Jill Kuehler’s grandmother, affectionately referred to as Meemaw Freeland, was molded by the Depression. She instilled in Kuehler an appreciation for where food comes from and the full-bodied flavors of eating fresh foods, grown from the Earth.

“I fell in love with food and agriculture in her garden and went on to have a career in it,” said Kuehler, founder and CEO of Portland-based Freeland Spirits.

Kuehler’s career recently led her to Bend, where she opened a tasting room in the space formerly home to Avid Cider in The Box Factory.

The rare woman-owned and operated distillery uses both hot and cold distillation processes in the making of its spirits.

“We’re one of only two distilleries in the world — that we know of — that combine the two distillation processes,” Kuehler said.

Kuehler founded Freeland Spirits in 2017 in partnership with Cory Carman. Since then, the spirits have been distributed to approximately 23 states, Kuehler said. In 2023, the company was awarded Best Gin and Gold for its bourbon by the Los Angeles Invitational Wine and Spirits Challenge.

Molly Troupe, master distiller, has been recognized by Forbes “30 under 30” and was the former production manager, lead distiller and chemist at Oregon Spirit Distillers. She used her background in chemistry to implement a rotary evaporator, also known as a rotovap, to preserve fresh ingredients such as cucumber, mint, rosemary, thyme and other botanicals.

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An affinity for gin

The cocktail menu at the Bend tasting room includes tasting flights and cocktails with Freeland Spirits’ bourbon and gin. There are three variations of gin — straight-up gin, Forest Gin, Dry Gin.

Kuehler recommends the Gin Powerhouse Flight ($7), a tasting flight with the distillery’s three types of gin and a side of tonic water with lime.

“What I really love about gin is there’s an infinite number of things you can do with it. It has to have juniper in it in some quantity to be called gin. But other than that, it can really just be anything, any kind of botanicals,” Kuehler said.

Celebrating women

Kuehler is working to empower female-identifying, transgender and gender-nonconforming Oregonians through the Free Spirits program. Every quarter, it shines a spotlight on a free-spirited individual doing groundbreaking work in their field, who is invited to design a cocktail kit with the help of bartenders. A portion of proceeds from sales of the kit benefit a nonprofit of their choosing for the duration of the quarter.

The program is designed to celebrate the achievements of women and to inspire other women.

“I think in so many ways, women need to see women doing the things they think — maybe some place in the back of their head — that only men can do,” Kuehler said.

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Details

What: Freeland Spirits Bend Tasting Room

Location: The Box Factory, 550 SW Industrial Way, Suite 190, Bend

Contact: freelandspirits.com, 541-593-0129

Hours: 2-8 p.m. Monday-Wednesday, noon-9 p.m. Thursday and Saturday and noon-8 p.m. Sunday

Price Range: $7-$25 tasting flights, $12-$15 cocktails