Washington State’s Copperworks Distilling has been putting a unique spin on whiskey production since 2013, using a malted beer base to produce a full range of American single malts, as well as gin and vodka. Now, the company has announced plans to acquire a 30-barrel brewhouse from Pike Brewing, complete with brewing equipment, which means Copperworks will own a brewing facility for the first time. The move is a full-circle moment for Copperworks co-founder and president Jason Parker, who got his start in the beverage industry as a craft brewer for Pike Brewing in 1989.
Pike Brewing relocated its production last October, which created the opening for Copperworks to purchase the brewer’s former space on Post Alley next to Seattle’s famed Pike Place Market. The space spans 12,000 square feet and, along with serving as Copperworks' primary brewing center, will also become its new whiskey barrel storage warehouse. It complements the company’s existing distillery on Alaskan Way on the Seattle waterfront, which opened in 2013 and is located just three blocks north of the new space.
Copperworks uses beer made from locally grown barley without hops to distill a wide array of whiskeys. The company purchases its malt and has contracts with four local brewers—Pike, Elysian, Fremont, and Talking Cedar—who produce sweet wort per Copperworks’ specifications. The company twice-distills its beer in copper stills handcrafted by renowned Scottish still maker Forsyths. The company produces different whiskeys by changing the barley base of its beer sources, as well as varying the type of barrels used for aging and the time the liquid spends maturing in oak. Even with the new brewing space, Copperworks expects to maintain some brewery partnerships to produce interesting bases for whiskey, thereby expanding its production capacity significantly.
The current Copperworks lineup includes Release 049 ($70), a 50% ABV single malt made from pale malted Fritz barley grown in the Skagit Valley and matured in charred new American oak for more than 3 years, and Release 050 ($70), a 50% ABV single malt crafted from Vienna malted Fritz barley grown in the Skagit Valley and aged in charred new American oak for more than 3 years. The company also produces single cask labels. Single Cask No. 22-2 ($90) is currently available, made from Copperworks’ exclusive five-malt recipe that blends pale malt with four caramelized malts. This release aged for more than 7 years in a cask that previously housed a Copperworks single malt. Copperworks also offers a distillery-exclusive experience, during which visitors can bottle their own whiskey chosen from the company’s aging spirits for $125.
Copperworks already operates a tasting room at its distillery on Alaskan Way in Seattle and a tasting room and cocktail bar in nearby Kenmore, Washington. The company hopes to be in the new Pike Brewing space soon, though no definitive timeline is set.
In addition to the new distilling facility, Copperworks also plans to add a cocktail bar and retail store in downtown Seattle at the Pike Brewing space on Post Alley. The new bar and eatery will be located beneath Pike Brewing’s Pub and Fish Bar in an area that formerly served as loading and storage space for Pike Brewing. The concept will offer Copperworks spirits and small bites, and will also house a bottle shop for retail sales. No opening date is set, as the company needs to first formalize its design and acquire the necessary permits.
Complementing that, Copperworks plans to add a farm-to-table kitchen at its Kenmore space in partnership with chefs Cody and Andrea Westerfield. Called De La Soil, the new kitchen will source much of its produce from nearby Tuk Muk Farm in Woodinville, Washington. That concept, which is currently operating as a semi-regular pop-up at the Copperworks Kenmore space, is expected to open as a permanent addition later this year.
To help fund all of these projects, Copperworks launched an equity crowdfunding campaign on StartEngine, inviting the public to invest and become co-owners. At press time, the effort had raised more than $86,000. Parker and business partner Micah Nutt, who also has craft brewing experience, co-founded Copperworks in 2013.
