Finger Lakes Distilling is preparing to begin distilling operations this fall. This Ithaca Journal article has the details.

The Seattle Times took notice of Portland's emerging distillery scene. Also, this article talks about the Seattletimes article, but also has an interesting photo of a 1901 distillery explosion.

This Stateman Journal article about Clear Creek Distillery talks about the history behind the distillery and the interesting process of making grappa. This distillery's Oregon Single Malt Whiskey made the pages of Jim Murray's Whiskey Bible as the best small-batch whiskey in the world.

This is another interesting story of local laws changing to support local craft distilling, this time in Michigan. It's also an interesting progression to see a brewer make a logical next step into distilling. With all of the craft brewers in Washington and Oregon, will we see a proliferation of distilled spirits coming from Northwest craft brewers?

It seems like it has been while in the making, but, it's official: the Oregon Distillers Guild is here. Of notable absence in the list of member is Clear Creek Distillery. The Washington Distillers Guild is also up and running.

The Oregonian is reporting that Integrity Spirits of Portland, Oregon is the second distillery in the U.S. to make and sell absinthe; following the lead of St. George Spirits. Burning Still has been covering recent developments in absinthe.

What is a trend in distilling when it can take 10 years, 15 years or more to produce a mature product? Add to that a small batch release and you have a whiskey that many will only read about. Read on in this SFGate article about what Anchor Distilling is up to.

Befitting the July 4th holiday weekend, on July 3rd Dry Fly Distillery of Spokane, Washington received it's craft distillery license from Washington State. The Seattle Times covered this historic event. This stems from a new craft distilling law signed in March of this year by the Govenor. The law which targets local distilleries is a model for stimulating local agriculture in that the license fee is reduced to $100 if 50% of ingredients are from agricultural products produced within the state.

This OPB Think Out Loud story on craft distilling (audio) talks about the craft distilling movement and it's roots in Oregon. Guests include Steve McCarthy, of Clear Creek Distillery; Christian Krogstad, of House Spirits.

Chesapeak Bay Distillery just a stone's throw from the nation's capital, is getting media buzz for it's craft products. The linked articles have a nice overview of the Virginia distilling scene.

So the SWA ( Scotch Whisky Association ) has weighed in on the trademark registration request of Canadian whisky Glen Breton for using the word "Glen" in their name. Why? It sounds too Scottish. The SWA provided evidence that many people whom bought and or drank this beverage could not tell you that it was or was not Scotch in origin. Even with a label that says "Canada's Only Single Malt Whisky" and has a big red maple leaf on it. Apparently they polled mostly illiterate or blind drinkers.
SWA has been working for years protecting the appellation names of "Scotch" and "Scotch Whisky" and rightfully so. Scottish whiskies are a national treasure and should be regarded, as a whole, by their national identity and leverage that as an indication of quality. It would be a terrible shame to have Scotch Whisky coming anywhere but from Scotland.

It's the stuff of yore, or is it? Unlicensed distilling in the United States is still a crime and there are still police willing to enforce these laws.

The Northwest Agriculture Business Center in conjunction with Washington State University are hosting a workshop about artisan distilling in Mount Vernon, Washington, June 20 & 21st. Cost is $295 for registration by May 15th, $345 afterwards.

Presentations will be made by:
Alexander Plank, Director of Operations at CARL Distilleries, Germany.
Dr. Kris Berglund, Michigan State University Department of Chemical Engineering & Materials Science.
Nicolas Haase, CARL Distilleries, Director of Technical Sales, B&D Technologies.

Further Information
NW Agriculture Business Center
Christian CARL Distilleries and Brewing
Michigan State ChEMS Department

3M (NYSE: MMM) one of the worlds largest industrial corporations and a leader in technical innovation, has announced their entry into the alcoholic beverage market.