Portland’s Rolling River Spirits hones in on one thing: distillation as a pure art form. Founded in 2011, Rolling River (part of the Rose City’s spirit-saturated Distillery Row) is owned and operated by the Rickard family, each member an artisan in his or her own right and all with “a keen interest in craft and dimensional arts.” The core team members—Tim (whose art has been commissioned and showcased in galleries up and down the coast), Joan (in her free time an avid quilter and gardener) and Rick (fascinated by the intersection of art and spirits)—are on the first bottling of their first vodka recipe, which provides a concrete example of that focus on artistic purity.
Crystal-clear in color, distilled from pure and organic grains with pure Portland water direct from Portland’s iconic and tallest neighboring peak (Mount Hood), the vodka is designed to showcase grain character rather than slink guiltily away from it. Warm with the smoothness of wheat and the subtle spice element imparted by rye, the spirit will play well with other mixers but should also be sampled straight at least once to appreciate the artistry behind it.
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