Last night we started bottling batch no. 4 of Bee’s Knees Peachy Keen. This is our first batch from Rich Lady peaches, which rested for 2 months in a 15-gallon, white American oak barrel.
The Wildflower Honey from Silver Bow in Moses Lake complements the peaches. The nose is great and quite peachy.
Our Tasting Room will be open on Monday, Veterans Day, noon to 4 p.m.
Gift boxes are in, and we recently bottled Whiskey and Aquavit. Check out our new Aquavit cocktail, the Julevit, just in time for the holiday season.
The R Gin is made from a single malt barley, which is cold smoked at the Hama Hama Oyster Co. in their oyster smoker. This gives the gin a gentle smokiness, which pairs well with oysters.
Many believe that oysters are best in the months with the letter “R.” September marks the beginning of the winter “R” months. As the waters grow colder, the oysters grow firmer and more delicious.
It is time to start shucking those oysters, and enjoying them with R Gin in a cocktail, or on the rocks, just like the oysters.
The next batch of Peachy Keen Bee’s Knees® will be distilled from Rich Lady peaches from Gilbert Orchards in Yakima, Washington. Rich Lady peaches have a warm yellow flesh, a rich dark red skin, and they smell delightful. This batch should be available in about 4 months.
We just had our Locals Night to thank our friends and neighbors for their support as we struggled to open our distillery and for their support our first summer that we have been open.
The evening began with the Chamber of Commerce ribbon-cutting ceremony. Immediately after the ribbon-cutting, the one and only cash register in the tasting room stopped working and remained frozen for the entire evening.
Whoever told us to do a small event before our Grand Opening, so that we would know what we are doing, gave us good advice.
We are now ready to have our GRAND OPENING, which will be held Saturday, September 7, from noon to 6 pm.
I just drove to Eastern Washington to buy more honey and to return the bing cherry bins to Bigfork Orchards. This is a photo of the orchard, as I am driving away.
We have started the Merry Cherry Bee’s Knees® and have one barrel aging. We have enough cherries to make enough Merry Cherry to fill several more barrels. In the meantime, the Hoodsport Coffee Co. is serving Merry Cherry ice cream from un-aged Merry Cherry Bee’s Knees®.
On the first day of July, I drove to Bigfork Orchards, near Mattawa, WA, on the Columbia River to buy bins of bing cherries. The orchard is in a beautiful setting with rows of tall trees creating walls around and within the orchard.
Bing cherries suffered this year. Due to extreme weather conditions, cherries cracked and split. Unsuitable for retail, but perfect for distilling, I bought 960 pounds. Of course, this was before I realized that each cherry has to be pitted. I don’t know how many cherries are in a pound, but it looks like a lot.
We’ll be washing and pitting a LOT of cherries!
The cherries will be fermented with honey and distilled to become a cherry Bee’s Knees®. After aging in a new white oak barrel, it will be transferred to a red wine oak barrel from Stottle Winery, and the Bee’s Knees® Merry Cherry will be ready by Christmas.
Last week I attended my first Mason County Chamber of Commerce social event. They had a drawing for door prizes, and I was completely flabbergasted to win a large fish carved from wood.
At the distillery we analyzed various locations to install the fish. Then we found the perfect spot. It is the gateway to the production area and the tours with Chuck.
It will also serve as a reminder and inspiration for the gin we are going to make to be paired with salmon from the Hood Canal. The salmon season will begin in the fall. We are thinking of using a rye bock beer base for this gin, as both the salmon and the rye bock make me think of the beginning of cool, crisp days, and the change in season from late summer to early fall.
The First of July marked the opening of crab season on the Hood Canal. It is one of the best things about summer.
There is nothing better than warm summer evenings, out on the deck or by the fire pit, made even better with fresh crab. And now, I can relax even more with my Pink Gin and my Crabby Ginny.
A couple of weekends ago, there was a grand opening in Hoodsport. Somehow there was a mix-up, and many thought that it was our grand opening.
Instead, the actual grand opening was for the new public restrooms, which are just across the street. Unfortunately, we had to work in the distillery, and missed the event. We heard that they served hot dogs, and everyone had a good time.
We cannot sell our Bee’s Knees® for its intended purpose until we get label approval from the Federal Government. The approval process for Bee’s Knees® has taken on a life of its own.
In the meantime, Susan and her husband Randy, who own the Hoodsport Coffee Co., asked Olympic Mountain Ice Cream to make an ice cream from our spirits.
Our Bee’s Knees® Peachy Keen was the obvious choice for ice cream. It has the flavors of peaches and honey, with a lot of spirit. The result is delicious.
I have heard that some of the local early risers in Hoodsport enjoy a spoonful in their coffee.
If you are in Hoodsport, stop by the Hoodsport Coffee Co. It is a favorite hang-out for locals, and it has great coffee by Zoka, and ice cream that can be enjoyed at all times of the day.
It felt good to open our doors and sell our products this past Memorial Day Weekend. For the time being, our products are limited to two gins, Crabby Ginny and R Gin, which can be frustrating for those who stop by to see us and do not like gin. Those customers who like gin leave satisfied.
Our fingers are crossed for TTB approval of our Bee’s Knees® and our Vodka. We check our email and our post office box everyday, with our fingers crossed.
We are planning our Grand Opening for the weekend after Labor Day Holiday. We should have lots of different products, and fun things to do.
