the beginning, sun liquor lounge
On May 15th, 2006, Sun Liquor Lounge opened its doors on Capitol Hill in Seattle, Washington. It quickly became recognized for its cocktails with high quality ingredients, including fresh squeezed juice and in-house syrups & shrubs. With the bar making so many of its own ingredients, we decided to take it a step further and create our own line of spirits & bitters. Because our self-imposed standards of quality are so high, we decided to open our own distillery in 2008.
sun liquor bar & distillery
Over the course of the next two years, we mapped out a detailed plan for what would eventually be Sun Liquor Distillery. Using our behind-the-bar knowledge of spirits, we felt confident that we could create a product that both novices and cocktail enthusiasts could appreciate. Gin and vodka were at the forefront of our efforts, with the intent to create both barrel aged products and a line of bitters. We sought out a copper pot still, knowing that it conducts heat better than any other metal while also pulling impurities such as sulfur from the spirit during the distillation process. We found our 100 gallon Forsyth pot still, and were finally ready to begin.
In March 2011 we opened Sun Liquor Distillery, located not too far from its sister bar on Capitol Hill, Seattle, Washington. As our head distiller, Erik Chapman, developed the recipes for our products, he involved the bar staff through each stage of the process.
"We wanted to incorporate a bar alongside our distillery, allowing people to take a peek at the production of our vodka, gin, rum, and bitters while enjoying their cocktails." — Erik Chapman, Head Distiller
This interactive approach only further exemplifies Sun Liquor's dedication to making beautiful, high quality products that are, above all else, approachable.
After a long process of fine tuning and perfecting, we finally released Hedge Trimmer and UNXLD Vodka on November 11th, 2011. Not too long after, Gun Club Gin was released. Though it was originally intended to be a seasonal release, it quickly became apparent that it was a staff and customer favorite, and so we decided to keep it as a more robust complement to Hedge Trimmer. These three products later went on to win awards at the San Francisco World Spirits Tasting Competition in 2012.
Many years later, after careful consideration, we developed our silver and barrel aged rum. We use fresh pressed cane from the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Louisiana, Georgia in order to capture a grassy, agricole style of rum. We use a wide application of barrel selections, including Olorosso sherry, California chardonnay, French Burgundy, ex-bourbon, and Sochu barrels. These two products round out our collection of spirits and embody our playful, creative style.This interactive approach only further exemplifies Sun Liquor's dedication to making beautiful, high quality products that are, above all else, approachable.