SEATTLE — They’re the Northwest’s dynamic duo of small-batch handcrafted spirits.
“Erik and I talked about doing something like this, probably 14 years ago, when he was illegally making grappa in his garage,” Chef John Howie said, letting loose one of his patented booming laughs.
A decade ago, the celebrated chef and restauranteur, and his wine director, sommelier Erik Liedholm, wondered what would happen if they took a meticulous winemaker’s approach to distilling spirits.
“We’re the only chef-sommelier-owned distillery in the United States,” Liedholm said.
Howie couldn’t have chosen a partner more suited to the task.
“Erik can taste things that other people can’t taste,” Howie said.
Wildwood Spirits sources nearly all of their ingredients locally.
“We know all the farmers. It’s all organic, non-GMO,” Liedholm said.
Apples used in their gin come from Liedholm’s backyard. And even the company’s name is homegrown.
“Wildwood is the street I grew up on in East Lansing, Michigan,” explained Liedholm.
You can see an image of his boyhood home imprinted on the label of The Dark Door bourbon.
“We’ve tried to incorporate a lot of story and a lot of family into everything that we make,” Liedholm said.
The spirits are locally distilled, and finished in handcrafted oak barrels. A distillery consultant was pleasantly surprised by the flavorful notes of their very first batch of bourbon.
“We believe it’s the barrel that created that,” Howie said.
The award-winning spirits can be sampled at tasting rooms in Bothell and Ballard, their newest location.
“A hotbed for creativity and great product,” Liedholm said.
The journey to opening Wildwood Spirits Ballard was challenged by the pandemic, and a massive warehouse fire that destroyed the first set of custom-made distilling equipment.
“Put us behind the eight ball a little bit, so we want to jump out there and get going,” Howie said.
Liedholm and Howie are dedicating their grand opening to their new neighbors at the Ballard Food Bank by raising money for the local charity.
“It’s really more about them than us,” Howie said.
For these partners in distilling, fermenting success keeps their spirits high.
“What am I looking for for people?” said Howie. “I want them to enjoy the best craft spirits they can.”
Sponsored by Wildwood Spirits.
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