Patagonia’s Distillery Row
A tipply journey from the top to the bottom of Patagonia.
It was on my inaugural trip to Chilean Patagonia years ago that I first encountered that classic saying that whoever eats a Calafate berry is destined to return. Cliche and trampled to death by tourists, I know. But clearly, it’s right: here I am again, only this time, instead of eating Calafate berries, I’m drinking them. Calafate Gin, to be precise. Made right here, in-house, at Last Hope Distillery in Puerto Natales, the southernmost distillery in the world.
That’s right: Patagonia is doing more than opening parks
and new routes. It’s opening distilleries.
Like so many before me, Patagonia got a hold of me and so, after arriving home, I sought out items to remind me of the region. The smell of a Valdivian forest, the good hurt of crisp austral water. Turns out there’s a growing number of people using spirits to capture Patagonia’s essence so those like me could be whisked back to those mountains and forests with just a sip.
In a region this vast, trends can take a while to gain traction. But there’s definitely something
in the wind (and water) because since 2014 at least five distilleries have set up shop. These spirits -- which include vodka, gin, and whisky – are born out of a sense of adventure and a deep love for the region. Most of the distillers had discovered Patagonia on trips and decided to stay. A select few were locals eager to showcase the wonders of their home. For the most part, none had any prior distilling experience. They just felt drawn to this place and wanted to do something that would pay homage to this rugged, elemental wilderness. And I felt drawn to find out as much as possible about these spirits and the places that inspired them.
Lake District
Pablo Neruda once said: “He who does not know the Chilean forests, does not know the planet”. Well, to drink the Osorno-based Träkál is to know the Chilean forests of the south.
Inspired by a backpacking trip around Patagonia, head distiller Sebastian Gomez Camorino spent years discovering the tastes and smells of the land under the guidance of native Mapuches and then experimenting to find the right combination and balance. He ended up creating an entirely kind of liquor that, when released in 2017, was so avant-garde Chilean authorities had to give it its own unique classification.
Made from Patagonian crabapples and pears, Träkál’s clear, brandy-esque base is infused with essential oils and vapors of native berries and herbs during the final stage of the triple distillation process. Its broadly herbaceous flavor profile means it “sips like a whisky and mixes like a gin,” as Camorino likes to say: “it’s super versatile.” At 42 percent ABV and 84-proof, it goes to your head as quickly as the landscapes that inspired it.
“I wanted [Träkál] to be liked by people who weren’t from there but also recognizable by people who were from there,” Camorino explains.
Indeed, Träkál can now be found all over Patagonia and in U.S. states like Colorado and California and has earned glowing profiles on publications like Outside Online. Its meteoric rise seems to be just getting started.
Chiloé
To get to the Chiloé Island
Spirits Distillery, you’d need to drive from Puerto Montt to the ferry crossing near Pargua, take the ferry across to Chiloé’s main island, and drive to the bottom. There, you’d find a small rural island. Cross it on a boat and you’ll have reached the birthplace of Sirena de Chiloé Vodka.
Made from Chilote spring water and two of Chiloé’s 200plus known heirloom potato varieties, Sirena vodka debuted in 2014 and since then has worked its way into the hearts of both locals and global drinkers, winning five international awards. Triple-distilled at sea level in a wood-burning copper still, its name comes from the Sirena mermaid of local mythology.
Now a fixture at bars and liquor stores around Patagonia and Chile (and eyeing international distribution), founder Roberto Taverne also plans to open up San Pedro Island to anyone curious to discover Sirena’s roots and is in the process of constructing a visitor’s lodge.
Aysén
The burnished gleam of a copper still in the mist-filtered sunshine of an Aysén morning. Outside the window, rolling fields, dense forests, and mountains lost in the clouds. This is the view that greets Andrea Zavala every morning from Tepaluma Distillery, Aysén’s first gin and whisky distillery.
“Our gin was born in the forest and...it takes you back,” says Zavala who, together with her husband, decided to move to Chile from Belgium and traveled the country for a year before choosing Aysén as their home base.
Named after the endemic tepa tree, their brand-new distillery and bed-and-breakfast near La Junta is the most recent distillery to join the club, having just opened in September 2018. While their whisky is still in the planning stages, they currently are producing their signature small-batch London Dry-style gin, made from fresh mountain water, seven native botanicals that include Maqui berries and flowers, and seven other Chilean and common gin ingredients (like juniper). They also produce mixes like Calafate Berry, Maqu Fizz, and Volcanic Ginger.
Magallanes and Antarctica
After completing any big trek, most of us would be looking for a celebratory drink. For Kiera Shiels and Matthew Oberg, visiting Australians who had just finished the W Trek in Torres del Paine in 2015, that meant a nice whisky or gin. But after discovering that Chile had no such distilleries, they decided to open their own: Last Hope Distillery.
