Amethyst Handcrafted Lavender Gin

Lavender! Great as a moth repellant, even better in Gin.

When Ellensburg Distillery set up shop in 2008 it was — believe it or not — only the second licensed Washington State's distillery. At the time, co-owner Rusty Figgins couldn't quite figure out what sort of still he wanted, so he went about frankensteining his own using 2 grundy tanks normally used in beer brewing. Apparently, good things come to those who experiment, as the strange contraption turned out to have many benefits compared to your regular run-of-the-mill still. With plenty of tinkering here and there over the years he perfected the invention, which has since become an integral part in many a distillery across the nation, churning out everything from Whiskey to Vodka. And it's not just a thing to behold — the beast heats up faster and is way more efficient in extracting alcohol, eliminating the need for a second distillation.

The machine has since served Ellensburg Distillery in making various Spirits ranging from Wildcat White Whiskey to White Horse Vodka, Brandy, and — this is the one we're gathered for here today — Gin. Just like the unusual still it came from, they didn't settle for just any regular old Gin. As the area is famous for its dry and sunny weather, lavender thrives in the wild. Hey, lavender and Gin play off each other quite nicely, but why go about throwing a regular sprig into your drink, when you can add the stuff right at the distilling process? Well, that's just what they did, upgrading the 8 standard Gin botanicals. And this, kids, is how the Amethyst Handcrafted Lavender Gin came to be. As the name implies, all the lavender comes from their own Spring Creek farm and the liquid is vapor-distilled using that epic monster of a still.