Out at Paine Field, just north of Seattle, where the roar of Alaska Airlines jets shakes the ground every few minutes, there’s a little warehouse that smells like heaven to any man who appreciates a serious drink. Inside sits James Bay Distillers, and they’ve been quietly making some of the best whiskey most people have never heard of. That’s about to change.
This week the distillery announced the very first release for their brand-new Flightline Whiskey & Spirits Club – a members-only, cask-strength bourbon clocking in at a hefty 125.2 proof. For the guys who think 80 proof is just getting started, this one is going to hit the spot.
Ernest Troth, the president and the man who signs the checks, doesn’t mince words about it. “We love the color, the aroma, and the taste is amazing,” he said. He’s not wrong. Most folks already know their regular Everett Liquor Co. bourbon – the one with the throwback 1902 pre-Prohibition label on the bottle. That one took home a 94-point gold medal, “Best in Class” honors in Texas and California, and more than a few guys have called it “a damn fine bourbon” after the first pour. Now imagine all that flavor turned up to eleven, straight from the barrel with no water added. That’s exactly what this cask-strength version delivers.
They named the club “Flightline” for a reason. Walk out the distillery door and you’re a couple hundred feet from runway 34R. The big commercial jets taking off for Frontier and Alaska are barely a quarter mile away. On a good day you can stand there with a glass in your hand and feel the rumble while you sip. Hard to beat that kind of atmosphere.
Here’s how the club works: three different membership levels, all of them built for the guy who likes to drink what he likes and not pay retail for it. Members get steep discounts on every bottle they buy, exclusive members-only glassware that looks sharp on the bar at home, and three private tastings every quarter – you can bring a buddy, no extra charge. When this first cask-strength batch is bottled and labeled, members get the word first and can roll up to the distillery to grab their bottles in person. No shipping delays, no broken bottles – just walk in, say hello, and walk out with the goods.
James Bay isn’t some giant corporate outfit. It’s a true craft operation run by people who actually make the stuff with their own hands. They’ve already racked up gold and double-gold medals for their whiskies, gins, and vodkas. Wine Enthusiast put their Strait Up Killer Vodka in the top nine in the country, and back in 2022 it cracked the top 100 spirits list nationwide. They’re the only distillery on the planet using Pacific Island purple ube in a gin, and the first to put real kumquat in one too. Seven separate features on TrendHunter don’t lie – these guys like to push the envelope, but they never forget the final product has to taste great in the glass.
Everything is made and shipped from that same spot right off the runway at Paine Field in Snohomish County, twenty miles north of downtown Seattle. They’ve got customers all over the United States and even regulars in Hong Kong and Japan. If you run a bar or retail shop, they’re happy to talk wholesale. Export too.
For a lot of men, finding a new bourbon worth talking about is like finding a new fishing hole – you don’t shout it from the rooftops until you’ve had a few pours and know it’s the real deal. This cask-strength Flightline release feels like one of those discoveries. It’s big, bold, and coming from a tiny airport distillery that’s already beating the big boys at their own game.
If you’re the kind of guy who keeps a good bottle on the shelf for when the game goes to overtime or the steaks come off the grill just right, keep an eye on James Bay Distillers. That 125.2 proof bourbon isn’t going to sit around long once members get first crack at it.
Sometimes the best things in life really do take off right in front of you – in this case, about 300 feet off the end of the runway.
