Woodinville

Type: Distillery and brand

Woodinville is a Washington whiskey distillery whose production story connects its namesake town with grain growing and maturation at Quincy. Founded in 2010 according to its owner, it built its early reputation on its own whiskey rather than bought-in stock, waiting five years before releasing its first five-year-old bourbon.[1][3]

At a glance

What Woodinville is known for

The defining choice in Woodinville’s early history was to wait. A 2020 trade account records the founders’ policy of never sourcing whiskey and their decision to let their own spirit reach five years before introducing the five-year-old bourbon.[3]

That gives the brand’s origin a clear distinction: its early releases were presented as the result of its own distilling and maturation, not a selection of whiskey obtained from another producer. The same account describes a business expanding beyond its beginnings while retaining that production policy.[3]

Woodinville’s other defining feature is its two-location operation. The producer calls this “Dual Terroir, Single Origin”: Woodinville provides the distillery location, while Quincy supplies the warehouse setting and the documented farming connection.[1][4][10] It is a useful description of the geography, but the slogan itself is the producer’s claim, not independent proof of a particular flavour.

From a festival meeting to the first releases

A trade interview traces an important early connection to WhiskeyFest Chicago in April 2010, where the founders met David Pickerell. Previously master distiller at Maker’s Mark, Pickerell became a mentor to Woodinville.[5][8]

The same interview reports that the business had previously been registered as Puget Sound Distilling and that its first distillery was installed by July 2010. A new distillery and tasting room followed in Woodinville in 2014, a development also recorded in the owner’s history.[1][8]

Story box: A meeting before the first distillery

Claim: A chance meeting with David Pickerell at WhiskeyFest Chicago in 2010 led to his mentoring Woodinville’s founders.
Verdict: Documented

What the record shows: The trade interview records the meeting and mentoring relationship; the producer’s later account also identifies Pickerell’s contribution.[5][8] Evidence against or gap: None found in the supplied record.

Earliest known source: The earliest source identified for the meeting in the supplied sheet is Northwest Beer Guide’s 2026 interview, “Woodinville: Brett Carlile”. Last checked: 7 November 2026.

The Quincy connection

The farming relationship began with a small transaction rather than a broad origin claim. Reporting in The Seattle Times records that Arnie Omlin supplied the company with an initial quantity of corn in 2011, beginning the link with Omlin Family Farm at Quincy.[4]

A later producer release identifies Arnie and his son Joel as the people running the farm. The farm’s name also appears on the whiskey label, according to the newspaper’s reporting, making this a named supply relationship rather than an unspecified reference to Washington grain.[4][11]

Quincy became more than the source of grain. A local business report dates the first barrel-shed permit in Grant County to 2012, while the 2020 expansion account records the move of barrelling and bottling to Quincy.[3][9]

Those details matter when reading the Woodinville name. It identifies the distillery and brand, but it does not mean that every stage happens in the town of Woodinville. The warehouse location, farm relationship and finishing operations belong in the account alongside the distillery itself.[1][3][4]

Production choices and barrel work

The published production record includes a deliberate investigation of barrels. A trade interview describes a 24-cask study with Independent Stave, followed by the use of number 4 char and staves seasoned for 18 months.[8]

A December 2020 local report gives approximate production strengths of 70% ABV (140 US proof) off the still and 55% ABV (110 US proof) when barrelled. These are dated descriptions of Woodinville’s process, not verified specifications for every subsequent batch.[9]

The details support a more useful account than simply calling the whiskey small batch. They identify decisions about spirit strength, wood preparation and charring, while the Quincy reporting identifies where the barrels went after filling.[3][8][9]

Pot still size: Disputed. LVMH’s account gives 1,320 US gallons, about 4,997 litres; a 2020 trade account gives about 1,500 US gallons, about 5,678 litres. The size is not reliably established.[2][3]

Bourbon mash bill: Disputed. A producer release gives 55% corn, 35% rye and 10% malted barley; a 2020 trade report gives approximately 72%, 23% and 6% respectively, totalling 101%. The mash bill is not reliably established.[5][9]

A production and release timeline

Woodinville’s chronology separates installation of the first distillery from the arrival of mature releases. The date of first distillation is not reliably established.

