"Dam Good Whiskey!" -- A Beaver's Review of Westward Distillery…read more Well chew my bark and call me industrious--Westward Distillery has crafted a whiskey so fine it made my tail thump like a drum on spring thaw! I waddled in skeptical. After all, we beavers know a thing or two about craftsmanship: sharp teeth, strong wood, steady paws. But the moment those folks poured me a sample of their American Single Malt, I realized I was in the presence of fellow artisans--humans who build with barley the way I build with birch. The aroma? Like sniffing a warm cedar log at sunset, with a hint of orchard fruit drifting downstream. The taste? Smooth as a freshly planed maple branch, with a delicious grain character that made me contemplate abandoning dam construction to pursue professional sipping full-time. The finish? Long, warm, and rich--lingering like the satisfaction of placing the final stick on a perfectly engineered lodge roof. And don't get me started on the place itself. The distillery is polished, welcoming, and smells pleasantly of oak instead of predators. The staff? Delightful! Not one of them tried to trap me, and they spoke about their whiskey with the passion of creatures who truly love their craft. Westward, my whiskered friends, you have built something remarkable. If I had opposable thumbs, I'd raise a glass. Instead, I'll slap my tail in tribute: THWAP THWAP THWAP! That's beaver for "EXQUISITE WORK, KEEP IT UP."

All barley, single malt whiskey. Grain is grown exclusively in the northwest and distilled with the…read morebest water - the Bull Run - simply so smooth sip by sip. Nice layout in the tasting room. The young lady who served me up a flight was amazing with her knowledge, which I really appreciated it. Bottoms up! Mark Twain once said too much of anything is bad, but too much of whiskey is barely enough. You'll enjoy getting after it tasting at Westwood whiskey!

Bonnie helped us out today and she's was FAN TAST TIC! She not only made us super deliciosos drinks…read morebut she was full of great Portland insights and great conversation!! We loved everything about her and this place! I ordered the hot cider and when I tell you " Keep em Comin" was the vibe! So delicious! Best hot apple cider I have ever had! You can tell all the ingredients are premium!

Mark Twain said that too much of anything is bad for you, but too much of whiskey is just barely…read moreenoughx Mr. Twain would love this tasting room. The shelves are full of whiskey, brandy, gin, lots of other spirits. I'm a rye guy and tasted the rye whiskey, (light spicy) which I thought were extremely good. Tried the gin made from organic juniper berries - smelled like hiking in a juniper forest, which I remember hiking an old growth juniper forest near Bend, Oregon. Very friendly service. Convivial space right into distillery for a meet up with friends. Bottoms up spirit lovers! liquor is quicker for a good time with your friends! New deal is the right deal to throw down some shots.

A real gem on my burgeoning distillery tour of Portland!…read more Burgeoning because it turns out as much as other think I drink a lot (it's not a faze mom!!!) it turns out that I can only really ripple at one distillery a day. Anyway, I love that this tasting room is an easy walk from my place. Plus it's near all the food and other things I like when I take to the fire water and get to walking! I came during a private event and almost thought I wouldn't be able to taste. However they have a back bar area that has tables set up, so I was able to get my sip on. There are bunches and bunches to sip from the Hue Hue coffee rum (dangerous because you can sip this stuff straight, the coffee flavor is that good) to even an eggnog flavored tipple, you will find something interesting to taste! The tasting experience was informative and fun! It wasn't pretentious, and it truly was laid back. You can decide how much you wanted to interact. So if you just wanna sip and be left to your thoughts you're given the option. I bought a couple bottles and I will definitely be back for more. It's really cool to have a decent priced high quality distillery so close by!

A calm respite from the hectic surrounding area. If you enjoy some of their offerings by the glass…read moreat Southland next door then purchase a bottle here. The manager enjoys sharing his wealth of knowledge. We tasted our $5 whiskey flight in the lounge area, but you also have your choice of sitting at the pour bar or at small high tables. A bottle of their award winning rye whisky is $79 which seems like a good value. I enjoyed the coffee rum taster and bought a bottle for only $19.95. Their wide selection makes the place look cluttered, somewhat messy. You're somewhat over-stimulated by all the eye candy and making a selection gets confusing. Whatever, if that model works then more power to them. I will definitely return.

Fantastic atmosphere, staff drinks and experience! I love…read morethat they always have fresh new mixers that I can try in a flight and better yet- take home. Great for a date, time with family and friends.

Love going to this place to hangout while drinking good cocktails. I love their mini cocktail…read moreflight - we usually get this so you can try all 4 of them. Service is friendly, quick and they check in on you once in awhile to make sure you're good. Their cocktails are consistently good - strong but balanced. Can't go wrong with any of them!

Very pleasant bartender. Great drinks. Lovely evening for outdoor seating. Never mind the drunk who…read morefollowed us to our outdoor table and shared tatoo advice from his father: Don't get any tats that a judge can see.

Originally intended as little more than a passport stamp for the both of us, my wife and I really…read moreenjoyed both our drinks, and the pleasant bartender that served us during our brief stop here. It was empty when we arrived, likely because the golf course next to it is closed at the moment. The drinks here are used to showcase the quality of the whiskey distilled here, and they do a darn good job of it! I stuck to my usual standard of an Old Fashioned, and my wife her new favorite: the Hot Apple Chai, which we had just discovered in the Black Rabbit restaurant earlier in the day. We meandered the grounds afterward, checking out the golf course (which at some point we are going to have to come and butcher with power terrible driving skills). I am no golfer, but I need that stamp! Hopefully they have a groundskeeper on hand to clean up our mess in the wake of our passing!

