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.
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.
UNXLD vodka is carefully handcrafted with organic, non-GMO wheat, and fresh Seattle municipal water, some of the very cleanest in the United States. UNXLD is distilled four times past the initial distillation in one hundred gallon increments in a copper pot still. Generous cuts are taken from the heads and tails for a richer texture. Five to six final distillations are blended together and rest in stainless steel for 30-45 days, creating a softer, consistent final product that recalls a traditional Eastern European style vodka.
At Sun Liquor we take special care in creating an entirely wheat-based vodka where no ingredient or step has been neglected, maintaining the purity and integrity of the vodka. We take no shortcuts at any point in production, avoiding flaws that would otherwise become obvious in the final product. Our special care ensures a richer, creamier texture that ultimately lends itself to be enjoyed on its own or as a structural element in cocktails.
Nose Light astringency with clean, refreshing finish.
Palate Bright and clean with a slight creaminess and rich viscosity. Delicate minerality carried throughout with a pleasant, lengthy finish.
Our Hedge Trimmer gin is carefully hand-crafted with organic, non-GMO wheat, nine organic botanicals, and fresh, filtered Seattle municipal water, some of the very cleanest in the United States. Triple distilled in one hundred gallon increments, we take generous cuts from the head and the tails for a richer texture.
Our distillery offers Hedge Trimmer gin in the London dry style to be enjoyed on its own or beautifully blended in more delicate, juice-based cocktails. While we source all of our medical-grade dried botanicals from one of the oldest brokers in the world, all of our citrus comes from California farms, and our other fresh botanicals are sourced locally. When originally creating this gin, something in the flavor profile seemed to be missing. After a trip to see our friends at Inaba Family Farms in Eastern Washington, we experimented with putting their cannonball watermelon rinds into our botanical combination. The cool, clean influence from the rind gave us exactly the weight and refreshing element we were looking for. Such playful but calculated experimentation has always served us well, producing an end result we, as industry veterans, can feel proud of.
Botanicals: Turkish Juniper, Cannonball Watermelon, Spanish Coriander, fresh Orange Rind, fresh Lemon Rind, Angelica, Grains of Paradise, Sarsaparilla, Cassia Bark
Nose Rich, sweet notes of juniper with lemon zest on the forefront. Subtle pink peppercorn leads away into a delicate musk with a clean, slightly bitter finish.
Palate Soft and dry with vegetal notes on the forefront leading into a tea-like quality with a strong presence of the lemon peel- slightly bitter. Sarsaparilla and watermelon leads the fresh finish of delicate qualities of cola and chamomile.
Gun Club gin contains thirteen botanical varieties and is made from organic, non-GMO wheat, and fresh Seattle water. Triple-distilled in one hundred gallon increments, the base spirit includes generous cuts of heads and tails, providing a rich texture that balances Gun Club at 100 proof.
Our head distiller Erik Chapman grew up in a naval family and wanted to pay homage to the culture of “naval strength” style gin for a fun winter release. Gun Club became so popular that it now ranks among our most successful spirits. To uphold its reputation, we have sourced our dried botanicals from one of the oldest brokers in the world, our citrus from California farms, and our fresh botanicals locally. We have taken great care to produce a high proof gin that easily integrates into spirit-driven cocktails.
Botanicals: Nutmeg, Clove, Cranberries, Orris Root, Angelica, Grains of Paradise, Turkish Juniper, Coriander, Cassia Bark, Birch Leaves, Orange Peel, Spanish Green Cardamom, Star Anise
Nose Initial astringency leads off to a dry, slightly bitter earthiness. It is balanced by a subtly sweet influence from the cranberries. Delicate note of dried roses at the very tail end.
Palate Creamy texture with prominent influences from the Clove, Nutmeg, and Cassia. Muted acidity gives way to a complex balance of juniper and sweet spice. Finishes with the bright but bitter notes of orange peel and cranberries. Delicate thread of cardamom throughout.
Sun Rum Silver is made with fresh-pressed, organic, sugarcane juice from the Caribbean and the Southern United states. The juice is lightly pasteurized and fermented for ten days before being twice distilled in an antique copper pot still. The base spirit is brought to proof using fresh, filtered Seattle municipal water, some of the very cleanest in the United States, before resting in barrels for 21-30 days.
We began making rum because of our love for tiki culture, which has inspired an important aspect of our bar program. But in our dedication to creating authentic, high quality products, we wanted to avoid additives, charcoal filtering, caramel coloring, sweeteners, or a typical final distillation. We elected instead to age the rum in each of our nontraditional barrels, and loved the unusual, rich result.
Distinguished by its agricole style, our raw and terroir-driven rum embodies all the grassy notes one would expect from this mainstay of Caribbean culture.
Nose Predominant notes of almond paste with a very delicate note of nutmeg throughout that is complimented by a muted earthiness on the finish.
Palate Very clean on the palate with notes of sweetgrass, candied lemon peel at the forefront with a light thread of nutmeg that carries over from the oak finishing.
Sun Rum Barrel Aged is made with fresh-pressed, organic, sugarcane juice from the Caribbean and the Southern United States. The juice is lightly pasteurized and fermented for ten days before being twice-distilled in an antique copper pot still, and is brought down to proof using fresh, filtered Seattle municipal water, some of the very cleanest in the United States. The resulting rum ages for two years in ex-bourbon, Sochu, Olloroso, French, and American oak barrels.
We began making rum because of our love for tiki culture, an era and atmosphere that informs an important aspect of our bar program. But in our dedication to creating authentic, high quality products, we wanted to avoid additives, charcoal filtering, caramel coloring, sweeteners, or a typical final distillation. We elected instead to age the rum in each of our nontraditional barrels, and ended up loving the unusual, rich result. Distinguished by its agricole style, our raw and terroir-driven rum embodies all the grassy notes one would expect from this Caribbean standard.
Nose Pronounced notes of butterscotch and maple with grassy influences throughout. Pineapple rind, nutmeg, and a delicate earthy musk.
Palate Maple syrup with candied yellow grapefruit, with a long finish that has assertive gingerbread quality.
ALSO AVAILABLE IN SELECT MINIS
