Ever tasted a whiskey that once contained radiator rust and antifreeze? That’s not a nightmare, it’s history. Washington’s spirits have been forged in fire, fraud, and fierce reinvention.
Washington’s drinking history is wilder than you’ve been told. Author Becky Garrison joins to discuss her book Distilled in Washington and the untold saga of spirits in the Pacific Northwest. From fur traders weaponizing whiskey against Native peoples to prohibition-era moonshiners cutting booze with antifreeze, the story isn’t neat. It’s messy and deeply human.
We trace the journey from frontier chaos through control-state laws, raids that barely drew blood, and into today’s renaissance of American single malt whiskey. Along the way: forgotten women distillers, immigrant vineyard owners deported on technicalities, and the modern gin and rye revolutions reshaping the Northwest.
Becky’s reporting captures not just the drinks but the people, the place, and the fight for community inside every bottle.
Expect to Learn:
Links:
Distilled in Washington (Arcadia Publishing)
Becky on Instagram: @becky_garrison
Becky on Substack: Gaslighting for God
Service starts now.
Follow the show: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube
I talk mostly to people in and around the service industry space. I'm looking to hear from the people I wish I could have talked to when I was coming up in restaurants. Said another way: I am trying to make sense of this wild, beautiful mess of a life, and help others that are feeling similarly confused and/or lost. You can find more of my work at my blog, and all my social links are at the bottom of that page.
Classic Episodes You May Like:
-#22:Doug Frost MW MS
-#23:Jeffrey Morgenthaler
-#31:ET: Entrepreneur (and creator of Surfer on Acid)
-#38:Aaron Goldfarb Hunting for Ancient Booze
-#39:Edward Slingerland's Masterful work on Intoxication
As always, I’m just here taking notes, trying to figure out what it all means.
Cheers
