Oregon Spirit Distillers was awarded two “double gold” medals for its Ottis Weber Wheat Whiskey and J. Becher American Rye Whiskey at the San Franciso World Spirits Competition, which drew distilleries from around the world. The Bend-based distillery makes all its spirits on site at its First Street location and prides itself on using Oregon-grown ingredients. oregonspiritdistillers.com
Finalists from Central Oregon held their own at the World Beer Cup in Philadelphia, where more than 1,000 breweries competed for honors in ninety-six categories. Three local breweries were awarded gold: Bend Brewing Company (bendbrewingco.com) took the top spot in the German-style sour ales category for its Volkssekt Berliner Weisse; Sunriver Brewing Co. (sunriverbrewingcompany.com) was awarded the top spot for its Fuzztail beer; and 10 Barrel (10barrel.com) took gold in the Other Strong Beer Category for its Brilliant brew.
At the other end of the beverage spectrum, Redmond’s Eberhard’s Dairy took first place in the buttermilk and “fluid milk” categories at the 2016 Oregon Dairy Industries Convention, held in Salem. The company was also named as a national-level finalist in the categories for cultured products, ice cream and plant assessment at the dairy industry’s member-owned Quality Checkd Dairies, Inc. QCS Leadership Conference in Indianapolis. It took home honorable mentions for its ice cream and sour cream.
