Fermenters, distillers and chemists bring an antique practice to our modern-time. Tanks equipped to hold life and enzymes. The mechanical art of boiling and cooling liquids and grains to make a spirit is a part of Thinking Tree’s magic. Thinking Tree spirits brings these drinks to life locally in a place that values the art of distilling in a way that is community conscious and locally sourced.
With a notable name and iconic logo, this distillery gained a reputation in the Whiteaker area of Eugene. Thinking Tree has been open for five years now and serves a variety of cocktails and spirits. “The fun part is controlling the distillation,” Kaylon McAlister, Thinking Tree’s master distiller, said. “Me and one other helper are holding down the fort here.”
Distilling in its basic form is boiling liquids, then separating those liquids at different boiling points. Because alcohol boils at a lower temperature than water does, this means the alcohol is separated from water using evaporation and condensation methods. Distillers evaporate the alcohol, collect the vapors and throw it into a condenser with colder temperatures, making the vapors a liquid again. Thus making what was fermented into a stronger drink by distilling it.
When McAlister and his team first opened, they started with vodka and gin. He said these spirits are quicker to make and are done in a matter of weeks or months. However, he had already started making a rum, having aged the liquid in charred oak barrels for flavor to get that darker hue that you see in the alcohol. So the company grew to serve what it has now: hand crafted vodkas, gins and rums.
Thinking Tree serves these spirits with a cocktail menu that you can enjoy in store or make from home. Drinks like the Bushwick Spice Trade, a refreshing drink made with gin; Rum Old Fashioned, a classic with some extra ingredients; and Run for the Roses, a vodka drink made with homemade rose petals.
Visitors are greeted with a detailed art sculpture of a tall tree and owl made of metals as soon as they walk in. Glass windows display barrels and tanks where they make and hold their spirits. The whole distillery creates an atmosphere that’s artistic and welcoming.
The Thinking Tree doesn’t only make spirits but has used some of its recycled cuts to make alcohol as a sanitizing product. During the COVID-19 pandemic, they made small batches for schools, police departments and firefighting districts to use.
“That was received so warmly that we realized there is a need for this,” McAlister said. He and his general manager came up with the idea of trying to provide something for the state during the pandemic.
McAlister and three other distillers were able to work with the Oregon Board of pharmacy, making 100,000 gallons of disinfectants in five weeks.
Come and see what the Thinking Tree is about and try the taste of what an alchemist has to offer. You’d be surprised by the craft and have a good time sampling their art.
