymers in the distillation. "Your vodka is too smooth!" we hear from customers. It has no nose or aroma, it's clean and clear in the middle, and has no burn on the finish. Killer Vodka is a 92-point gold medal winner, rated "1 of the top 9 vodkas in the US" and "1 of the top 100 spirits in the US!"
Finocchietto is an Italian original recipe, featuring fennel, anise and almond infusion - leaving a sweet anise on the nose and taste. Ideal neat, over ice or mixed with champagne, prosecco or dry cider as our version of Ernest Hemingway's "Death In the Afternoon" cocktail (referring to his book about bull-fighting, not the influence of the cocktai!). Pairs well with lamb, pork and pasta dishes. Our Finocchietto is a double-gold medal award winner from "Best in the Northwest" competition.
Berry & Ube Gin is a 90-point gold-medal winner, and features 5 types of blue berries and Pacific island ube (a sweet potato that tastes like vanilla and pistachio). This lovely purple gin opens with notes of British blueberries, Saskatoons from Canada, June berries from Minnesota, black currants and wild-harvested Oregon grape, and then the delicate vanilla and pistachio taste on the finish. This is a delicate gin, low in juniper, and ideal for a martini or over ice. Pair with triple sec and lime for a wonderful sipping cocktail. For a tasty gin soda, add 2 oz Berry & Ube Gin, 1/2 to 1-tsp blueberry syrup and blackberry Bubly sparkling water.
Seattle Dry Gin is a 94-point gold-medal winner, bottled at 90-proof and coriander forward with a pleasant orange zest finish. We call this our "dinner gin," because she pairs so well with anything from the grill: roasted vegetables, lamb, pork, steaks, burgers and even shwarma or gyro. There's a nice warmth from the coriander, but not heat like you'd find from peppers. "Seattle Dry" and the dancing-with-umbrella design are also our fond reference to the frequent rain we have here in the greater Seattle area!
Inquiries about these or other products may be made at our Contact page, or just stop by to see us in Everett, WA.