Bluewater Distilling:
w
hile
most
of
us
have enjoyed a tasty
libation or two aboard a boat, how many can say they created a
from Boat to Bottle
spirit on the water? For John and Jessica Lundin, this is more than just
Written by Rockwell Rutter
a crazy idea. Prior to starting Bluewater Distilling in Everett, WA, the husband and
Photography provided by Bluewater Distilling
wife team were avid sailing enthusiasts. One evening after discovering a bottle of wine had gone bad, they decided to distill it into something they might be able to drink. Unfortunately the experiment went as badly as the wine tasted, but it planted the seed of an idea that eventually led them to open up their own operation. John had grown up around homemade spirits; his mother was famous for a black currant liqueur created through a long-standing family recipe. It was only a matter of time before John decided to try his hand at craft distilling. Working in the construction technology field for many years instilled in John a “get-it-done” work ethic, which came in handy when starting Bluewater. “I developed Bluewater in the darkest depths of the recession, when capital was frozen,” says John. “It forced me to go back to the drawing board and tighten up budgets, making the operation as lean as possible.” In doing so, John and Jessica are proud to say they were able to open the distillery without taking on any venture capital money. The pair’s ability to find creative solutions to tricky problems didn’t stop
14 www.ArtisanSpiritmag.com