There's a certain kind of whiskey drinker who doesn't get excited about another shelf-stable, mass-produced bottle that'll be sitting in the same spot next year. That guy wants something that's actually going to run out. Something with a story attached to it that he can tell his buddies about later, standing around with a glass in hand. If that sounds familiar, there's a new release out of Seattle worth knowing about.
Copperworks Distilling Co., the waterfront distillery that's been turning heads in the American Single Malt Whiskey world since 2013, just dropped its latest limited release: Single Cask No. 97-2. And unlike most "limited" releases that quietly restock a few months later, this one is genuinely a one-shot deal. Once it's gone, that's it. Nobody will ever taste this exact whiskey again.
What Makes This Whiskey Different
Single Cask No. 97-2 starts with something a lot of casual whiskey drinkers never think about: the barley. This batch was made using single varietal Baronesse pale malt barley, sourced from Joseph's Grainery out in Colfax, Washington. That's not filler information — the barley variety matters a great deal to how a whiskey ends up tasting, and Baronesse has already proven itself inside Copperworks' lineup.
A previous release using that same Baronesse barley, part of the distillery's Farmsmith series, won gold at the 2025 American Craft Spirits Association Competition. That bottle sold out completely. So when Copperworks decided to bring Baronesse barley back for a single cask release, it wasn't a shot in the dark — it was betting on a grain that had already delivered.
This particular batch has been aging for seven and a half years, which is a serious amount of time for a craft whiskey to sit in barrel. But the real kicker is the finishing cask. Single Cask No. 97-2 was finished in the only French oak cask currently in Copperworks' entire inventory. Not one of a few. The only one. That alone makes this release something collectors and everyday whiskey fans alike won't want to sleep on.
Straight From the Barrel, Literally
Here's where it gets fun for anyone planning a trip to Seattle. Copperworks isn't just bottling this whiskey and shipping it off to liquor stores. Instead, Single Cask No. 97-2 is being poured as a hand-fill experience right at the distillery.
That means visitors can walk into the Copperworks tasting room, grab the distillery's signature copper dipping dog — a tool literally built for pulling whiskey straight out of the barrel — and fill their own bottle by hand. After that, guests seal it up and fill out the cask details themselves, so the bottle carries a little bit of personal record along with the whiskey itself.
Jason Parker, President and Co-Founder of Copperworks, put it simply:
"This single cask will continue to mature after this distillery-exclusive experience, meaning guests are capturing a whiskey that won't be found anywhere else and won't taste quite the same ever again."
That's worth sitting with for a second. This isn't a whiskey where every bottle tastes identical off an assembly line. Because it's a single cask, and because that cask keeps evolving even after this release window closes, every person who fills a bottle right now is walking away with something that genuinely will not be repeated. The whiskey left behind in that cask, if any is saved back, will keep changing. What's poured today is what's poured today — permanently.
The Numbers
Single Cask No. 97-2 comes in hot at 62.5% ABV, or 125 proof. That's a cask-strength pour, meaning it hasn't been watered down to a standard bottling proof. For guys who like their whiskey with some backbone — enough proof to really carry the oak and the grain character — this is squarely in that lane.
Three Ways to Get It
Copperworks has made this release accessible a few different ways, depending on how hands-on someone wants to be about it.
Hand-fill in the tasting room. This is the full experience. Visitors to the Seattle distillery pull their own whiskey straight from the cask using the copper dipping dog, then seal and label the bottle themselves, right there on-site.
Distillery-filled in the tasting room. Not everyone wants to do the pouring themselves, and that's fine. For guests who'd rather let the pros handle it, the Copperworks team will hand-fill a bottle on their behalf during any visit.
Hand-filled and shipped. For anyone who can't make it out to Seattle but still wants in on this release, Copperworks will hand-fill a bottle straight from the cask and ship it out. That option requires reaching out directly to the team at Retail@CopperworksDistilling.com to arrange.
The bottle runs $125.00, plus applicable tax and shipping. Interested buyers can purchase or reserve a bottle here.
As for timing, the hand-fill experience is available during normal tasting room hours, though availability can get tight during peak times. Reservations aren't required, but for anyone who wants to lock in a visit ahead of time, it can be arranged by emailing Retail@CopperworksDistilling.com.
Where to Find It
The hand-fill experience is happening at Copperworks' Seattle Distillery & Tasting Room, located at 1250 Alaskan Way, Seattle, Washington 98101 — right in the heart of the city's waterfront tourist district, an easy stop for anyone already downtown or passing through on business or vacation.
Why Copperworks Keeps Showing Up in Whiskey Conversations
For anyone not already familiar with the name, Copperworks Distilling Company has built a real reputation since opening its doors in 2013. It's a craft distillery, tasting room, and gift shop all in one, sitting in a high-traffic part of downtown Seattle near the water.
The distillery was founded by co-owners and distillers Jason Parker and Micah Nutt, two guys who came out of the craft brewing world with a combined 30-plus years of experience in the alcohol industry between them. Their whole reason for starting Copperworks came down to one question: how would spirits taste if they were distilled from superior craft beer — minus the hops — instead of using the typical ingredients and methods found at conventional distilleries?
That question turned into something bigger than either of them probably expected. Copperworks became one of the early pioneers of American Single Malt Whiskey, a category that's grown fast both nationally and internationally over the past several years. Today, Copperworks produces small-batch American Single Malt Whiskey along with a lineup of gins and vodka, all made from malted barley.
The stills themselves are part of the story too. Copperworks distills everything in traditional copper stills that were custom-built in Scotland specifically for this distillery, with different stills used for different spirits.
All of that craftsmanship hasn't gone unnoticed. Copperworks has picked up multiple national and international awards over the years, and in 2018 the company was named Distillery of the Year by the American Distilling Institute. Its whiskey and gin have also taken home Double-Gold medals and scored between 94 and 96 points in some of the more prestigious spirits competitions out there. On top of that, Copperworks was voted Best Distillery in the 2023 Best In The PNW contest, put on by The Seattle Times.
Copperworks spirits aren't just something people have to travel to Seattle to try, either — bottles can be found on shelves at bars, restaurants, and retail stores throughout Washington State. For those wanting to sip a Copperworks pour without making the trip themselves, the distillery keeps an updated list of bars and restaurants carrying its spirits at copperworksdistilling.com/bar-and-restaurants.
Beyond just selling bottles, the distillery also runs tastings, tours, and other events built around learning about and enjoying fine distilled spirits. That includes a hands-on single-malt whiskey blending workshop for anyone who wants to get into the weeds of how a whiskey actually comes together.
The Bottom Line
Single Cask No. 97-2 isn't going to be around for long, and once it's gone, there's no reordering it. Between the rare Baronesse barley, the seven-and-a-half-year age, and a finish in Copperworks' only French oak cask, this release checks a lot of boxes for anyone who takes their whiskey seriously. Add in the fact that guests can pull it straight from the barrel themselves, and it turns into more than just a purchase — it's an experience tied to a specific moment that won't come around twice.
For anyone in or passing through Seattle who wants a whiskey with a real story behind it, Single Cask No. 97-2 is worth making the trip to 1250 Alaskan Way before it's gone for good.
