Freeland spirits

Artisanal Spirit Of Portland

It’s impossible to miss the bright blue storefront of Freeland Spirits. There’s all kinds of puttering and bubbling going on inside, and Molly Troupe, chief distiller, oversees it all.

“Sometimes people come in asking Molly if they can meet the distiller. They assume that women can’t do what we do. But we only have women working here and our suppliers are women,” says Jill Kuehler with a wry smile.

That kind of question doesn’t feel right in 2023. Women can do what is done here — these women do it — which is to say, make damn good liquor. In making gin, they use a dual distillation method. First the regular, heated distillation. Then they cold distill the gin and add in 16 different herbs, berries, and other flavor elements, some of which are kept secret. By using a cold vacuum macerator, the boiling point is markedly reduced, and they avoid heat killing the flavors.

So we’re at the bar, tasting different spirits, first on their own and then in cocktails (I love my job), when Jill tells the story behind the distillery’s name.

“It’s named after my Meemaw Freeland in Texas where I’m from. We say Meemaw, not grandma, there. Meemaw didn’t touch the strong stuff at all, but she did teach me that women can achieve anything if they work hard.

Sometimes I wonder what she’d say if she saw me now.”

So how does women-made liquor taste? A stupid question, obviously; what matters is what’s in your brain, not what other body parts you may or may not have. There’s no doubt this is good stuff, artisanal products by true artisans. Molly has a master’s degree in Distillation from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland, and it shows. The gin is beautifully refreshing. As a true liquor romantic, I believe myself to sense an essence of fir within it, a piece of Oregon’s forest in its soul. The bourbon is made of 70% corn, and is so soft and smooth that you want to hug it. Their Geneva, inspired by genever, packs a punch full of hazelnut. The last spirit to be tested is a nice dry gin that I cannot entirely vouch for. The reason is that my taste buds are on vacation and have readily been enjoying everything that’s been poured.

Freeland Spirits stays true to the creative, artisanal spirit of Portland. It’s particularly interesting that they proudly showcase their female-run venture without beating customers over the head with it. Something else was beating me over the head when I woke up the next day, but I think that was for a different reason entirely.

Don’t miss Freeland Spirits the next time you’re in Portland, and raise a glass to Meemaw when you’re there

FREELANDSPIRITS.COM

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