The owner reports that 5 Year Old Straight Bourbon received ADI Whiskey of the Year in 2016 and 5 Year Old Straight Rye received ADI best rye in 2017.[1] These results are part of the release history, not proof of quality.

Ownership and the move towards older whiskey

Moët Hennessy announced its acquisition on 13 July 2017. Contemporary trade reporting described Woodinville as its first American whiskey business, placing the Washington producer within a larger spirits organisation.[1][7]

That makes “independent” an inaccurate description of Woodinville’s present ownership. Its founders’ production choices remain part of the history, but they should not be confused with the business’s ownership after the acquisition.[1][3]

The later release sequence shows older age statements becoming part of the producer’s account. Its September 2025 announcement described the nine-year-old bourbon as its oldest age-stated release to date, following an eight-year-old bourbon in 2024.[5]

The producer also said that the first 500 numbered bottles of the nine-year-old were released at the Harvest Release on 23 August 2025. Its announcement mentioned a ten-year-old bourbon planned for 2026; that remains a plan in the supplied evidence, not confirmation of a release.[5]

Visiting the two locations

The producer advertises tours at both Woodinville and Quincy, which makes the distinction between the locations useful before arranging a visit.[10] Check the official website for the particular site, booking requirements, accessibility and tour age rules rather than assuming that the two experiences cover the same parts of production.

For understanding the business, the most useful preparation is geographical: keep the Woodinville distillery separate from the Quincy warehouse and farming story.[1][3][4] That distinction explains the producer’s two-location language more clearly than treating the brand name as a complete production address.

Where to go next

• Maker's Mark: follow the distillery connection in David Pickerell’s earlier career.
• Westland: continue with another profile in American Distilleries and Brands.
• Balcones: read a separate American distillery and brand history.

Sources

[1] LVMH. Moët Hennessy Acquires Washington’s Woodinville Whiskey Company. Owner’s account, 2017.
https://www.lvmh.com/en/publications/moet-hennessy-acquires-washingtons-woodinville-whiskey-company

[2] LVMH. Woodinville. Owner’s profile, undated; version supplied in the verified sheet, checked November 2026.
https://www.lvmh.com/en/our-maisons/wines-spirits/woodinville

[3] Shanken News Daily. Woodinville Whiskey: A Craft Player Maps Its Expansion Across the U.S. Market. 2 June 2020.
https://www.shankennewsdaily.com/2020/06/02/25848/woodinville-whiskey-a-craft-player-maps-its-expansion-across-the-u-s-market/

[4] The Seattle Times. A Spirited Partnership With Woodinville Whiskey Co. Edition supplied in the verified sheet; publication date not supplied.
https://www.seattletimes.com/pacific-nw-magazine/a-spirited-partnership-with-woodinville-whiskey-co-saved-the-day-and-then-some-at-a-struggling-family-farm/

[5] Woodinville Whiskey Co., via PR Newswire. Introducing Woodinville Straight Bourbon Aged 9 Years. Producer’s release, September 2025.
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/introducing-woodinville-straight-bourbon-aged-9-years-built-on-belief-302547191.html

[7] The Spirits Business. Moët Hennessy Acquires Woodinville Whiskey Company. July 2017.
https://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2017/07/moet-hennessy-acquires-woodinville-whiskey-company/

[8] Northwest Beer Guide. Woodinville: Brett Carlile. Trade interview, 2026.
https://www.northwestbeerguide.com/spirits/2026-woodinville-brett

[9] Basin Business Journal. Whiskey in Quincy. 28 December 2020.
https://basinbusinessjournal.com/news/2020/dec/28/whiskey-quincy/

[10] Woodinville Whiskey Co. Home. Producer’s website, undated; version supplied in the verified sheet, checked November 2026.
https://www.woodinvillewhiskeyco.com/

[11] Breaking Bourbon. Woodinville Whiskey Releasing Its Oldest Rye Nationally in June. Producer release, 2025.
https://www.breakingbourbon.com/bourbon-whiskey-press-releases/woodinville-whiskey-releasing-its-oldest-rye-nationally-in-june-100-rye-whiskey-aged-8-years

This article is desk research based on the supplied verified fact sheet, separating owner and producer accounts from trade reporting; it does not report a site visit or tasting.

Last checked: November 2026