Rum in the Evergreen State
While Washington is famous for its abundant forests and hops, locally made rum emerges from the craft distilling scene, adding a new layer to the state’s spirit landscape. Washington’s geography is dramatically defined by the majestic Cascade Mountains, a north-south divide. West of the range is the fertile Puget Sound Lowlands with intricate waterways, islands, and a milder, wetter maritime climate, home to Seattle and Tacoma. To the east, the landscape shifts to the expansive, semi-arid Columbia Plateau, shaped by volcanic activity and the Columbia River, defined by rolling hills, agriculture (wheat, apples, wine grapes), and a more extreme continental climate. Further east rise the rugged Rocky Mountains with their dramatic peaks. The iconic Mount Rainier, the state’s highest peak within the Cascades, provides a stunning backdrop to Seattle. This diverse geography, from coast to mountains to plateau, shapes Washington’s scenery and subtly influences the resources and ingenuity behind its emerging craft spirits, including rum.
Washington’s spirits history has some intriguing stories. The fur trade, particularly during the 19th century, used alcohol, including rum and whiskey, to trade with Native Americans. This is intertwined with the broader drink history in the Pacific Northwest, from distillers to saloons and establishments. Early settlers brought distilling skills in the 1870s, but things changed in the 1920s Prohibition era. Washington’s extensive coastline made it a prime location for rum runners bringing spirits in from Canada.
Fast forward to the 2000s, and Washington’s distilling landscape underwent reform. A series of softening alcohol laws created a rise in the craft distilleries we see today. A key development was the dedicated Craft Distillery license, which gave smaller producers more accessible licensing fees and the ability to sell spirits for off-site enjoyment and free samples on their premises. Let’s embark on a tour of Pacific Northwest craft distilleries and rum makers in the north, winding our way through the Cascade foothills on our way to Seattle and then onto southwest Washington.
Cascade Foothills
In the eastern foothills of the majestic Cascade Mountains lies a captivating blend of natural beauty and Bavarian charm. This picturesque region is renowned for its stunning mountain vistas and outdoor adventures in Tumwater Canyon and the Autumn Leaf Festival. Explore its numerous hiking trails, discover the beauty of Icicle Creek Falls, and enjoy the scenic Lake Wenatchee State Park. After all this adventuring, refresh your palate with a local rum.
Blue Spirits Distillery
Located in Leavenworth, Washington, near the pristine waters of Lake Chelan, Blue Spirits Distillery was founded in 2010 and officially launched in 2012 by Jeffery Soehren. The name Blue Spirits is inspired by the unique blue glint visible even in the whitest snow, an echo of Lake Chelan’s glacial origins and the pure water used to proof every bottle. Their rum, Peirates Rhum Lake Chelan Rum, is distilled from sugarcane and molasses, gaining its golden colour and butterscotch notes from ageing in fine wood barrels with caramelised sugar. The distillery highlights the quality of their glacial water as a foundational element of their spirits. A complete visitor experience awaits you daily at their Leavenworth distillery. Enjoy convenient access to their tasting room, versatile Events Center, and inviting food and cocktail lounge, all in one location. Whether you’re looking for a quick tasting, a special getaway event, or a place to relax with food and drinks, they have you covered.
Find out more on Blue Spirits Distillery
North Puget Sound
Just south of the Canadian border, west of the Cascade foothills, and east of Puget Sound’s waters, the North Puget Sound unfolds. Explore Snohomish at the Snohomish and Pilchuck Rivers’ meeting point. Discover coastal Edmonds along Puget Sound, your ferry gateway to Olympic Peninsula views. Inland, the fertile Sammamish River Valley awaits with its wine country. Anchoring the region on Elliott Bay is bustling Seattle. Its iconic skyline, framed by the Olympics and Cascades, sets the scene for perfect sunset rooftop rum cocktails.
Skip Rock Distillers
Founded in 2009 by Snohomish natives Ryan and Julie Hembree, Skip Rock Distillers in Snohomish evolved from a passion for local food and quality drinks into a well-known Pacific Northwest brand. Committed to hand-making every bottle from scratch, they prioritise local ingredients and build strong relationships with farmers for the highest quality crops. Skip Rock strives to create unique and balanced spirits, including whiskey, gin, vodka, and rum, enjoyable neat or in cocktails. Their visitor experience includes tours and tastings at their Snohomish location, offering insight into their production process. Their rum offerings include the Belle Rose Rums, made with authentic Louisiana turbinado cane sugar and available in Light (aged in white wine barrels), Amber (aged in used whiskey barrels), Honey (infused with local honey), and Double Barrel (bourbon barrel finished in red wine barrels) variations. In summary, Skip Rock Distillers, owned by Ryan and Julie Hembree and founded in 2009 in Snohomish, Washington, produces a range of spirits, including rum; the Belle Rose line with Light, Amber, Honey, and Double Barrel expressions, using quality ingredients. In downtown Snohomish, you can enjoy the tour and tasting with flights/samplers or pick up one of their limited releases.
