Thanks to area partners, locally grown produce and eight months of plums macerated in Copperworks Distilling Co.’s Small Batch Gin, the Seattle-based distillery announced that its Copperworks Plum Gin from the 2023 harvest is now available.
In 2017, Copperworks received a batch of Italian Prune Plums from Warm Valley Orchard on Orcas Island, Washington, owned and worked by Bob and Maria Nutt. Bob is a brother of Micah Nutt, one of the founders of Copperworks. The distillers filled a previously used cask finished gin barrel with plums and Copperworks Small Batch Gin and a year later, they would release Copperworks Plum Cask Finished Gin, part of what they called an “Experimental Gin Series.”
“The gin was so popular that we decided to include it in our standard lineup as a limited-edition annual release. We now partner with several farms, growers, and local businesses to bring our batches to life,” said Copperworks Distilling Co. co-owner and president Jason Parker. “With nearly a pound of plums in every bottle, this year’s release is a beautifully (and naturally) ruby-colored gin with a tart, plummy flavor and a touch of sweetness. It is a perfect sipper as we head into summer or a great base for cocktails.”
Glittering ruby in color, the nose reveals plum jumping out of the glass, accompanied by prickly pear blossom, fresh mint, vanilla, and honeysuckle. On the palate, the gin harmonizes with the plum, bringing together notes of pink peppercorn, lemongrass, apricot, and juniper. The pink peppercorn continues building into the finish with a menthol-like coolness, hints of fruit leather, orange zest, almond, and a drying florality.
“We proudly source the plums from local growers, and then once we are ready for the bottling stage, we send the boozy plums off to be used in local beer and jam,” said Copperworks Distilling Co. co-founder and vice president Jeff Kanof. “Fair Isle Brewing has named a newly released beer in honor of a local resident named Denise, who was the first to share her plums with us from the 2022 harvest. Sadly, Denise has since passed away, and her family has allowed Copperworks and Fair Isle to share the story of her generosity and kindness.”
To Purchase
Copperworks Plum Gin is available in its online store, its Seattle and Kenmore tasting rooms, and at retail outlets throughout Washington State.
https://store.copperworksdistilling.com/collections/spirits/products/copperworks-plum-gin-750ml
A link to cocktail recipes can be found here: https://copperworksdistilling.com/copperworks-plum-gin.
Notes on Plum Partners from Copperworks
Warm Valley Orchard | Orcas Island, Washington
Established and operated by husband-and-wife team Bob and Maria Nutt, Warm Valley was our very first partner in making Plum Gin. Bob happens to be the brother of Copperworks Co-founder Micah Nutt, and when they had excess plums one season, we knew we had to try something. What began as an experimental cask-finished gin in 2017 is now our annual release of Plum Gin, and we’ve sourced plums from Warm Valley every year since.
Lazy River Farm | Kent, Washington
A few years ago, we grew our Plum Gin production and began sourcing more Italian Prunes from Lazy River, a family-owned and operated farm dedicated to sustainable and natural farming.
Thompson Orchard | Prosser, Washington
This release is the first in which we sourced plums from Thompson Orchard in Prosser. Thompson Orchard is a family-owned farm that grows cherries and plums. We sourced both Italian Prune and Empress varieties from this Southeastern Washington farm.
City Fruit | Seattle, Washington
In 2022, we began working with City Fruit, an independent nonprofit founded to redirect Seattle’s excess fruit from waste. With access to over 7,000 fruit trees and vines on public and private lands in Seattle, City Fruit distributes tens of thousands of pounds of harvested fruit to local food banks and meal programs. And, to prevent waste, they distribute fruit that is not suitable for food banks to local businesses (like Copperworks) who can process the fruit into other products.
Local residents | Seattle, Washington
A small number of Italian Prunes were generously provided by Seattle area residents during last year’s harvest. Due to a cold and wet spring, plum yields were seriously low. We sent out a call for local plums, they answered, and we made a donation to their local food bank in exchange for their homegrown plums.
2022 Harvest Products
Local Beer from Copperworks Plums | Fair Isle “Denise” Just Released, Spring 2024, Named in honor of a generous local resident who was the first to share her plums from the 2022 harvest.
Fair Isle Denise | Seattle, Washington
After a long soak in our Small Batch Gin, the plums have absorbed a fair amount of liquid and alcohol content. The easiest thing to do would be to send the plums to compost, but we know they still have a lot of flavor left to offer. We prefer partnering with local producers to send the plums on the next leg of their journey.
Given our own origins as brewers, it’s no surprise we wanted to see what these plums could do for a craft beer. Fair Isle focuses on thoughtful mixed-culture saisons that express the bounty of ingredients in the Pacific Northwest. Just last week they released a beer named Denise which was made using our plums from last years harvest. During the 2022 plum harvest, yields were very low and it was the first time we extended a call to the community for plums in exchange for a donation to local food banks. Denise was the first resident to do so, and graciously gave us plums from her beloved tree at her home. Unfortunately, she was no longer able to do so herself because of late stage cancer, and sadly she passed away before that batch of Plum Gin (made with some of her plums) was released. In honor of her gracious gift in 2022, Fair Isle named this special beer after her.
Girl Meets Dirt | Orcas Island, Washington
Located just down the road from Warm Valley Orchard where many of the plums are grown, Girl Meets Dirt crafts an array of preserves and cocktail mixers from heirloom fruits.
To purchase Ginny Jam, please visit: