Immortal Spirits & Distilling Company was founded in 2009 in Medford Oregon from the passion to create true craft liquors – always from scratch, always handmade.
We even built the distilling gear from scratch, from the 60 barrel mash tun all the way to the 1200 gallon stripping pot still and 88 gallon spirit pot still. We pride ourselves in producing all of our spirits by mashing, fermenting, distilling, ageing and bottling – all in house. Each bottle is hand numbered with a release date and bottle number, our signature showing a true passion for this craft. Whiskey is our flagship spirit, and we currently offer several variations to try. We age our whiskeys on new, charcoaled, Oregon Oak casks made right in Oregon.
Tastethedram spoke to the owner Jesse Gallagher briefly to get this point of view on what it takes to make local whiskey.
(Photo Credit: Oregon Wine Press)
Jesse, tell us a little about yourself. What was your career path before you got into distillation ?
JG: I was making my way through dental school and began home brewing, which immediately took over the kitchen, then garage, and eventually it became such a passion I had considered opening a brewery. When my brewing partner Enrico Carini and I ran across a distillery in Portland, a light went on in both our heads. We fabricated the first still and began turning great beer into great whiskey, and Immortal Spirits was born in 2009.
How did Immortal Spirits and Distilling come about. Was it a business endeavor or a hobby, maybe both?
JG: It was clear the business needed to start small and organically evolve. Neither Enrico or myself wanted to relinquish this project to investors. I managed my way through the licensing process, and Enrico, a seasoned fabricator, started making equipment. Early issues for cash flow were dealt with by taking a small loan called the EDLF: Entrepreneur Development Loan Fund. Part of the loan process helped develop a business plan. This helped set a course to make a few products while we continued to produce and barrel whiskey.
In 2009, craft distilling pretty much started the flood of vodka on the market, so we opted for a clear Pear eau de vie and an absinthe for our initial offerings. This didn’t place us in the main stream by any far stretch, but did solidify our position on real, actual craft distilling as opposed to becoming rectifiers to make ends meet. We used local raw materials to create these first products, and it really solidified our company philosophy: always from scratch, always handmade.
What challenges did you see in the early stages of this process and how were you able to overcome them?
JG: At this point, anyone reading this and dreaming wistfully of setting up distilling company should decide now – are you a distiller or a packager? The hardest part of this business is producing your own product from scratch. I firmly believe it is the true form of this craft, and quite literally what makes it a craft at all. It is more expensive, time consuming, and takes longer to turn a product out. But anything else just isn’t distilling. Let me ask you this: if a brewery bought tankers of Coors and repackaged it as “craft lager beer”, would the consumer stand for it? I think not. But somehow the distilling industry is plagued with this very same system. I digress.
What type of Whiskey Spirits do you currently produce?
JG: One location change, 3 complete remodels, and the opening of our downtown Medford tasting room/restaurant later – and now Immortal Spirits boasts 10 distilled spirits and 4 premixed cocktails that we retail at the tasting room.
We currently sell our aged whiskey, “Single Barrel Whiskey” which is quite literally a single barrel selected from the rickhouse, that is at its prime. As such, style will vary from time to time. Our current barrel is a 5 year American Single Malt (which is our flagship product).
We have “Early Whiskey”, a young, single grain whiskey distilled from raw brewers barley grown 11 miles from the distillery (this one will eventually become our Single Grain Whiskey when the stock is matured). We offer clear new make “Moosnhine Whiskey” as well.
Additionally we have Knarr Absinthe Verte, State of Jefferson Rum, Pear eau de vie, Blackberry Eau de vie, Pot Distilled Gin, Nocino, and Limoncello. We also sell 32 oz growlers of premixed cocktails in the tasting room from our most popular cocktails.
Jesse, tell us what is your strategy to stand out in this highly saturated craft whiskey market?
JG: Our strategy to make it in this market is to promote our brand locally, working with a local promoter to get placement into the restaurants and bars around us, and use the tasting room to distribute the majority of our product. We are very small producers in the grand scheme of things and at this point make just about enough to saturate the local market, with limited distribution into the rest of the state of Oregon.
Jesse, let’s get personal. Do you remember your first dram? How did the love of whiskey come about for you personally?
JG: Although I suspect my first dram was far from top shelf, I have a deep respect for Scotch and the long tradition behind it. My love of whiskey stems from that, and the artistic approach of crafting a beer/wash that will ultimately express its nuances after distilling and a long slumber in a cask.
Describe your whiskey in 3 words.
JG: If I described my whiskey in 3 words it would have to be: LOCAL OREGON MALT. This is not only a generic type/class description, but expresses my sincere beliefs in creating and supporting a local economy, that is Oregon proud, and crafted in the style of the Scotch Whiskey that I love so much.
Can you tell us about your manufacturing facility, the pots, the casks, etc.
JG: The distillery facility is quite simple. In all of 1200 square feet, we have a grain mill and mash tun, hot liquor tank, and we use our beer stripping still for a kettle on mash days. We run 1 ton of malted barley per batch. We have 2 fermenters, and will run a double mash to have each fermenter ready for distilling the following week. For distillation, our stripping still and secondary/spirit still are both pot stills, designed and built locally. We double distill all of our products with the exception of the gin, which is distilled a third time. Moving into the bay next door is another 1200 ft space, our “rickhouse”. Here we age spirits on Oregon Oak casks that I have made in Salem Oregon by Re-wine barrels. Re-wine started recoopering barrels, and eventually began limited runs of air dried, Oregon Oak casks. Our casks are extra heavy char.
Does the climate and geographic location affect the maturation process?
JG: The rickhouse is not climate controlled, and our seasons in Southern Oregon vary wildly from snowy winters to hot summer months at 100+ deg F. Our casks swell and shrink and sweat, the ageing process resulting is proving to be unique to our Southern location. Whereas our fellow distillers in Portland and further North reflect a more maritime environment, we are inland, a region perhaps more akin to France than Scotland.
What is in the pipeline for 2017? Any new expressions we should look out for?
JG: Coming in 2017 will be our first aged Single Grain Whiskey, aged 2 years on a new Oregon Oak cask. This is the local raw brewers barley, and has turned into a very special, and totally local whiskey we are very excited for. Our next single barrel offering will be an all Munich Malt whiskey aged 5 years on new Oregon Oak. We are also starting plans to malt our local grains in-house for our Single Malt program.
Was there a distinct flavor profile you look for before bottling the whiskey?
JG: We are currently ageing several iterations of whiskey. The Single Malt, the Single Grain and a buorbon-style whiskey are our standards, and when ready will be full-time releases. Then there are the random offerings for the “single barrel” program- think wheat, rye, all Munich, smoked -whatever seemed like a fun idea at the time. Before any releases we are looking for a full, robust flavor. 2 years is adequate sometimes, and other times it takes 5, some barrels we will hold even longer. The time does not seem to dictate when we make a release. The barrel seems to let us know when.
Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers?
JG: Anyone reading this is welcome to come see what we have cooking if you are traveling through Oregon on I-5, we are minutes off the freeway and easy to find.
https://goo.gl/maps/g6udCjNiuKp
