Heritage Distilling Co. is based in Gig Harbor, Washington but has several tasting rooms throughout Washington and Oregon. Pictured here is its Eugene, Oregon outpost.
Heritage Distilling Co. (HDC) is based in Gig Harbor, Washington, at the gateway to the Olympic Peninsula, just across the bay from Tacoma. The distillery has been expanding from its home base through a series of tasting rooms and entertainment centers in partnership with Native American tribes. Its latest partner is the Coquille tribe and its The Mill Casino-Hotel & RV Park in North Bend, Oregon.
Slated to open by year-end, this site will be Oregon’s first Tribal-owned distillery, and one of only a few in the nation, joining a Heritage-backed site in Arizona, Apache Corners, that broke ground last year with the Tonto Apache Tribe. Elsewhere, Talking Cedar Distillery, based in Rochester, Washington, opened its doors in 2020.
Although billed as a distillery, Heritage’s Oregon venture won’t distill until a second-phase add-on is built. Heritage has several distillery tasting rooms across Oregon and Washington, but the Coos Bay site will be the third casino-oriented project on Tribal-owned land under HDC’s Tribal Beverage Network, an organized initiative aimed at bolstering Tribal communities’ economic and social growth through Heritage-backed collaborations. It follows Apache Corners and Angels of the Winds in Arlington, Washington.
The Tribal Beverage Network was made possible by the repeal of a federal prohibition on distilling in Native American Country in 2018, spearheaded by Heritage founder and CEO Justin Stiefel. Thanks to that repeal, spirit production on the Coquille ancestral homeland can commence. The Coquille tribe only gained rights to its 10,000 acres in 1989 after their recognition as a tribe was terminated back in 1954. The program also aims to grant sovereignty to tribal communities in terms of the spirits industry, while increasing economic opportunities for tribal members. In the case of Coos Bay, this means distillery planning and management will be guided by members of HDC, with day-to-day operations facilitated by tribal member employees.
Plenty of employees will be needed to oversee the daily operation for the several outlets within the 3,412 square feet new addition. Patrons will be greeted with a two-floor Heritage-branded tasting room, encompassing two full-service bars, a cigar lounge, retail space, private event suites, and its members-only Cask Club. Elsewhere is a renovated restaurant, two “Swing Suites” for gaming activities, and a production area with capacity for blending, aging, and bottling. No distilling will take place in this area, which is instead being used for blending sourced whiskey from Heritage’s other locations and Kentucky. It’s currently designed to hold 50 barrels for aging whiskey and rum, with plans underway to expand this through a second phase addition to the property for distillation.
