Soft Tail Spirits

What is going on, why did they close?

Fun spirit tasting room their alcohol’s are delish and a must try when in Woodinville. Often having some kind of entertainment going on durring the month this is a fun place to check out with friends. And if you are looking for a Truely Washington Spirit, it doesn’t get any better than an Apple Distilled Vodka. Beautiful flavor and bottling, perfect for yourself or as a gift.

Family owned, great service (free tasting if you buy a bottle), and you must try the limoncello — delicious!!!

As another reviewer previously stated, «that man behind the bar is delightful!» He was extremely knowledgeable about the vodka– and grappa-​making process, and answered all the questions we had regarding the distillery and its unique liquor. On a side note, I had never tried grappa before today, so it was an interesting experience. For newbies like me, grappa is brandy made from pomace (the pressed skins and seeds of grapes). Soft Tail Spirits has been in existence since 2008 and everything they use is locally sourced. They produce ~500−600 L/​month I believe (that could have been just for the vodka, but I might be wrong), so it really is a micro-​distillery. Their products are sold in local community grocery stores, BevMo, Wine World, Costco (~every 6 months whenever they decide to place an order), and others that I can’t recall off the top of my head. My two personal favorites were the vodka (made from apple) and the limoncello. The former had a nice, crisp, authentic, apple taste to it (not like the apple-​flavored vodkas you get at a grocery store). The latter smelled like fresh lemons (very pleasant) and tasted like a sweet apple-​lemon concoction. Bottle prices range from $ 30s-​50s, but tastings are free. Visit Soft Tail Spirits if you’re in Woodinville!

Their vodka will change your life. Or, at least, what you think about vodka.
I was first (knowingly) introduced to Soft Tail at the Elite Event at Eques through the Bloody Mary bar. The bartenders at the BM Bar raved about their vodka. In fact, she claimed it was so smooth it was almost like drinking water. Needless to say, I was seriously dubious… until I tried it. I’m still not entirely recovered from the shock at her statement being entirely true.
With all the breweries springing up out of the ground like beanstalks around here, it can be easily overlooked that there are some wicked cool and very good spirit distilleries in our area. Soft Tail belongs on that list, without doubt.
Next time you’re thinking winery or brewery tour, reconsider and go for the spirits! They happen to be in the Woodinville area, so I suppose you could do winery, brewery, AND spirits.
In addition to their tasting rooms (Vodka! Grappa! Limoncello!) They are served at a myriad of local restaurants now, from Applebee’s to Barking Frog and now selling through the woodinville Top Foods so if you haven’t– try them!

Very fun tour. Smart guide. Great flavors. Great time. Next door to a wine tasting place. Get there early so you can taste the wine first. We went afterward but our taste buds were tainted. At least that’s what the wine people told us. Lol

That man behind the bar is delightful! We got a tour and had some tastings. The vodka is great, but I most recommend the linonchello. Overall the staff are very friendly and knowledgable.

Ok so I wish I could rate the tour and the actual vodka separately. The Groupon we got for a tour, tasting and shot glasses was kind of a joke. I think I paid $ 15 for 2 of us. The «tour» consisted of 10 min in a room with the still. Then we got the tasting and the shot glasses were nothing more than what you could get from the restaurant supply store. I was expecting something branded or cool in some way that would remind us of our little roadtrip. I guess what got me was seeing the folks come in to get free tastings. I paid $ 15 and the only difference was a 10 min «tour» which taught me nothing and a couple of cheap shot glasses. I understand that Groupons are supposed to help get people in the door but the offering should make you want to come back and make you feel like you got a deal not that you wasted money. The other comment I have to make is that the restroom oh no I do mean bathroom (since it has a bathtub in it) was filthy. For a place looking to create an upscale appearance I was kind of shocked. Not to get too graphic but there was hair of the lower region variety on the back of the toilet, dirt and hair in the sink and all over the floor and a bathtub that was filthy and had a plunger and toilet scrubber sitting in it with no curtain at all. It would have been bad enough to have been an employees only restroom that I asked to please, please use but this was an open public restroom. You know it’s bad when my hygiene questionable programmer husband mentioned how gross it was. So, on to the reason why this is not a 2 star review… holy crap is that good vodka. Really, really good vodka. The grappa was good for grappa (not really my thing). I would like to love this place since I love the hooch but they need to learn how to clean a bathroom and give people a but more value for the money.

