‘A Perfect Late Summertime Sipper’: Washington Distillery Releases Gin Made From 1,400 Pounds of Locally Grown Plums

(Photo: Molly Dilmore)

Washington-based craft spirits producer Copperworks Distilling has officially debuted its 2022 Harvest Plum Gin. The long-awaited release comes following a local community’s joined efforts to crowd-source fruit after a cold and wet spring left plum yields seriously low.

“Our Plum Gin is a naturally colored gin with plummy flavor, a touch of sweetness, and low proof,” said Copperworks Distilling Co. Co-Owner and Vice President Jeff Kanof. “It is a perfect late summertime sipper and makes an excellent cocktail base.”

Copperworks Plum Gin, 2022 Harvest is crafted from 1,400 pounds of locally grown Italian Prune plums from the 2022 harvest. To achieve ultimate plumminess, the fruit is macerated in Copperworks’ signature Small Batch Gin for approximately nine months.

“It’s not clear exactly how Italian Prune plumes, native to the coastal Mediterranean region of Italy, first arrived in the Pacific Northwest,” said Copperworks Distilling Co. Co-Owner and President Jason Parker. “What is clear is that nowadays, these fruit trees are prolific across our region, thanks in part to heavy promotion by the Washington State Fruit Commission from the 1960s through the early 1980s. And they’re utterly delicious.”

(Photo: Molly Dilmore)

To source enough fruit for its gin, Copperworks sent out a call for locally-grown plums — and received a positive response from the community. In gratitude for the contributions, the distillery donated to a local food bank in exchange for the homegrown plums.

Alongside help from a handful of generous Seattle residents, Copperworks secured most of its plums through partnerships with local farms and an independent nonprofit.

Warm Valley Orchard, led by Bob and Maria Nutt, marked Copperworks’ initial Plum Gin partnership. Bob Nutt, the brother of Copperworks’ Co-founder Micah Nutt, triggered the collaboration with surplus plums. So, what began as an experiment in 2017 became an annual Plum Gin release with Copperworks sourcing from Warm Valley consistently.

Lazy River Farm, a sustainable family farm in Kent, Washington, also helped supply Italian Prunes plums alongside City Fruit, a Seattle-based nonprofit that repurposes excess fruit from over 7,000 local trees by distributing it to food banks.

Anyone who has Italian Prune trees in the Seattle area and is interested in providing fruit for Copperworks’ 2023 batch of Plum Gin is asked to email [email protected] for more information.

Copperworks Plum Gin, 2022 Harvest Tasting Notes, Via the Brand

“Vibrant on the nose with notes of candied orange peel, almond paste, violet and plum skin. Light and bright on the palate with jammy sweetness and delicate, herbaceous flavors of melon rind, fruit leather, spruce tips and cinnamon. A lingering tartness and light tannins on the finish bring to mind red apple skins and pink peppercorns with a touch of sweetness.”

Resting at 29.4% ABV, Copperworks Plum Gin, 2022 Harvest is available through the distillery’s shop for $59.89 per 750 ml bottle.

Beyond the Gin

(Photo: Molly Dilmore)

After the gin is bottled up, Copperworks is left with an abundance of gin-soaked fruit. To further combat food waste, the distillery handed over the boozy plums to Fair Isle Brewing and Girl Meets Dirt.

“Given our own origins as brewers, it’s no surprise we wanted to see what these plums could do for a craft beer,” said Parker.

“Fair Isle focuses on thoughtful mixed-culture saisons that express the bounty of ingredients in the Pacific Northwest and they have something in the works with these plums. Keep an eye out soon for what will be a very special (and tasty) release from them.”

While Fair Isle Brewing processes its plums, Girl Meets Dirt turned the fruit into Ginny Jam, which can be purchased here.

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