Find out more on Skip Rock Distillers
Scratch Distillery
Scratch Distillery in the heart of Edmonds was opened in 2015 by Bryan & Kim Karrick, aiming to make everything from scratch and without sourcing. The focus was on making a vodka that would also be the base for flagship gins. Over the decade, they now have about 28 products, including making rum in 2023 from Panela sugarcane. The rum line is relatively new, and has yet to release an Amber Rum, which is scheduled for this July. The core offering is Scratch Distillery White Rum and Toasted Coconut Rum. They mash, ferment, and distill the rum, with no additives or sugar added back. The result is a super clean and fresh spirit with distinct notes of vanilla and banana from the particular yeast they use and the Panela sugar. Current projects are 2 new infusion flavours of Pineapple and Banana Rum. All the infusions use real fruit or coconut and nothing artificial. You can visit the Scratch Distillery, where the range is almost exclusively sold at the tasting room, but you’ll find their rum at some good establishments across the state. Reserve your place for a distillery tour and tasting experience, where you can enjoy cocktails and snacks in a modern setting with a welcoming outdoor deck.
Find out more on Scratch Distillery
Puget Sound Rum Company
Puget Sound Rum was the first rum distillery in Woodinville, established in 2015 and officially opened to the public in 2016. The distillery is 30 degrees north of where most tropical rums are made. In addition to rum, they release other spirits under the Four Leaf Spirits brand. Puget Sound Rum uses a traditionally styled Jamaican pot still, and traditional Jamaican rum-making methods but adds its own twist. By combining raw materials and techniques from the tropics with the climate and water of the Pacific Northwest, they create unique and flavourful rums.
Rum 47 is named after the 47th parallel, where it’s made. Rum 47 White Rum is distilled from organic panela sourced from a small family farm in Colombia. It’s single-distilled through a Jamaican-style pot still, designed to capture the rich flavour of the panela. It’s a long, slow open-top fermentation time of 2-3 weeks to create this heavy white rum, full of flavour and character. Rum 47 Amber Rum is also distilled from organic panela, single distilled on the pot still. They take a different cut of rum and blend it back in with the White Rum 47 before ageing it in used bourbon barrels for at least 1 year. The rum is an amber colour and has notes of oak, caramel and vanilla. Comb and Cane Honey Infused Rum, C&C Honey Rum is modelled on Ron Miel liqueurs of the Canary Islands. However, this is a little less sweet and a little higher proof. Using Rum 47 White Rum from the still, add Pacific Northwest Honey to create a flavoured rum. You can schedule a visit for a regular tasting or the Happy Hour, and they host Speakeasy Nights. There’s a Cuban Restaurant across the street, and they have a Rum Club. You’ll find the rum at many good establishments across the state.
Find out more on Puget Sound Rum Company
Old Log Cabin Distillery
Old Log Cabin is inspired by a bourbon whiskey brand’s roots back to 1840. Under Batch 206 ownership, it then transitioned in 2022 to Old Log Cabin Distillery. As Seattle’s first organic brewing company and Washington’s longest-operating organic brewery, they are recognised for their commitment to sustainability. Seattle’s Elliott Bay is a naturally deep 600-foot harbour. Their rum, Elliott Bay Rum, starts with a molasses and panela sugar-based fermentation. It’s distilled on their hybrid pot and column still and then aged in the distillery’s own used bourbon barrels. They also have a beer finished in sourced ex-Colombian Rum barrels and added a few different beers into the rum barrels, including Mashing Pumpkin beer. Old Log Cabin Distillery regularly give tours and hosts popular mixology classes. You can visit the tasting room from Wednesday to Sunday, and also host parties at the distillery.
Find out more on Old Log Cabin Distillery
South Puget Sound
Where Puget Sound’s waters narrow southward, discover the distinct South Puget Sound. Centred on Tumwater, at the Deschutes River’s mouth, the landscape reveals glacial history in rolling hills and waterways. Explore scenic Tumwater Falls along the Deschutes, the feel is laid-back, deeply connected to the region’s heritage and try the locally made rum.