I’ve never done anything besides a wine tasting before so this was my first time doing anything like this. The spot we went to was pretty easy to find, which was nice. The spirits we tried were pretty good too. I think there was probably only one I wasn’t too fond of, sadly I can’t remember which one it was since it was some time ago. I think what they have here is a pretty decent selection. The tour we had was very informative too, so it was interesting learning about it all.

My friend bought a Groupon for this place. It was $ 30 for 4 people.
Looking back, I feel like it was over-​priced. We got a «tour» of the facilities, and they educated us on the distilling process, and the different Vodkas and Grappas they make.
Fast forward to the «tasting» …
They gave us each a shot glass and filled it about half full with their only vodka. No chaser. Yikes. I must say it was tough for me, because one doesn’t generally drink vodka for the flavor… its not really what I would call a «sipping shot».
It was ok. I’ve had better. The following tastings we had were all a TINY sip, probably ¹⁄₈ a shot. I did not care for any of the Grappas. In fact after the last one, I had to ask for another sample of the vodka, to use as a chaser! No kidding! HAHAH!
So with the Groupon, we all got a shot glass. The shot glass was a joke. It was one you could buy at BevMo for 50 cents. NO logo, or anything. Cheap. That is where I decided the $ 30 was a ridiculous price.
Ehh, oh well… it was a fun experience with great friends… I just wish they would’ve been a lil more generous with the pours… or had some cool logo shot glasses!

let me say first that i have been there once before and it was great. that being said this past sunday was a horrible time. the lady giving vodka tasting was a horrible snooty person. she made us feel small and cheap for having a living social deal. «so you are just here to take advantage of the free glasses» she said to us. luckily the lady giving the wine tasting part was very nice. if i go back and see that horrible lady working i will turn right around. and the worst part is the vodka is great and i planned on buying some but i didnt want to give her my money

I decided this would be a nice way to spend an afternoon with my son, so I got the Groupon deal for the half price tour and tasting. Soft Tail is a small-​batch distillery that specializes in grappa and vodka. The name is goofy and the label art is cheezy, but you don’t drink the name or the label so we’re good to go here.
Grappa isn’t usually the sort of liquor that most people seek out. It’s made by distilling the «garbage» left behind by the wine-​making process. Most of the grappa I’ve tried before has the same sort of fusil-​alcohol «charm» that you would associate with moonshine. Basically, not something you drink because you enjoy the taste.
When I tried my first taste of grappa here, I was waiting for the nastiness to kick in, but it never showed up. This is because Soft Tail is located in grappa-maker’s paradise. There are numerous wineries in Woodinville. They all need to get rid of the grape skins, etc. that are the by-​products of making wine. Soft Tail is about the only place that can «help them out» with that particular problem. So they get the best ‘cast-​offs’ from premium wine-​makers to start with, and don’t need to spend a bunch of money to get them. This lets them be a lot more picky about the way they make their grappa, and that shows up in the taste.
The vodka they make comes from leftover/​unusable apples from the Washington apple crop. Like the grappa, it’s rather good. My son and I both bought a bottle of each. The people were great, and it was a pleasant afternoon, except for the short time when some loud, drunk women from some «Woodinville wine tour» stumbled in.

Soft tail is a very small but quickly growing distillery that focuses on vodka and Grappa. My wife and I went on a Groupon for a tour and were definitely expecting something different when we arrived at the small house that serves as the tasting room. We were met with smiles and as soon as our group arrived we were led to the ‘shed’ out back to see where the magic happens.
Matt, our tour guide, and the distiller was extremely friendly and cordial. He took his time and explained to the group how the company was started, what the company was going through right now (in ways of expansion), and how the company makes it’s products.
Matt was very informative as to the process of distilling when it comes to vodka as well as the more intricate Grappa.
After the short tour Matt led us back to the tasting room and led the group in a taste test of their vodka (they use apples, which is genius!) and 4 of their grappas.
Everyone in the tour couldn’t keep quiet as too how amazing all of the spirits were! Everything tasted exceptional and you could tell that this company was focusing on it’s product rather than it’s income.
As we were leaving Matt rushed out to our car and gave us small bottles of 3 of their grappas as a honeymoon gift and wished us the best of luck. My wife and I were so thrilled to enjoy this place and highly recommend you try them out!

