Production places
Connections to water sources, peat places, maltings, cooperages, warehouses and maturation sites. Uncertain connections are labelled.
No documented production places are linked to this distillery yet.
Chambers Bay Distillery
Overview of the Distillery
Chambers Bay Distillery is located in University Place, Washington, and specializes in boathouse aging: they place barrels in floating boathouses on Puget Sound to age their bourbons. The distillery's lineup includes several bourbons and whiskeys, and they combine small‑batch releases, tasting room releases, and a Greenhorn Barrel Club program for direct customer involvement.
History
Chambers Bay is a craft distillery from University Place, which has made maritime aging methods a central hallmark. Co-founder Alan Davis contributed to a feature in Barrel Room Chronicles in April 2024, where the distillery's boathouse approach was highlighted. The distillery has established the Greenhorn Barrel Club, which gives members access to a guaranteed number of Greenhorn Bourbon bottles, barrel visitations, and participation in bottlings. In November 2025 the distillery conducted a tasting room release of its Madeira Cask Finish Bourbon, a release based on extended boathouse aging followed by a Madeira finish.
Raw Materials and Production
Aging occurs under the following conditions: Barrels are placed in floating boathouses on Puget Sound (boathouse / ocean-aged).
Notable production characteristics include boathouse/ocean-aged aging in floating boathouses on Puget Sound, use of small 20-liter charred new American oak barrels for certain bourbon releases, wine/fortified cask finishing, documented use of ex‑Madeira cask, small-scale, artisanal production with a focus on maritime aging, and direct customer involvement through the Greenhorn Barrel Club and bottling events.
Maturation and Barrel Types
The maturation strategy is based on boathouse or ocean-aged aging: barrels float in boathouses on Puget Sound to allow maritime influences to affect the whiskey. Greenhorn Bourbon is described as aged in small 20 L charred new American oak barrels for about 20–22 months on the water. Madeira Cask Finish Bourbon combines long boathouse aging in new American oak for at least 4.5 years with a final 6-month finish in ex-Madeira cask on land. The combination of small barrels, new American oak, and wine-cask finishes are central elements of their maturation approach.
Whiskeys
The portfolio is bourbon-heavy and includes names such as Greenhorn Bourbon, CBD Straight Boathouse Bourbon, Madeira Cask Finish Bourbon, and Captains Reserve Bourbon, as well as Ghost Dog Whiskey. Several products are released in limited quantities through the tasting room and via the Greenhorn Barrel Club. The range spans from small-batch releases aged in 20 L barrels to longer boathouse aging, with some bottles receiving a final wine-cask finish.
| Whiskey | Type / Series | Age | Cask & Style | Flavor Profile | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greenhorn Bourbon | Bourbon | Approximately 20–22 months in 20 L charred new American oak | 20-liter charred new American oak | Boathouse-aged bourbon, offered through the Greenhorn Barrel Club as a membership product. The club notes that members secure three cases (36 bottles) of this edition. | Limited; Barrel Club / limited tasting room releases; 36 bottles |
| Madeira Cask Finish Bourbon | Bourbon | 4.5+ years in new American oak (boathouse) + 6-month finish in ex‑Madeira | New American oak (primary aging) and ex‑Madeira cask (finish); finish: 6 months in ex‑Madeira cask | Tasting room release where the bourbon is boathouse-aged on Puget Sound for 4.5+ years and receives a 6-month ex‑Madeira finish; released in limited quantities and with VIP tastings before public release. | Limited; Tasting room / limited release |
| CBD Straight Boathouse Bourbon Whiskey | Bourbon | Listed as part of the distillery's bourbon lineup as a boathouse-aged straight bourbon whiskey. | |||
| Captains Reserve Bourbon | Bourbon | Listed among the distillery's spirits on the site; specific product data is presented in the range listings. | |||
| Ghost Dog Whiskey | Whiskey | Name listed among the distillery's spirits; presented as part of the product portfolio. |
Visit the Distillery
The distillery runs a Town Center tasting room at 3610 Bridgeport Way W in University Place, where they host tastings, local releases, and VIP tastings for new releases. The Greenhorn Barrel Club offers members barrel visitations, participation in bottlings, and invitations to pre-release events. The tasting room serves as both a showroom and sales location for the distillery's releases.
Philosophy and Craft
The core of Chambers Bay's approach is summarized as 'Land Crafted, Ocean Aged' — a combination of land-based craft and maritime maturation. The choice to store barrels in floating boathouses is a consistent craft decision, and the Greenhorn Barrel Club reflects a desire for direct customer involvement in production and release processes. Selective wine-cask finishes are also employed as part of product development.
Prizes and Recognitions
- Gold Medal (Gold Medal, Greenhorn Bourbon)
Latest News
From Ocean Waves to Whiskey Craves: The Story of Chambers Bay Distillery – 2024-04-11
Chambers Bay was the main topic in an episode of Barrel Room Chronicles, where the distillery's maritime aging method and interview with co-founder Alan Davis were presented.
Madeira Bourbon Release #3 – 2025-11-16
On November 16, 2025, Chambers Bay announced its third Madeira Cask Finish Bourbon release; the product is described as boathouse-aged for 4.5+ years in new American oak and finished with a 6-month ex-Madeira finish. VIP tastings and a tasting room release were planned in conjunction with the release.