Seattle-based OOLA Distillery is rolling out a special-edition Left Coast Gin in collaboration with muralist Sarah Robbins in select markets.
Back in April, master distiller and co-owner Kirby Kallas-Lewis, was inspired to create a gin that spoke to the land that he has called home for the past 20 years. Using a 13-botanical “mother ship” gin as the base, he went on a quest to hand-forage ingredients (some from his own backyard) to weave a story of what makes the West Coast so incredibly special.
“I made a distillate of Pacific bull kelp (that I foraged) and a second of hand foraged mountain spruce tips,” explained Kallas-Lewis. “These three distillates were blended with infusions of black mountain currants, mountain blackberries, hibiscus flower (hence the color), distillery garden lemon verbena and rosemary, West Coast honey, Pacific sea salt and an undistilled bright and piney spruce tip infusion.”
The final gin is briny, and herbaly with back notes of sweetness that is ideal to serve alongside a freshly caught seafood fest as you dine under the stars.
Left Coast Gin would not be complete though without the hand-made label from Sarah Robbins that is striking against the magenta color of the gin.
“Sarah, also has a strong connection to this region and you can see it in the imagery on her website,” said Kallas-Lewis. “I wanted the design to stand out and be different from our current branding, but still connect to the OOLA brand and especially this specific Terroir/Merrior Gin Series.”
Left Coast Gin is currently available online for purchase at $44.95.