I became completely lost on the back roads trying to find Ransom in Sheridan at the very southern end of the Willamette in the foothills of the Coastal Range. Several dirt and hilly roads later I had arrived to a forty acre farm and distillery. I was greeted by the winemaker/distiller Tad Seestedt and his team with pizza topped with locally foraged mushrooms and local red wine. Life doesn't get any better then this.
There were two barns—one for the wine and one for the pot stills per Federal regulations. You can't make wine and spirits under the same roof. Honestly, I am more intrigued with the gins Tad and his team produce then the wines—they are amazing. I am constantly trying to understand the entire process from start to finish. Meeting the artisans that distill the spirits I admire is always inspiring and helps me find my passion for what I do.
They are currently making two gins. The first and most famous is the Old Tom. A gin style light brown in color from its oat/corn based mash and is then aged in oak casks. I got to barrel taste some of the gin and taste the oat based mash. The mash tasted just like oatmeal. Old Tom is a style that would be common during the Civil War Era. The other Gin they produce is called Small's, an American Dry Gin that would be common before 1850's. This particular gin is clear and has Oregon raspberries and leaves in the botanicals.
At the restaurant we are currently making
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