Heritage Distilling Company
Founded in 2011 by Justin and Jennifer Stiefel and Drew and Sara Kellerman, Heritage Distilling Company (HDC) has deep roots in the Pacific Northwest community, actively supporting local charities. Their Tumwater location, a partnership with South Puget Sound Community College and the Tumwater Craft District, opened in 2021. Notably, HDC partnered with Chehalis Tribal Enterprises to open Heritage Distilling Co. at Talking Cedar in 2020, a landmark project made possible after HDC and the Tribe successfully advocated for the repeal of a long-standing federal statute prohibiting distilleries on Tribal lands, establishing the Tribal Beverage Network. Whiskey is their core focus, but HDC’s rum line is called Commander’s Rum. It uses a blend of Barbados and homestyle molasses, taking over 2 years to perfect the distillation process. Commander’s Silver Rum has fruity notes and caramel hints. Commander’s Spiced Rum infuses its Silver Rum with 11 Indonesian spices. These rums are tasting room exclusives and available at their locations in Gig Harbor, Roslyn, Tumwater, WA, and Eugene, Oregon. Visitors can enjoy spirit flights, cocktails, and lite bites, with bottles and merchandise available for purchase.
Find out more on Heritage Distilling Company
Southwest Washington
Where the Columbia River dramatically borders Oregon, discover vibrant Vancouver – a welcome refreshment point for travellers exploring the region’s stunning natural landscapes. From here, access the volcanic wonders of Mount St. Helens to the north and enjoy scenic drives and waterfront activities along the mighty Columbia. Inland, the gateway to Gifford Pinchot National Forest beckons with hiking, waterfalls, and volcanic peaks. Southwest Washington is a compelling blend of history, culture, and raw Pacific Northwest beauty.
3 Howls Distillery – RemedyHouse
Established in 2012 by owner and head distiller Will Maschmeier, a former medical professional, their rum is inspired by his time in Costa Rica. The name 3 Howls pays homage to a British legend, and the distillery was the first in Washington state to produce rum. They also age some of the oldest bourbons in the state. Excitingly, their new state-of-the-art distillery in Battle Ground, WA, is nearing completion, featuring three silos, an automated grain handling system, a 1300-gallon three-chamber still, a Carl pot still, and a 50-litre rotary evaporator for cold distillation. They are developing a dedicated barrel program for their 100% molasses rums. The new distillation uses the new three-chamber still, a method they believe makes them the first in the US. This still yields a robust and full-bodied 100% molasses distillate. They eagerly anticipate the complex flavours from barrel ageing in Madeira, brandy, and ex-bourbon barrels, with plans to explore more. Small-batch, high-proof rums with no additives are planned, with the first three-chamber distilled release expected in summer 2027. While the new facility is being completed, their tasting room and restaurant, the 3 Howls Remedy House, is open in downtown Vancouver, WA. Located in a beautifully restored Victorian building, it offers a unique experience to enjoy its award-winning spirits and culinary delights, including limited releases that are exclusively available at the tasting room.
Find out more on 3 Howls Distillery – RemedyHouse
Aside from the distillery tasting rooms mentioned, here are some more places to sip Washington rum locally at bars.
Where to Enjoy Rum in Washington
Bellingham: Red Rum Tiki Bar
Seattle: Rumba, Inside Passage, Island Soul Rum Bar & Soul Shack, Navy Strength, Rob Roy, Sol Liquor Lounge, The Hideout, Zig Zag Café, Liberty
Tacoma: Devil’s Reef, McMenamins The Old Hangout
Vancouver, WA: Coral Club, Wahi Hana, Stack 571 Burger & Whiskey Bar, 3 Howls RemedyHouse, Thirsty Sasquatch
Seattle’s modern distilling history took off in the 2010s, and a vibrant cocktail culture grew up with the craft distilleries. There are several bars and restaurants known for their delicious rum cocktails. The Storm Clouds cocktail is a Seattle staple, using rum and ginger beer highball, lime twist, and a scoop of vanilla ice cream as a float. Seattle Cocktail Week is held annually in March, where you can enjoy rum locally. So, pack your bags and plan your next rum adventure through Washington’s stunning landscapes from volcanoes to wine country. Get ready for an unforgettable coastal road trip, sunset views of Puget Sound, cascading waterfalls in the Salish Sea Region and delicious rooftop rum cocktails in the coffee capital of the world.
For more general travel advice on Washington Tourism
To see all the rums on our Washington Rum Map
Thanks to the brands for contributing to this article, and permission to use their images. Other image credits to Canva Pro, and user contributions.
