UNDISTILLEDDREAMS

Longview couple’s potato vodka distillery gets off the ground

February 19, 2016 •By Marissa LuckMarissa Luck

John and Lauri Koehler aren’t big drinkers, but that hasn’t stopped them from learning how to make a good vodka.

Nearly seven years after first starting Eagles Cliff Distillery, the Longview couple released their first commercial batch of potato vodka in December. The spirit can be ordered by the glass at Teri’s Restaurant on Ocean Beach Highway, or purchased by the bottle at G3 Liquor in the Triangle Mall and at Boondox Liquor on Ocean Beach Highway.

They have aspirations to make Eagles Cliff one of the biggest craft distilleries in the state, and to make gin and whiskey as well. Priced at $39 a bottle with tax, their vodka appeals to people looking for flavor, the Koehlers say.

While most vodkas are made from a base of grains, Eagles Cliffs Distillery uses potatoes, giving it “a velvety smooth” taste, Lauri Koehler said. Their vodka, she said, has a “warm glow” rather than the bite typical in cheaper vodkas.

Lauri, 64, said she has a low tolerance for hard alcohol, so “I’m a good person to sample because if it doesn’t bite or burn and smell to me, then it certainly won’t for people that do drink,” she said.

The spirit is created in a two-car garage on their property near Mill Creek, between Longview and Cathlamet. The smell of fermenting yeast and potato fills the warm building, where large metallic pots of liquid await distillation. The vodka is packaged in bottles made at the Kalama glass factory, labeled with an Eagles Cliff logo and transported exclusively to local stores and restaurants — for now.

John, 63, had previously been an engineering consultant for Intel, Nike and Boeing at various stages in 25-year career. He used that background to design Eagle Cliff’s distillation techniques.

“This very unsophisticated technique has proven to be the most effective,” he said, with flecks of potato starch on his jeans.

John said the typical distillery shells out hundreds of thousands of dollars for equipment, but he cut costs by building equipment himself from parts. Still, the couple has invested about $150,000 into the business, so far. They don’t expect to be profitable for at least three to four months.

The potato vodka has been a long time in the making.

In 2008, John read in the paper that the Legislature passed a law opening the way for craft distilleries. The law allows a craft distiller to make up to 150,000 gallons of spirits a year, and half of the raw materials must be made in Washington.

John immediately dove into research, and soon received a license to open a craft distillery. But then he developed a condition that impaired his ability to focus and process information — leaving him temporarily unable to run his budding business.

Since then, Lauri retired from her job at Emerald Kalama Chemical. The couple has been able to manage John’s mental condition.

They resumed operations in early 2015, hired an employee and finally began selling their flagship Exalt Estate Potato Vodka late last year. Soon customers will be able to order online or by phone.Subtitles

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Right now, Eagles Cliff produces about one batch of 100 bottles every two weeks. The couples want to boost that number to three batches a week. They hope to expand operations by moving to a bigger space soon, possibly at the Port of Kalama. They also are looking to hire a second employee.

“We hope to grow big and fast,” John said.

Eagles Cliff is part of a trend of craft distilleries cropping up in recent years. There are now 86 craft distilleries in the state, including one in Toledo. A craft license costs $107, far less than the $2,000 required for a typical distillery license.

Mikhail Carpenter, spokesperson for Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board, said that has made the startup cost easier for small businesses.

“If you look at the wine industry and the craft breweries, these are industries are booming in Washington. Craft distilleries are kind of follow the same path,” Carpenter added.