Maybe you shouldn’t be surprised that Spokane’s most notable distillery has an origin not unlike its host city. It’s an enterprise with pretty humble origins, tucked away in a part of the country that’s always valued its natural resources.
Maybe it’s a bit of a surprise, though, that a distillery has thrived in a land where the beverage industry has focused more on grapes and hops than the corn and wheat that go into crafting spirits.
Since its founding by Don Poffenroth in 2007, Dry Fly Distilling has grown from its hyperlocal origins into a nationwide enterprise. Named for a kind of lure used in fly fishing, the company now makes its home in a prominent downtown building on the corner of Riverside Avenue and Monroe Street that used to house the Spokesman-Review printing press. It’s a long way from the meager space along the Spokane River near Gonzaga University where the distillery was first located…