What's up: The next destination on our Distillery Row Passport adventure! This time, it brought us…read moretowards Wild Roots. Parking: Paid street parking. Environment: The place was empty when we arrived. It has a very open feel to the place with all the large glass walls so you can see the outside. To enter, we had to ring the doorbell where the staff member came and let us in. There's a couch seating area as well as the tasting counter where we sat. We picked a couple of drinks to try out. There's also merch available along the back wall, near the restrooms. What was ordered: - Peppermint Hot Chocolate (spiked peppermint hot chocolate?!...so dangerous but oh so yummy hahaha) - Maple Bourbon (sweet! Just like pancakes) Yay/Nay/Meh: Yay. The hot chocolate was awesome if you like hot chocolate, you can barely taste the alcohol so it can definitely sneak up on you. Credit cards are accepted.

We stopped here on a whim and stayed for a while…read more The seasonal cocktail flight was a group favorite. The room is open, with lots of natural light. Even on a cold and rainy day, this place was bright and energizing. Wild Roots was a pleasant surprise. I would highly recommend you stop in the next time you're in the neighborhood.

A friend invited me to a whiskey launch for Bull Run Distillery's new Unipiper Blend. I'm honestly…read morenot a big whiskey drinker, but I was really impressed with the quality of their product. I tasted The Unipiper batch from bottle 111, a Straight Rye Whiskey that had been aged 7 years. I love all of the information this distillery shares with customers as it makes the buying experience feel all the more special. I really appreciated the time and energy the sales folks put into explaining the complexities and flavor profiles of this batch, and also throwing one heck of a launch party as well. Now that Bull Run is on my radar, I'll be paying close attention to their line of products and launches in the future.

My oh my I have found my new favorite distillery at Bull Run!…read more Vermouth finished bourbon. Rum finished rye. Pinot finished whiskies. So. Much. More. Absolutely incredible and a beautifully intimate spot in NW Portland. But what really sealed the deal was my experience with Landon and Cam. Landon was my professor in the tasting room. He dropped knowledge left and right that was easy to understand and even more fun to sample. Genuinely passionate about his work Landon's interactions were informative and eye opening. I can't wait to go back and learn more. Also, Cam joined us when he realized I was so excited about their offerings and gave me a full tour of the warehouse where I learned even more on my tour. Just phenomenal. Thank you so much Landon, Cam and the entire Bull Run team!

I found this local distillery at Beaverton Farmer's Market and sampled Bailey's Gin. One of the…read morebest Gins I have ever had! It won Double Gold at the Finger Lakes International Wine and Spirits Competition.

This is a such a cool tasting room and distillery! Not only are the owners personable, their…read more-cellos are soooooo good! Lemon, Orange, Lime, and pumpkin spice! Make sure to stop by, have a cocktail and take a few bottles home!!!

Their drinks were delicious! We came to do the Gin tour at 5pm. There was 3 of us in the group. Our…read moretour guide Zach was amazing and shared a lot of interesting information. All the workers were great with a positive attitude. A flight of 3 drinks was $15. Or you could get a flight of 5 for $35. Thanks for a nice first experience touring a distillery. We will most definitely be back.

Very interesting Chris was awesome also the whole staff . Always like avaition gin before the…read moretour but nice to learn the process of making it.

I pedaled my vintage Klein Rascal over to the Stone Barn Brandyworks tasting room. Surrounded by…read moreaged whiskey, brandy and liqueur barrels, I wanted to taste the organic rye whiskey. I tasted 3 unique "like no other" whiskeys I've ever tried - Dark Roast Rye, Straight Rye and Bottled in Bond Oat whiskey - all aged 5 years. In a glass I nosed the whiskey, inhaling gently with mouth slightly open to capture the aromas. Small sips and let the whiskey linger, soak and sizzle on my tongue's bulbous taste buds. Flavors popped! Dark rye tasted like chocolate, stout and espresso. Master Distiller Sebastian said these barrels were roasted to get this flavor. Straight Rye (100% organic) sipping spirits sizzled so wonderfully from toasting the barrels. The Oat sip had a suttle taste like warm maple syrup. Sebastian explained the barrel prep, like roasting, charring, toasting and more distilling processes on oak produce the unique flavors I tasted. I bought 2 bottles of the dark and straight rye and loaded in my back pack. Can't wait to take some bigger sizzling sips at home. I also like and respect Stone Barn uses mostly NW ingredients and Camas Mills - also what the best bread and pizza makers in Portland use. Stone Barn also has a booth at the PSU Saturday farmers market.

What's up: Another place on our Distillery Tour. This was a bit tucked away on the streets so it…read morerequired a bit of looking to find it. Parking: Street parking. There was space right up front but we weren't sure if they were actual spots since they weren't clearly marked. Environment: There was one staff member setting up when we arrived. After telling him that we were there for a tasting, he seated us and provided menus as well as water and snacks. What was ordered: - Tasting (Peach Rock & Rye, Muscat Marc Brandy, Pear Brandy, Dark Roast Straight Rye Whiskey, Straight Rye Whiskey, Haskap Liquer, Apple Brandy, Barnstormer Whiskey) Yay/Nay/Meh: Yay. The staff member was friendly and he was very knowledgeable about the alcohol. I wasn't a fan of the drinks but it was nice to try them out. Credit cards are accepted.