Tad Seestedt started the Ransom Project in the late ’90s with nothing but a depleted savings account and several credit cards. Since then, he has grown his small distillery production from grappa, eau d’vie and brandy to include gin, vodka and whiskey, his wine production commenced with the 1999 vintage, he purchased a 40-acre farm in Sheridan, Ore. to house both the distillery and winery a few years later and in 2008 he planted barley with grape vines to follow. Ironically, the name “Ransom” was selected to “represent the investment necessary to become self-employed.” The website states that “it has since come to represent the amount of debt owed to banks…” With a little bit of historical resurgence in the Old Tom Gin style, Ransom teamed up with cocktail expert, historian and James Beard Award winning writer David Wondrich to create a gin that would accurately revive the fashion of pre-Prohibition era gin. Using some of the barley from the property for a slight malty quality and sweetness, the botanical aromas are the gin are still the dominant character of the corn-based spirit.
