May 21, 2012
Our 100-year-old tree moves on to a new life
We have an old black republic cherry tree in our front yard in Seattle. This type of cherry tree has a life span of about 80 years. Ours is at least 100 years old. Most of its branches have died. The trunk has a circumference of about 93 inches and is twisted.
Back in its prime, it produced buckets of large black republic cherries. These cherries are larger than bing or Rainier cherries, with a dark rich juice. When our older son was in grade school, he sold bags of the cherries to our neighbors. He had consistent sales in the summer, making a much higher profit than the neighbor boys, who were selling rocks from their backyard.
The cherry tree was useful in other ways. When he was about seven years old, our younger son built a device that he liked to ride. It had four wheels, and a seat made from a 2 x 4. He did not have a place for his feet, so he took an old pair of shoes, and nailed the tongues of the shoes to the board that connected the front wheels. He then put his feet in those shoes.
It did not have brakes. Fortunately, it did not go fast. Our street has a slight incline, and he would carry it to the top of the street and then ride it down the sidewalk to get a little momentum. When he came to our house, he would steer it (with his nailed-in shoes) onto the grass to slow it down, and then come to a complete stop by crashing into the cherry tree.
Our children are now grown. Our tree looks old and tired. It produces no more than a handful of cherries that only the starlings can reach. No one crashes into it anymore.
Like putting our old dog to sleep, it is heart-breaking to think of ending the life of this old tree. Every year we have enjoyed its blossoms, and the carpet of petals that fall onto the lawn.
To us, it seems obvious that this tree is very valuable. When finally deciding to have it taken down, we had the idea of salvaging the twisted trunk for furniture. So, we contacted an urban wood company that salvages trees. They told us the tree is too twisted, and has no value. It was suggested that we could use the remaining healthy branches for slow burning fires and for smoking.
And that is exactly what we are going to do. We will use the branches of our twisted cherry tree to smoke our barley and to season our spirits. Our tree will continue to give us pleasure. It will never lose it value to us.
May 14, 2012
My gin recipes call for small quantities of roots, herbs and spices. So, I had to buy a small, digital scale. A quick search on the Internet yielded a digital “pocket scale.” I gave no thought to this description, thinking only that it meant small, and immediately ordered it. The shipper was very prompt, and I received my scale in a day or two.
My adult children have informed me that this scale fits into the pockets of drug dealers. Naturally, I wonder what governmental list will include my name. And, I wonder how my children get their information.
The scale works great. It measures to .001 gram, so now I can tinker with my gin recipes with precision.
And, if needed, I can always put it in my pocket.
Apr 25, 2012
Listen to Hardware Distillery founder Jan Morris describe the start-up of her distillery in Hoodsport, Washington.
Learn the in’s and out’s of starting a distillery from Hardware Distillery’s Jan Morris in this interview with Robbin Block on Minding Your Business.
Hear all the details about the paperwork, build out, financing and more.
Mar 30, 2012
Traditional gin ingredients are fascinating and exotic.
In nearly all of my gin recipes, the Mediterranean juniper berry is the most important ingredient. The other ingredients have great names, such as sweet flag, grains of paradise, angelica root, and orris root. I had thought these ingredients would be hard to find, but I found almost everything I needed right here in Seattle at the Pike Place Market.
I started my search at World Spice, which is adjacent (actually on a street below) the Pike Place Market. The smells there are wonderful. They have Mediterranean juniper berries, from Italy, which are a rich deep purple and fragrant. Because World Spice did not have all of the ingredients I needed, I next visited Tenzing Momo.
Tenzing Momo is on the main level of the Pike Place Market down a short, slightly crooked, corridor. It is a truly tiny shop, with many, many jars of herbs and spices. The shelves were packed to the ceiling with these jars. I found what I needed here.
Orris root
The store clerk, who had unforgettable, clear, bright eyes, packaged roots, herbs, and spices in small brown paper bags that could not contain the great smells.
I bought a good quality vodka to serve as my neutral grain spirits, and have begun my experimentations. So far, so good.
