There are limited releases, and then there are whiskeys that can never be made again. Copperworks Distilling Co. out of Seattle has just dropped a new bottle that falls squarely into the second category, and anyone serious about American single malt whiskey would be wise to pay attention.
The distillery, which has built a strong reputation in the craft spirits world since opening its doors in 2013, has released the latest expression in its Farmsmith series — an American Single Malt Whiskey distilled from a single varietal called Genie Pale Malt. The barley came from one specific place: Coulee Hite Farms in Reardan, Washington, sitting in a hot, dry stretch of land just west of Spokane. It was malted by LINC Malt in Spokane, distilled at Copperworks, and then left alone in four new American oak casks for five years and three months to become what it is today.
What makes this release different from your typical limited-run whiskey is that the word "limited" doesn't quite cover it. According to Copperworks President and Co-Founder Jason Parker, the distillery has only been able to source Genie Pale Malt from that particular growing zone one time in the company's entire history. "That makes this release genuinely rare, not just limited, but unrepeatable," Parker said. "The terroir from Reardan's growing conditions in 2020 is captured in these bottles." Once these bottles are gone, that's it. There's no next batch. The 2020 growing season in Reardan happened once, and whatever the land and weather did to that barley is now locked inside this whiskey forever.
That kind of story doesn't come along very often, and it's the whole point of the Farmsmith series. Copperworks Co-Owner and Vice President Jeff Kanof described the thinking behind it plainly: "The Farmsmith series lets us showcase what happens when you isolate every variable — single variety, single farm, single year. This Genie Pale Malt spent over five years developing the kind of complexity you can only get from patience and exceptional Washington barley." The series is essentially a study in what American grain can become when everything around it — the soil, the climate, the harvest year — is held constant and allowed to speak for itself.
The previous Farmsmith release, made from Baronesse barley grown at Joseph's Grainery in Colfax, Washington, demonstrated what this approach is capable of. That expression took gold at the 2025 American Craft Spirits Association Competition. It then sold out entirely. The new Genie Pale Malt release picks up where that left off, carrying the same philosophy forward with a completely different grain from a completely different part of Washington State.
On paper, the specs are clean and approachable. The whiskey comes in at 50 percent ABV — 100 proof — and is priced at $69.99 before tax and shipping. For what's in the bottle, that's a fair ask.
The tasting notes paint a picture worth sitting with. The nose comes in with fresh butter before moving into something more nostalgic — maple bar and cedar chest. On the palate, coffee and cocoa nib show up alongside cherry, orange creamsicle, and pineapple, all sitting on a base of graham cracker and vanilla. The finish stretches out with leather, cinnamon stick, and black pepper, with just a trace of toffee at the end to keep things smooth. It's a whiskey that moves through several different directions without feeling scattered, which is usually the sign of grain and oak that have had enough time to work things out on their own terms.
For anyone who wants to try before committing to a bottle, Copperworks is currently running a limited-time promotion at both of its tasting rooms. The distillery is offering a specially crafted Old Fashioned made with the Farmsmith whiskey, served alongside a half-ounce taste of the new release. Better still, if a guest orders that Old Fashioned and then decides to buy a bottle, the cost of the cocktail gets applied as a discount toward the bottle price. The promotion is running through winter at both locations — the original tasting room at 1250 Alaskan Way in downtown Seattle, and the Kenmore location at 7324 NE 175th St.
Copperworks is not a newcomer to this level of recognition. The distillery was founded by Jason Parker and Micah Nutt, both of whom came out of craft brewing with more than three decades of combined experience in the alcohol industry before they ever opened a still. The question that drove the whole operation from day one was simple but unusual: what would spirits taste like if they were distilled from high-quality craft beer — minus the hops — rather than the conventional ingredients most distilleries rely on? That question led them to build something that has stood apart from the beginning. The distillery uses traditional copper stills that were made in Scotland specifically for Copperworks and for the distillation of each individual spirit they produce. That level of specificity runs through everything the distillery does, right down to the Farmsmith series and this latest Genie Pale Malt expression.
The awards have followed accordingly. Copperworks was named Distillery of the Year in 2018 by the American Distilling Institute. Its whiskeys and gins have taken Double Gold medals and scored between 94 and 96 points in major spirits competitions. In 2023, it was voted Best Distillery in the Best in the PNW contest run by The Seattle Times. These are not participation trophies. They reflect a distillery that has stayed focused on quality over volume since it opened on the Seattle waterfront more than a decade ago.
American single malt as a category has been growing steadily, drawing the attention of whiskey drinkers who have spent years exploring Scotch and Irish whiskey and are now discovering what American distillers are doing with the same basic concept. Copperworks has been at the front of that wave for years, and the Farmsmith series represents some of the most deliberate and thoughtful work in that space. The idea of tying a whiskey to a specific farm, a specific variety of grain, and a specific growing year is something that wine drinkers have understood for generations. The whiskey world is catching up, and releases like this Genie Pale Malt bottling are part of why.
For those who want to get a bottle, it is available now online. Given what happened to the last Farmsmith release — award-winning and completely sold out — waiting around is probably not the best strategy.
