about

Sip Magazine.

Seattle-based Sip Magazine has been a Northwest resource for all things craft beverage since 2009. Family-owned and female-run, Sip shares stories and news through its print magazine and website, along with new releases, events and industry insights through its social channels.

Formerly Sip Northwest, the publication evolved into Sip Magazine in 2020. Through its group of thirsty contributors, we’re dedicated to celebrating craft culture with a focus on wine, beer, spirits and cider, along with zero-proof options. Discover profiles on producers to learn their history and goals in the industry, beverage reviews to find your next favorite sip, boozy recipes from cocktails to desserts, travel-focused stories highlighting libation destinations and more. 

Locals themselves, Sip‘s publisher, editor and writers are engrained in the Northwest and passionate about sharing all that the Pacific Northwest — and beyond — has to offer.

Kristin Ackerman Bacon

Publisher, CEO

A Washington native whose family has long ties to the wine industry in Eastern Washington, Ackerman Bacon brings more than a decade of experience with luxury lifestyle magazines to Sip Northwest. Her extensive resume includes management positions at Robb Report Vacation Homes, Estates West Magazine and Luxuryrealestate.com and selling within titles such a Robb Report, The Robb Report Collection, Worth, Denver Life and Desert Living. Since launching Sip Publishing, she has also brought to life CIDERCRAFT magazine and Sip’s Wine Guide: British Columbia launched in Spring 2017.

EMAIL:  kristin@sipmagazine.com

Melissa Ackerman Miller

Chief Operating Officer

A native to Washington State, Miller brings over a decade of business development and operation experience to Sip Northwest magazine. Prior to her involvement with Sip Northwest, Miller spent over 12 years in the business operations of an Arizona Spring Training Facility and management of Recreation Department. Her diverse experience includes managing multi-million dollar operational and capital budgets, revenue/expense forecasting, project planning and implementation, marketing and advertising, sponsorship development and event development, along with marketing and implementation.

EMAIL:    melissa@sippublishing.com

Portland Cider’s Huckleberry Lemonade is Bright, Bold and Balanced

CLACKAMAS, Ore. — Portland Cider Company’s brand-new seasonal cider, Huckleberry Lemonade, is bursting with the juicy taste of sun-ripened huckleberries and zesty lemon, paired with Northwest apples.  The cider is refreshing and not too sweet, with bright apple and...

An Oregon Whiskey, Born of Fire

On a damp and foggy winter day — the kind of weather that wouldn’t be out of place in the world’s best-known whiskey-producing countries like Scotland and Ireland — a group of about 20 spirits enthusiasts mull about in a small warehouse space in the Willamette Valley....

Sink into a Sofa at Portland’s Living Room Wines

It’s a blustery, chilly, on-again/off-again rainy evening in mid-winter, among the longest nights of winter – when the darkness creeps in before you know it, blanketing everything in dreary gloom. Puddles lurk in the shadows and scarves are needed to buffer the chill....

Celebrating 50 Iconic Years: IL Bistro hosts Diageo Top 100 World Class US Bartenders

On Thursday, January 30, IL Bistro, the iconic bar and restaurant nestled in Pike Place Market, continues to celebrate its 50th anniversary in grand style. Five of the Diageo Top 100 World Class US Bartenders will take over the bar, each...

The Vancouver International Wine Festival Uncorks the Best of the Pacific Coast

For West Coast wine enthusiasts, there is no better time of year than late winter, when the Vancouver International Wine Festival typically takes place. One of the largest in North America, this year’s wine festival is set for February 22 through March 2. Each year...

Skip the Buzz, Keep the Craft: Low & No Alcohol Brews Hit The Northwest!

Low-alcohol or no-alcohol beer is gaining popularity, especially as a large portion of the adult drinking public is observing dry or damp January. Light beer isn’t a new concept in the United States. For instance, Anheuser-Busch brewed an alcohol-free beer during...

NORTH AMERICA’S 50 BEST BARS SETS ITS SIGHTS ON VANCOUVER, CANADA, FOR ITS FOURTH EDITION IN APRIL 2025

For the first time, the highly anticipated awards ceremony will be held in Canada to celebrate the best of the North American bar community   January 22, 2025 -- North America’s 50 Best Bars, sponsored by Perrier, will return for a fourth edition in April 2025. The...

Raise a Glass to Craft Brewing: Tap Season 2025 Celebrates Tualatin Valley’s Best Breweries, Cideries and Taprooms

This February, celebrate local craft beer with a month of exciting events, a collaboration brew, a mobile passport and more. BEAVERTON, Ore. (January 22, 2025) – Explore Tualatin Valley, the destination marketing organization that markets Washington...

4 Questions for Cellarmasters, the Guardians of the Winemaking Rrocess

Cellarmasters are relatively unknown and unheralded members of a winemaking team. They are responsible for organizing and overseeing daily cellar operations. Cellarmasters are jacks-of-all-trades with a seemingly never-ending list of crucial tasks to accomplish...

Marsh Estate acquired by Santa Margherita and ROCO Winery

January 21, 2025 – Metis is proud to announce the sale of Marsh Family Estate, a distinguished vineyard property in the Yamhill-Carlton AVA of Oregon, to ROCO winery, a wholly owned subsidiary of Santa Margherita USA, part of Italy’s Santa Margherita Gruppo...