ANCHORAGE DISTILLERY 6310 A St., Anchorage, Alaska 99518 907-561-2100 www.anchoragedistillery.com
PHOTO BY ASHLEY PRANGE
Travis Lee is a homegrown Alaskan — just like the ingredients he uses when helping create the “frontier-crafted spirits” at Anchorage Distillery. “I didn’t have any distilling experience when I started, although I had done some home brewing,” said Lee, who has been with the company since its beginnings in 2012. “They figured it was either train an Alaskan, or import a distiller.” He and the other distiller, Devin Wagner, both appreciate the Alaska-grown aspect of what they do. “The ingredients in the base for our gin, vodka, and whiskey are all sourced locally,” Lee said. “The barley is from Delta Junction, and the wheat and rye are from Palmer. Then there’s the fresh Alaskan water from the nearby Eklutna glacier.” The distillery’s flagship spirit is Aurora Gin, presented in a stunning blue bottle
inspired by the colors of the Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights, which can be seen swirling through the skies of Anchorage from about the middle of August to April. It’s proofed down to exactly 49 percent— because Alaska is the 49th state, of course. The citrus-forward gin’s botanicals, including juniper, cardamom, coriander, lemon, and orange, lend it a taste that’s as crisp and fresh as that glacier water, and it caught the eye (and the taste buds) of the judges at the 2023 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, where it earned a gold medal. The Glacier Vodka is also popular, and it comes in award-winning flavors like blueberry, raspberry, cranberry, and don’tknock-it-until-you’ve-tried-it ghost pepper. “Each bottle gets exactly one ghost pepper,” explained Wagner, though the heat level varies from pepper to pepper, and therefore from bottle to bottle. In the tasting room, Ghost Pepper Vodka is incorporated into Bloody Marys, naturally, but also a Ghostarita, a mule, and others. “It has a great ability to kick a cocktail into the spicy zone,” Lee explained, “but most people wouldn’t just sip on it.” Wagner, who started at the distillery in late 2022, is anxious to help with the
“We’re turning Alaskan agricultural products into finished products.” — TRAVIS LEE, Anchorage Distillery
whiskies and bourbons. “Creating them is an act of patience,” he said, “and it’s exciting knowing that I might not know what will come of them in six years.” Alaska isn’t known for its corn, so that’s currently imported from Texas. Wagner’s goal is to someday source enough corn from his state, so they can call the bourbons Alaskagrown like the gin and vodka. One of Wagner’s favorite parts of his job, he said, is “to be able to supply the tasting room with the canvas to make the creative cocktails.” Alaska’s strict laws regarding tasting rooms have required the folks at Anchorage Distillery to get creative. Under current law, which is set to change in 2024, they can’t have TVs or live entertainment; they have to stop serving at 8 p.m.; patrons can’t sit at the bar; and no games can be played. Yet the distillery’s tasting room is thriving, thanks to a homey atmosphere inspired by a 19th-century mining shaft, with thick, exposed beams and barrels as tables. Works from local artists hang on the walls for a month at a time, making each visit a unique one. (In May, the featured works were black-and-white landscape and travel photographs taken by Wagner, who calls photography his other creative pursuit, besides distilling.) And of course there are the unique cocktails, like the April Showers G+T, featuring Aurora Gin, grapefruit, lemon, and lavender; and the Snowbird, a twist on a margarita, with Glacier Vodka, pineapple juice, roasted jalapeno, and orange-infused agave. If you can’t make it to Alaska, recipes for dozens of tasty concoctions are helpfully available on the distillery’s website and posted regularly on their social media. When asked what the distillery does best, Lee is quick to answer. “It’s the Alaska-grown aspect of what we do,” he said. “We’re turning Alaskan agricultural products into finished products.” And very tasty ones, at that. — L. Truesdale
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