Spokane, WA (August 13, 2024)—Dry Fly Distilling has been a staple of the spirits scene in the Pacific Northwest since launching in 2007. With products now available in 35 states, Dry Fly is hoping to increase their national footprint and is looking to The Wagner family to help with this goal.
Charlie Wagner of Caymus Vineyards and Wagner Family of Wine has purchased a majority interest in Dry Fly Distilling Inc. This is an exciting opportunity for Dry Fly, as Wagner and his team bring decades of experience in the wine industry to a craft distillery located in Spokane, WA.
“While my primary focus is making wine, it’s been thrilling over the past decade to work with Dry Fly on one of my favorite projects – creating a wheat-based whiskey aged in our wine barrels that reflects fine craftsmanship and the highest standards of quality and taste,” said Charlie Wagner. “Now we are taking our collaboration to the next level. Assuming a bigger stake in the company speaks to my excitement over Dry Fly’s vision, passion and expertise, and its ability to make products that truly stand out in the market. I look forward to working more with the whole Dry Fly team.”
“We started working with the Wagner Family more than a decade ago and have loved growing and nurturing this partnership,” said Dry Fly Distilling Founder Don Poffenroth. “The Wagner family is one of true honor. We share the same vision and we are thrilled to put Dry Fly and its future growth in their hands. I have no doubt this will be a great partnership. Also, as I approach retirement, I hope it will free me up to do a little more fishing.”
Over the past ten years, Dry Fly and the Wagners have been working together on various projects. One such project includes a whiskey finished in Caymus Special Selection wine barrels that will be released next year. Through this work together, these two organizations realized they had a great synergy and wanted to make the relationship official. Charlie Wagner and Mike Carlson, V.P. and General Counsel at Caymus Vineyards, have joined the company’s board of directors.
Along with this new partnership come other changes at Dry Fly. Patrick Donovan will move into the role of President of the company. Patrick was Dry Fly’s first employee and has extensive knowledge and deep love of our brands and products. The company also recently conducted a nationwide search for a new national vice president of sales and marketing. After talking to many qualified candidates, they are looking to Donald Kidd to head up their global sales and marketing. Kidd is an industry veteran with 30 years of experience. Most recently, he held the position of Vice President of Sales for Southern Champion/BuzzBallz. Before joining Southern Champion in 2019, he spent 11 years at Hood River Distillers/Pendleton Whiskey, serving in multiple senior leadership roles in sales and marketing.
For more information on the Dry Fly Portfolio email info@dryflydistilling.com. To learn more about Dry Fly Distilling and their award-winning line of products visit www.dryflydistilling.com. For more information in Caymus Vineyards please go to www.caymus.com.
About Dry Fly Distilling
Dry Fly Distilling began with Don Poffenroth and a good friend, knee-deep in a Pacific Northwest River, just outside the lie on a scenic bend. The two friends discussed how fortunate they were to live, work, and play in one of the most amazing places on earth. That conversation hatched an idea to find a way to share their mutual love of hand-crafted spirits and the natural beauty and purity of the Northwest. Dry Fly Distilling was born.
Dry Fly embraces the farm-to-bottle approach for all of their products. Grain is sourced from family farms located within 30 miles of the distillery. Dry Fly Gin also boasts a locally sourced botanical deck. With each product, consumers can be sure they are getting the finest spirits available and it is a totally grain-to-glass operation.
About Caymus Vineyards and Wagner Family of Wine
The Wagner family comes from a long line of grape growers and winemakers, with a history in Napa Valley dating back to the 1850s. In 1972, Chuck Wagner started Caymus Vineyards with his late parents, Lorna and Charlie Wagner Sr. Working together for decades, they established Caymus Cabernet as one of the region’s most celebrated wines. Today, Caymus remains entirely family-run, and two of Chuck’s children, Charlie and Jenny Wagner, now work alongside him. Together, the family is proud to offer a wide range of varietals under different labels.
The family now runs two wineries that are open to the public, Caymus Vineyards in Rutherford, Napa Valley, and nearby Caymus-Suisun Winery in Suisun Valley, California. Chuck, Charlie and Jenny Wagner all feel extremely fortunate to be spending their days in pursuit of making extraordinary wine, year after year and generation after generation. For more information, please go to www.caymus.com and www.wagnerfamilyofwine.com.
