Highside Distilling

We stopped by Highside after sampling their amaros at Field Bar and Bottle Shop in Tacoma (it was a homework project for our personal cask). We loved the amaros that Field had in stock and decided to stop in while we were on Bainbridge. The owners were great to speak with and had very good drink recommendations. We discussed various cocktails and spirits before sitting down with a sampler of cocktails. Of course, we left with two new amaros that we sampled! Amaros are an underrated liqueur IMO: often savory with good earthy flavors. The amaros that Highside offers are truly excellent. While you can find their product in other places, the trip to Bainbridge is worth so that you can speak with the folks who make the spirits.

There are only a couple distilleries on Bainbridge Island so I wanted to hit up all of them during my visit (I mean, I'm already there right?). From the first distillery I walked about 15 minutes to get to Highside Distilling. This is a smaller distillery that's located around a couple of wineries and other restaurants.I got a tasting of their 5 spirits: two gins and three amari. It started off with the two gins and then moved to the amari in increasing levels of bitterness. I loved the barrel aged gin which is a mix of a gin aged in bourbon barrels for 18 months and a gin aged in new oak barrels for 10 months. They have cocktails that utilize their spirits although I didn't try any of them.This is a family owned business owned by Matt and his parents. I got to chatting with Matt about the history of their distillery and how he convinced his parents to start the business, about how he and his father were getting degrees in distilling virtually from a university in Scotland, and some of the new items that they have in the works and were coming soon. He was very personable, welcoming, and I could tell that their family really cares about the products they make.This was such an enjoyable experience and I recommend stopping by if you're visiting the island!

We found the perfect rainy weekend activity on Bainbridge Island! Highside Distilling blew us away with their friendliness, service, and PRODUCT! My husband and I shared two flights, sampling their craft gins, amaros, whiskey, fernet, and nocino. Tasty cocktails are also available. We were hard-pressed to choose our favorite two bottles for purchase. Matt went above and beyond to answer our many questions and give us an impromptu tour of his distillery. Thank you Highside for a memorable afternoon!

Highside was fantastic. We were going on a distillery/winery tour of Bainbridge, and couldn't figure out what their hours and policies were during this Phase 2 period. A quick phone call was all that was needed because they have a new(ish) patio area and are still doing tasting flights and cocktails. The owners were incredibly approachable, knowledgeable, and at no point were pushy or overly attentive. It was the perfect mix of available and distant so we could enjoy the sun and cocktails without feeling neglected or crowded. Our server (and part owner/distiller) Matt was even willing to provide suggestions and pairings with the tasting flight we did. He made of the best Negronis I've had. All in all, it was a very personable and enjoyable experience. Would definitely go back and enjoy a nice cocktail and tasting again.

A nice surprise in a little enclave of shops and very personalized treatment. The bar was beautifully set with a wide variety of ingredients to smell and a cozy feeling. The gin is GF, a wonderful surprise so a bottle was purchased, as well as a bottle of Amaro to make Black Manhattans. You can tell great pride and effort goes in to the making of this liquor and apparently more surprises are in store in the future! We had a fun afternoon sitting at the bar tasting the spirits and a choice of one of their really different but delicious cocktails to finish off the event. Well done, I highly recommend if you are visiting the area.

The Gin here comes from Washington Apples - lends a mild fruityness that tastes terrific with the lightly botanical approach. There is enough going on where you can drink it straight up shaken and it needs nothing. Will report back on the martini and G&T next but so far - excellent! I also picked up their Amaro, trying to practice restraint and hit that ooonnnne... Wednesday night?Also the people here are so nice! And the swag looks cool too. When this Covid Quarantine is over I will definitely be hanging out in the tasting room. For now, you can phone or online order.PS they are devoting part of their production to hand sanitizer - keeping our islanders safe. Don't drink it tho. Leave that to President Orange.

Placeholder. Looking forward to single malts on the Island at this great location.Right next to L'Atelier TK.

Go find this place if you're visiting the island! Friendly, family run distillery. It's fun to learn about their distilling process and how they started the business. Great family! Now serving cocktails on the patio too. We always get gin and amarro to take home. Love this place!

Great atmosphere! My friend and I made this our first stop on our Bainbridge drinking tour and we were not disappointed. Matt and Helen were so much fun and so informative. I would highly recommend this place to anyone looking for great cocktails and conversation. Highly recommend the blueberry thyme fizz and Rose-pomegranate Collins

We were ready for an outing and adventure and definitely found it at Highside Distilling in the small town of Bainbridge Island! Sitting back in the corner of an industrial park area, they are truly making some exceptional whiskey! The Single Barrel is absolutely phenomenal but the Amaro is where it's at! The flavors and textures they put in each blend is crazy!! Whether sipping or mixing, the Amaro's should be in every liquor cabinet and bar, they are that good! We had the privilege of visiting with the father and son team, along with Chubs, the newest addition to the distillery on a quiet day so were able to get all the details! It's a small distillery with minimal seating inside but a nice large covered area of outside seating for larger parties and groups. Bring some snacks and plan to stay awhile, the vibe is amazing!