Whiskey Gap Distillery open for visitors during Memorial Day weekend

Brandon and Tricia Egbert are the proud new owners of Ritzville’s first distillery.

The Whiskey Gap Distillery is named after an area north of Spokane through northern Idaho and Montana. The area was called the “whiskey gap” by rumrunners in the 1920’s who brought alcohol from Canada into Spokane during prohibition.

Dennis Chamberlain, owner of Uniquely Washington, brought the idea to Brandon during last year’s Memorial Day car show. Brandon, residing between Connell and Othello with wife, Tricia, and two children attended the car show and Brandon had his 1927 Ford T-bucket entered into the annual event.

Brandon, who enjoys vehicle restoration in his free time, found the idea intriguing and continued to keep in touch with Dennis throughout the year.

With little knowledge about distilling alcohol, Brandon began researching the process on his own accord feeling excitement about the entrepreneurship opportunity. Tricia worked as a stay at home mom while Brandon worked on the family farm, which he says has never been his true passion.

Raised in Connell, and Tricia in Richland, the couple met their sophomore year at Columbia Basin College in Pasco. Tricia went on to the Marine Corps, eventually locating in Pendleton, California, after boot camp.

Long distance proved to be challenging for the couple and Brandon moved to California where he and Tricia married and welcomed their first child.

The new family returned to Washington where Brandon began working on the farm and Tricia tended to their two children.

After speaking with Dennis and having some moments of uncertainty regarding the potentially rewarding risk, Brandon and Tricia were contacted and agreed to take the shot as small town entrepreneurs with big ideas.

Brandon continued his self-motivated studies including reading, Internet research and a week long distilling class in Gig Harbor, near Seattle.

Brandon, Tricia, Dennis and Mary Chamberlain have renovated the building, which is owned by the Chamberlains and is currently home to Uniquely Washington. The store has been renovated to abide by all state and federal regulations for the Whiskey Gap Distillery.

After starting close to a year and a half ago, the distillery is now in the final stages of licensing approval. With hopes for approval on labels and tasting, the business will be open for Memorial Weekend for patrons to venture through.

Custom Whiskey Gap Distillery t-shirts, glasses and shot glasses are on display and available for sale at this time. The couple hopes to hear from the Alcohol Tax and Trade Bureau before the eventful weekend for tasting approval and shipping standards, so any orders can be placed.

Also available for sale will be personal aging barrels in which patrons can choose the aging time and create their own personal whiskey. The personalized barrels can be engraved for gifts and can stored in the business on display.

Distilling alcohol is a learning process, which Tricia and Brandon find interesting and exciting with the sky as the limit.

The three-week process begins with cooking potato or corn, which will be ground down, for an hour. Barley is ground down and added to the mash to set for an hour at 155 degrees.

The product is then cooled to 95 degrees and put into a fermenting barrel. Yeast is added and the fermenting process begins, lasting seven days for corn and three for potato mash.

The fermented mash is then distilled for the first time in a 55-gallon still. The machines are all heated by steam and the alcohol is distilled through four compartments. Once the first distilling process is completed, the liquid is put into four-gallon glass jars for three days. While in the jars, flavors can be added.

One of the most favorable parts of their business, Brandon stated, is the ability to do what they want with it. Brandon and Tricia have endless possibilities for flavors and have created countless new ideas.

Once the one-time distilled alcohol has sat for three days in the jars, it is then distilled through a 26-gallon finished still. The process of distilling four gallons takes roughly three to four hours.

The alcohol evaporates at a lower temperature than water. The vapors travel up into the chamber through a copper bubbler, which turns the vapor back into a liquid to repeat the process separating the alcohol out.

Once the distilling is completed the alcohol is put in a new wooden barrel to age to desired taste.

Brandon and Tricia hope the business will provide a good living for their family. The hopes and expectations are to eventually expand into Uniquely Washington’s portion of the building.

The couple is proud of their product so far and future to come. Using only local ingredients including hard red and Washington bred wheat, barley from Eastern Washington and eventually corn from family farms.

Rocky Coulee Brewing Company out of Odessa has Fireweed Honey Blond Ale to be distilled in the future and Camas Cove Winery in Moses Lake will provide grapes for distilling to make what is called grappa.

The sky really is the limit for Tricia and Brandon who are ready to explore, expand and continue to learn and create delicious locally made alcohol at the Whiskey Gap Distillery.