Spirit Works Barrel Aged Aquavit
Sebastopol, California, USA
Spirit Works Barrel Aged Aquavit was released by Spirit Works Distilling in Sebastopol, California, as part of the distillery’s first Aquavit release in April 2018. The release had two dates, April 20 and April 22. Each $75 ticket included three 375 ml bottles of Aquavit. Spirit Works described them as three different batches and, in the event description, as three different styles. Head Distiller Lauren Patz presented the three styles, their botanicals and the history of aquavit during the events.
The three bottles were presented in the same bottle and label format, with the batch number handwritten on the label. Spirit Works announced the release in February 2018, describing it as a release of three different styles of Aquavit.
The available information does not identify the individual recipes of the three 2018 styles or specify which botanicals were used in the Barrel Aged Aquavit. It also does not give the type, size or previous contents of the barrels, or the length of maturation.
Spirit Works continued to produce Aquavit after the 2018 release. In November 2019, a 750 ml batch was described as the distillery’s inaugural 750 ml batch of Aquavit. The bottle from this later release contains a clear spirit.
Bottle gallery
About the producer
Spirit Works Distilling
Sebastopol, California, USA
Spirit Works Distilling was founded in 2012 by husband and wife Timo and Ashby Marshall in Sebastopol, Sonoma County, California. The distillery was built around a grain-to-glass approach, with the Marshalls producing their own base spirits from grain rather than buying neutral spirit.
The distillery’s main grain has been California red winter wheat sourced from the Sacramento area. The grain is milled, mashed and fermented on site before distillation. Spirit Works uses an 800-litre Carl hybrid pot still equipped with two rectifying columns. The longer 21-plate column can produce neutral spirit above 95% ABV, while the shorter five-plate column and pot are used for other distillation work.
The original range included vodka, gin and sloe gin, later expanding to wheat and rye whiskey, bourbon, barrel-aged gin and other small-batch spirits. The distillery’s approach also included organic grains and on-site processing as part of its grain-to-glass production model.
In 2020, Spirit Works was named Distillery of the Year by the American Distilling Institute. The award recognised the distillery’s spirits as well as its contribution to the American craft-distilling community.
Spirit Works operated a tasting room at The Barlow in Sebastopol for many years. The tasting room later closed, while the distillery continued its spirits business. The current Spirit Works website remains active and presents the company as a Sonoma County spirits producer.