Soft Tail is made up of just a handful of highly efficient staff members.
It’s local, it’s cute, and it’s definitely worth visiting.
I did a tour/​tasting last weekend with Matt and he was incredibly knowledgable — he does all of the distilling for the company! I learned lots, enjoyed grappa for the first time (personally, I prefer it over vodka), and had a great experience with them.
I highly recommend visiting Soft Tail when in Woodinville!

Vodka and grappa oh my!!! Tasting too! This ain’t California!
The grappa is made from various varietals and blends. Every single one of them was fantabulous. For me, the mark of a great grappa is the pleasant burn down your throat and the essence of the grapes from which is was created. All of the grappas passed the test here.
The vodka was made from Washington Apples. You didn’t taste apples but got a whiff of the apple skin and had some very ligth apple/​floral notes ont he finish. It was a very good vodka.
Unfortunately for me, I felt the prices were a tad high and I’m the only one who drinks grappa in my family/​friend base.
if you have a bit to burn and you enjoy grappa, come here and enjoy the nice tasting room, pleasant and knowledgeable staff, and awesome spirits.

If you happen to be in Woodinville, WA I highly recommend stopping in for a taste. Grappa is of course a peasant spirit made from raiding a winemakers compost heap. It is quite a strong flavour like tequila (it doesn’t taste like tequila, it is just a strong flavour as tequila is).
The vodka is made from apples. It doesn’t taste of apples, but it is a rather bright and light flavoured vodka. Very different from the grappa in almost every way.
The lovely woman who served me was charming and knowledgeable. I wound up buying a bottle of the Grappa Gialo (aged in oak barrels), the apple vodka and a box of six glasses to do a tasting at home with friends.
A flight costs $ 5. You’ll really want to do that to get a taste of the different grappas. Share with your least herpetic friend if you think that might be too much for you.

Grappa of different flavors and Vodka made from Washington Apples. YUM!!!
I could seriously justify buying some Grappa and Vodka from this place since I know it wouldn’t go to waste.
The woman who served us was AWESOME. She took pictures of us, spoke with us about the different types of Grappa and the Vodka they had created and other conversation that made this a really pleasant experience.
Tasting for 3 different grappas and one shot of the apple vodka was $ 5.
Yes we did leave with 2 bottles of the vodka and it went over well at the BBQ on Sunday.

My sister was in town and is a huge win buff so I decided to take her to a few of the wineries in Woodinville. I’m not as big in to wine as my sister but I do like the harder stuff. I was intrigued to see a spirit distillery next door and remember hearing about it on the news. So after we visited Distefano we headed next door to check it out.
Samples were $ 2 a piece and I had my mind made up on the Vodka made from apples. It was heaven. It had that little hint of apples and extremely smooth. I was instantly sold and purchased a bottle. The bottle itself is amazing. The glass is heavy and thick and where else can you get one with a two toned wax dipped top!
In addition the owner was extremely courteous and answered all our questions. He told us how he got started and explained the entire distilling process.
I’ll definitely be back to purchase another bottle once I’ve finished the one I have and also try a sample or two again.

While we were next door at Distefano, we were told to go in for a free shot of grappa next door.
We had coupons anyway for such a thing or otherwise it was $ 5 for a taste of their best three grappas. The counter lady told us the middle one was her favorite. It was strong but not knock you on your ass grappa strong.
But then I fell in love.
Vodka was once my #1 lover and the silly thing may be again. I had a taste of Soft Tail’s vodka which is debuting officially today. Unfortunately, they can’t sell across state lines. But I had a taste from their only bottle last Saturday and it was bananas.
I mean, apples.
It’s made from Washington apples and though it’s not a flavored vodka, the vodka was like a perfect caramel apple.
Fantastique. I’m getting my friend to mail me a bottle. Hello, lover!

The DiStefano guy called this a «grapparia», a word I’ve never heard before. I guess this is where you go to get grapparized.
The first impression is one of disorientation, because the entrance to Soft Tail’s tasting room is shared with the lobby of a stone and granite showroom. The bar is extremely cramped. The service was friendly. The tasting fee was $ 5. For that you get two .5 oz. tastes of grappa; one clear, and one aged. They were both a bit harsh, and tasted to me like cheap gin. But I am no grappa connoisseur, so perhaps I could not appreciate its subtle nuances and complexities, etc.
Also, they had an incredible spread of food, but that probably had more to do with the fact it was their grand opening.
Love the idea of artisan producers, but unless you need to experience grappa (and I guess everyone should, at least once), or you have a serious commitment to exploring local businesses, I would skip in favor of one of the many established wineries in this area.