Exceptional elixirs at the Barlow - Spirit Works Distillery

On a recent stormy Friday afternoon, I grabbed a pal and headed over to Spirit Works Distillery
at the Barlow in Sebastopol. o!ring and tasting first class hooch was o!r agenda.
"ed by Bandit, the resident distillery bo#er, fo!r of !s headed into a caverno!s room !tterly
dominated by a massive hand wro!ght stainless and copper still. $ammered and riveted, with
orifices, knobs, t!bes, hoses, this c!stom%b!ilt &erman behemoth reached !p !p !p '( feet !p.
With a porthole every foot, it looked madcap yet deadly serio!s.
wo large fermentation tanks and a grain mill flanked the backside, with giant bags of )alifornia
organic hard red winter wheat awaiting their star t!rn. *ye and malt, ingredients in their as%yet%
!nreleased barrel%aged Straight Whiskey and *ye flanked the bags of wheat. "arge wheeled
vats f!ll of li+!id were nearby, pending distilling or bottling. ,rod!ction was done for the day,
tho!gh an intern-s cleaning tasks kept noise levels high. O!r to!r g!ide, "a!ren, gamely talked
over the decibels and regaled !s with an ama.ing amo!nt of knowledge and good cheer.
he grain%to%glass philosophy behind distiller/fo!nders 0shby and imo 1arshall-s Spirit Works
seems simple2 they control every aspect of their process e#cept for growing the wheat, the sloe
berries and the botanicals !sed in flavoring their prod!cts. What this means is they mill, mash,
strain and distill everything onsite, !nlike the vast ma3ority of alcohol prod!cers, who b!y an
already distilled spirit and simply flavor it to make it their own. he ability to control each step
allows for e#ceptional attention to detail, lending their finished prod!cts !ni+!ely delicio!s
flavors. he incredible height of the still means that they are able to reach the p!rest levels
available to the master distiller, lending a velvety mo!th feel to their vodka and gin.
0fter absorbing the vario!s steps involved in prod!cing these e#ceptional eli#irs, we had some
tasting to do. heir vodka, distilled as the base for the gin and sloe gin, was first. With no plans
to release it as its own prod!ct, early tasters +!ickly recommended otherwise. With ama.ing
viscosity, and rich, weighty, comple# taste, they certainly made the right decision to release it4
Who knew vodka co!ld be so pers!asive5
&in was !p ne#t and we were ready. 1ason 3ars of the botanicals selected to flavor their gin sit
on the tasting room-s co!nter and prepared !s for sensory e#ploration. 6!niper, cardamom,
citr!s and coriander 7among other proprietary flavors8 beg!iled o!r noses while o!r taste b!ds
went into overdrive. Whoa % that is some powerf!lly delicio!s gin, remarkably balanced and
smooth with a heady f!sion of spice and fr!it notes. We wondered how the sloe gin co!ld top
this5 Well, g!ess what5
$istorically, sloe gin is home%brewed in r!ral 9ngland and Spirit Works- recipe was handed
down thro!gh generations of imo 1arshall-s family. Sloe berries, an invasive tiny pl!m, are
foraged in B!lgaria for Spirit Works- Sloe &in and are first distilled into :sloe de vie,: a play on
the words: ea! de vie,: distilled fr!it brandy. he :sloe de vie: is then 3oined with their gin and
cane s!gar syr!p, res!lting in an e#+!isite sloe berry li+!e!r.
he Sloe &in-s sweet berry flavor is balanced by bright acidity, and feat!res a lingering citr!sy
finish. he core comple#ity of the gin plays bea!tif!lly off that sweet/tart sloe berry and it is
mighty tasty. 1eant to be en3oyed as an after dinner digestif, Spirit Works- Sloe &in is also
perfect for blending into distinctive cocktails. It-s high time to redefine the Sloe &in Fi..-s
rep!tation from the schlocky beginner-s drink to something tr!ly elegant4
If yo! decide to taste what the f!ss is all abo!t, tasting room ho!rs are h!rsday thro!gh
S!nday, from ;;%<. o!rs are cond!cted Friday thro!gh S!nday at < p.m. *eservations are
recommended for the to!r.
If yo! really want to gain street cred, get on their mailing list for a highly so!ght%after vol!nteer
bottling slot, held abo!t twice a month. en l!cky people will be recr!ited to help bottle one of
the distillery-s prod!cts in a +!aintly hands%on prod!ction line. ee shirts, prod!ct tasting and
pi..a cap off the e#perience. I l!cked o!t on my first try and took part in a most memorable
evening-s activity. Slots fill in abo!t ;= to ;> min!tes once the email gets sent. &et cracking4