Feb 27, 2012
One of the main reasons we are starting a distillery in Hoodsport is the water.
Good spirits start with good water, and Hoodsport’s water is the best. The water for the community comes from wells at the foot of the Olympic Mountains.
The source of the Hardware Distillery’s water is the Hoodsport Water System, which consists solely of two wells, the Reeder Well and the Suncrest Well.
The Reeder Well is located off Schoolhouse Hill Road, which is across the street from the distillery. It is 269 feet deep through gravel, sand and cobbles.
The Suncrest Well is located off Lake Cushman Road. It is 167 feet deep through red clay and gravel.
Both wells do not require treatment, and the water arrives at the distillery untreated and fresh from the deep underground wells.
Jan 22, 2012
This month I turn 60. Like most of my generation, I do not consider this old.
Last week I saw a physical therapist with a minor leg complaint. As this was an initial visit, I was asked to describe my health as poor, fair, good, or excellent. I see myself, in positive terms, as a lucky person and having very good health.
I answered this question: “Excellent, considering my age.” I could see that the therapist circled the word “Good.” At first I was offended, but then this made me think about how I see myself v. how the world sees me.
As we set off creating our distillery, I think it will be excellent. But now I want to reflect back on the reactions of my friends and family, when they heard that we would be pursuing this. Luckily, our friends and family also think that it will be excellent, I do not see “good” in their eyes or voices, instead I see that they believe that this will be a great success.
I imagine using all of my knowledge and resources that have accumulated over 60 years, and have not doubt that our products will be of the highest quality and that the distillery will be successful. In this regard, everyone I have spoken to believes the same thing. When I speak of my plans to friends and family, I hear only encouragement, and I see that they too believe it will be excellent.
As we create our products, I hope that if we ever make something that is merely “good,” that our customers will let us know, and help us stay on our path to creating a whiskey that will define the Pacific Northwest.
Dec 29, 2011
Purchasing a still for the distillery should not be difficult. But…somehow we are having difficulties.
After researching pot stills, The Hardware Distillery ordered a copper pot still from a company in Spain. The order was placed October 30, 2011, with the agreement that there would be an immediate payment in full, and that the pot still would be shipped by December 16, 2011. The payment was made as agreed upon.
We have heard nothing from the company regarding the shipment, despite the fact that they acknowledged receipt of the payment almost 2 months ago. Today is December 29, and we sent an inquiry regarding the status of the shipment. This was the response:
Hello,
In accordance with Customer demand, our usual delivery date is 8 to 9 weeks, but indeed I promised on the invoice to ship on Dec. 16th or sooner. Unfortunately we did not preview religious holidays in December, as well as the severe weather and the closing of our Shipping Port for several days. I hope our broker can book space in container ship leaving before the 10th of January.
I wish you a Happy New Year.
It is unknown what is meant by the word “hope” for booking the space on the container ship before January 10. We hope it’s good news.
Dec 19, 2011
We have been expecting to close on the Hardware Store for months. Closing dates have come and gone. The last hurdle is to make sure that the septic is adequate for our purposes.
In the meantime the present owner gave us permission to decorate the building, which is in the center of town. The two gift shops on either side are brightly lit. The Hardware store looked dark and depressing. It took two weekends to decorate, but now looks like it is part of Hoodsport.
Nov 14, 2011
Last night was the Washington Distillers Guild monthly meeting. It was the first meeting I attended. I wish I had attended an earlier meeting, as it appears there were 50 people in attendance, instead of 8 -10, as the minutes of prior meetings indicate.
Last week Washington State passed Initiative 1183, which completely changes the way spirits are distributed in Washington. The Liquor Control Board will no longer distribute spirits through state owned stores. Instead, distribution is wide open, and speculation abounds.
Last night’s meeting was attended by distillers and some interested members of the public. An additional group in attendance surprised me: both local and out-of-state distributors. I should have expected to see them. But their immediate entry into Washington State took me by surprise.
The discussion of Initiative 1183 dominated the meeting. It is complicated, and many members could not agree on the interpretation of several key sections of the Initiative.
