Black Ring Spirits — Attraction in Port Orchard

Good taste, good environment, good spirits, good people, good prices, all local craft distillery, you can even see the still through the back door, too, if you think distilling, bottling or labeling looks cool to watch or to chat about. The selection of drinks took a hit thanks to one of the biggest malt grain suppliers in the state suddenly dying (breweries took a nasty hit too), so there have been times when you might find only one flavor to pick from. More recently though, the selection has returned and I've seen an average of about 4-6 flavors to pick from, ranging from hibiscus vodka to pistachio-chocolate whiskey, to that coffee whiskey they make that always sells out in a heartbeat, heh. That said, I'm not any kind of expert so I can't start listing off the various tasting notes and nuances to tell you if the options are astronomically amazing whiskeys or not, but they taste good to me.

Anyway, they've got a tasting flight they do here, you get a pour of each of their bottles to try them all. If Tom's here, he'll tell you a long, flavorful story about how he came up with it, how long it's been aged, what it's like, other little stories about it, describe what it goes best with, whatever. He also does cocktails if you're into that, though if he's not around, Heather really only does the basic stuff and mainly focuses on pours. I like that their pours cost about as much as a well shot anywhere else, despite this being better whiskey and being more than a shot (I think? I don't do shots, TBH.)

They also keep a bearded dragon here named Dog (Dawg?) that they...

New distillery in Port Orchard, tried their products for the first time today. You can taste the rye in the rye whiskey. Has a strong start and a spice finish. The citrus vodka is made with orange and lime. Good flavor but a bitter finish. Likely too much fruit pith used when it was made. I was disappointed in the single malt whiskey. It has a strong flavor that could use a bit more filtering that would greatly enhance the drinkability. The apple brandy was very nice. Would make a very nice sipper on a cool fall evening. The bourbon, like the single malt has an in your face start and a good finish. Heather at Black Ring is very knowledgeable about what they make. The tasting room is buried in the back of a small shopping center and can be hard to find. Enter near the Goodwill and look for their signs. Tom and Heather are off to a promising start, with experience should come some slight improvements that should make their products top shelf. I will definitely stop by again in the future to see how they are doing. I brought home a bottle of bourbon, it will join my other bourbons from Dry Fly and Blackfish as my go...

This place is bloody amazing. Tom and Heather are about the nicest people ive ever met. Tom's passion for whiskey is unrivaled. Heather is brilliant, her smile infectious, and her pour heavy. They have their own dragon, with such a personality, named "Dog" . and The shoppe is located on the bottom floor of the mall. Enter to the right of the Good will and hang a right around the corner. Take a left down a small corridor and you'll find the sign and door on the left. I had a few drams of their various batches and they were grand. They make vodka too and I had one of the most amazing tiny Moscow mules. Head down there, give it a go and bring a bottle home. They source everything from Washington and everything is hand...