Freeland Spirits
Quick overview of the distillery
Freeland Spirits is a women-owned craft-distillery in Portland, Oregon, named after the founder's grandmother Meemaw Freeland. The distillery combines locally grown Oregon grains, foraged botanicals, and collaborates with regional partners to create gin, bourbon, rye and seasonal liqueurs. With an active tasting room and a quarterly membership club, Freeland offers both small-batch whiskies and bolder, high-proof releases.
History
The story begins in 2016 when Jill Kuehler shared her dream of starting a distillery. Cory Carman, who runs cattle and wanted to produce grain on his ranch, offered to grow grain for the project, and thus Freeland Spirits took shape. The name honors Meemaw Freeland, an independent craftsperson and farmer, whose philosophy of doing things from scratch shaped the brand's direction. Since its inception, Freeland has worked closely with local partners such as Camas Country Mill to select and stone-mill heritage grains. The lineup has grown from the original whiskey idea to include gin, cask-strength bourbon, limited editions, and quarterly curated boxes through She Flies Club, which also supports local women-owned businesses.
Raw materials and production
Production is built on local ingredients: Freeland uses Oregon-grown grains and partners with Camas Country Mill to stone-mill heritage and ancient varieties to preserve full grain flavor. Master Distiller Molly Troupe is named as responsible for selection and blending on several products. For the gin variants, both traditional botanical distillation methods and modern extraction tools are used; Forest Gin is made with foraged ingredients (e.g., chanterelle, Douglas fir tips, salal berries and næb) and is distilled on a rotovap to preserve freshness. Dry Gin is distilled at high strength ('navy strength') and bottled at 57% ABV. Rye Whiskey Batch #2 is bottled in bond and distilled at 100 proof, while the bourbon editions are blended from defined mashbills and blends, finishing in local wine and cider barrels.
Maturation and cask types
Freeland uses primarily charred American oak and new American oak for primary aging. Several of their bourbons receive a final resting period in local Elk Cove Pinot Noir barrels to add vinous fruit notes, and a limited wheated bourbon is finished in Bauman’s Cider barrels. Cask Strength Bourbon gets an extra finishing period (listed as about 6 months) in Pinot Noir barrels, while rye typically ages in new American oak. These finishing experiments are used strategically to add regional aromas without altering the underlying structure of the whiskey’s base.
Whiskies
The range spans from gin to bourbon, rye, and seasonal liqueurs. Core products include Freeland Bourbon and a Cask Strength edition, while Rye Whiskey represents the distillery’s desire to showcase the potential of Oregon grains. Limited editions are also developed, such as a wheated bourbon with a cider finish and seasonal liqueurs (Cherry Blossom, Chai Spice). Forest Gin and Dry Gin highlight different facets of the Pacific Northwest: one draws on agricultural botanicals, the other on foraged forest items.
| Whisky | Type / Series | Alcohol | Age | Cask and Style | Flavor Profile | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rye Whiskey (Batch #2) | Rye Whiskey | 50 % | 4 Years | New American Oak | Batch #2 is stone-milled from selected heritage- and ancient-grains in collaboration with Camas Country Mill. Distilled and bottled in bond at 100 proof, it highlights Oregon-terroir and small-scale production (yield mentioned as 12 barrels). Nose: Crispy pistachio, brown sugar, butterscotch, fresh red cherry, bananas foster; Taste: Tobacco, nutty, caramel, spice, cedar bark, leather; Finish: Soft, with lingering notes of cherry and root beer | Seasonal / batch-based (Batch #2 indicated; page shows 'sold out') |
| Freeland Bourbon | Bourbon | 46 % | Charred American Oak and Elk Cove Pinot Noir barrels (finish); finish: Final rest in Elk Cove Pinot Noir-barrels | Freeland Bourbon is composed of a mashbill of 70% corn, 20% rye and 10% malted barley. It ages in charred American oak and gets a final rest in Elk Cove Pinot Noir-barrels to add a Northwest fruit character. Master Distiller Molly Troupe is behind the blending. Nose: Toffee, marmalade, smoked pecan, and clove; Taste: Soft caramel, baked berries, vanilla and cocoa with spices; Finish: Long and velvety | Active; Core range; Core product in the lineup | |
| Cask Strength Bourbon | Bourbon (Cask Strength) | 57.5 % | Charred American Oak and Elk Cove Pinot Noir barrels (6 months finish); finish: Additional 6 months in Pinot Noir-barrels | The bottle is a tribute to the distillery's namesake Meemaw Freeland. Cask Strength Bourbon is bottled at 115 proof and uses a high rye in the mashbill to highlight spice; it receives an extra finish in Elk Cove Pinot Noir-barrels. Nose: Rich vanilla, caramel and dark cocoa; Taste: Dominant vanilla and caramel with hints of leather and cherry; Finish: Quick punch from the higher alcohol followed by a silky, lingering finish | Active; Core range; Core product (high-proof edition) | |
| Wheated Bourbon (Finished in Cider Barrels) | Bourbon (Wheated) | 50 % | 4 Years | Charred American Oak (primary aging) and Bauman's Cider barrels (finish); finish: Extra time in cider-barrels after primary aging | A limited-edition wheated bourbon with a mash bill of 51% corn, 45% wheat and 4% barley. Aged 4 years in charred American oak and finished in Bauman’s Cider-barrels for a cider-inspired finish. Nose: Subtle wood and orchard fruit; Taste: Layered notes of toffee, apple, roasted oats and brown sugar; Finish: Mild, lingering warmth with cider-inspired clarity | Limited; Limited release |
The whiskies' style and flavor profile
Overall, the descriptions point to three through-going directions: fruity notes (red cherries, apple/orchard fruit and baked berries), malt-sweet elements (brown sugar, toffee, butterscotch and caramel), and spicy notes (clove, black pepper and warm spice from high rye). Vanilla and dark caramel from charred American oak appear in the bourbon releases, while floral-citrus elements appear in the Cherry Blossom liqueur and botanicals, earthy notes in Forest Gin.
Visiting the distillery
The distillery's tasting room is located at 2671 NW Vaughn Street in Portland and has regular hours Wednesday–Sunday. Visitors can purchase spirits in the shop, participate in tastings and events; She Flies Club also offers quarterly pick-up parties and a complimentary tour and tasting for up to four guests as a member benefit. The tasting room also serves as a pickup location for member boxes and local releases.
The stated hours are Wed-Thu 2:00 PM–8:00 PM / Fri 2:00 PM–9:00 PM / Sat 12:00 PM–9:00 PM / Sun 12:00 PM–8:00 PM.
Philosophy and craft
Freeland is built on a stated value of craftsmanship and local roots: everything from scratch, using Oregon ingredients and supporting women-owned businesses. The name and story of Meemaw Freeland symbolize independence, thoroughness, and an approach that values local collaborations and small-batch production. With She Flies Club and other partnerships, the distillery actively works to elevate female producers in the supply chain.