Opened in 2017, Last Hope is the new hot spot on Puerto Natales’ late-night scene, a boozy bar of Babel where local Natalinos mix with backpackers from all over the world. Sitting down at the bar, I’m poured samples of their two small- batch London Dry gins: Dry and Calafate. Made with pure Patagonian water and botanicals that include Maqui berries, winter’s bark pepper, lemon verbena and yerba mate (and in the case of the Calafate gin, Calafate berries), the florals open up beautifully, especially when done in one of their world-class cocktails.
The only downside is that their Scotch-style whisky - made from malted barley and smoked peat -- won’t be ready until 2021. But that gives me all the excuses I need to start planning a trip.
Another round
When I first began my forays into Patagonian distilling, I learned quickly to turn to this small group of Patagonian distillers to learn of new openings that had escaped my notice, such as a Frutillar-based distillery called Patagonia Vodka making artisan vodka from local winter wheat and filtered through volcanic rocks. Or MQI Liqueur and
Gin made with Maqui berries from the Bio-Bio valley -- the northernmost boundary of Chilean Patagonia. And then there are distilleries in Argentine Patagonia that I haven’t tried:
D-1313 Gin, made near El Calafate, or Noctua Vodka from the Río Negro and Neuquén valley. And who knows, maybe there are even more out there I haven’t heard of yet. Maybe soon more will be inspired to move to Patagonia to join these adventurous distillers. But why Patagonia? Why now? For one thing, increased travel to Patagonia over the past ten years has certainly improved both access and awareness, with more people coming to realize that Patagonia has much more to offer besides hiking trails and great views.
Secondly, in order to make good gin and whisky, one needs good water, which Patagonia has in excess thanks to snowmelt, glaciers, icefields, and regular rain. Thirdly, Patagonia’s
“These spirits – which include vodka, gin, and whisky – are born out of a sense of adventure and a deep love for the region.”
geographic isolation and diverse ecosystems give distillers unusual ingredients, flavors, and scents to experiment with that can turn an ordinary spirit extraordinary, like laurel leaves or peat from Magellanic moorlands.
Furthermore, Chileans are starting to broaden their drinking horizons beyond pisco and are especially jumping on the gin train. With Chile’s mixology scene just starting to take off, the floral and piquant notes of the gins from Last Hope and Tepaluma and Träkál make them popular choices for cocktails in the eyes of Chile’s most creative bartenders. “We love that Chileans are learning what craft-distilleries are and that a qualitymade spirit is something worth spending a little extra on,” says Shiels.
Last call
But before getting all dreamy-eyed and packing up to move to Patagonia and open a distillery (guilty), it’s not for the faint of heart. From Camorino at Träkál to Shiels at Last Hope, each distiller had a laundry list of the challenges and setbacks faced, ranging from shipping logistics and high costs to coping with the remoteness and Patagonia’s infamous weather.
“I think that in a way we were lucky that we had no experience in any aspect of this project! It meant that we completely underestimated the number of challenges we would face!” says Shiels.
“Patagonian distilling is not easy,” Zavala from Tepaluma laughs dryly in agreement.
But even when recounting the many trials, there’s still that gleam in their eyes, the unmistakable excitement in their voices: it’s still worth it.
“Here we’re very blessed and inspired,” Zavala says.
And of course these distillers don’t forget why they’re able to provide such high-quality spirits in the first place: it’s all thanks to Patagonia. So each is dedicated to operating as sustainably as possible. This includes working toward becoming fully solar-powered or using hydraulic energy, locally sourcing as many ingredients as possible, recycling used bottles and donating funds to conservation organizations.
But as more distilleries are calling Patagonia home, the issue of terroir comes up. With the region growing into an ever-trendier destination and catch-all name for adventure and untapped potential, branding a product as being “made in Patagonia” can give it an edge of exoticism in the market. But just because it says it’s made in Patagonia doesn’t mean it is, as some of the distillers are concerned about.
“Legally, we need to specify where and what “Patagonia” is,” says Zavala, suggesting that a seal of origin -- similar to the Appellation of Origin designation used by Champagne, France -- would help distinguish authentic regional products.
Let the adventure beGIN
Embraced by locals and travelers alike, these distilleries are bold, new fixtures of the Patagonian landscape, highlighting the unique culinary offerings of the region. But half the reason to seek them out aren’t the fantastic spirits: it’s the people, adventurous souls who ended up here from “chasing the magic of Patagonia,” as Shiels puts it. “Patagonia attracts some exceptional people.” “This place is what you need,” says Zavala. Yes, we all need a little Patagonia now and again. Whether while on the trail or in a glass, it’s good for what ails you.
“In order to make good gin and whisky, one needs good water, which Patagonia has in excess thanks to snowmelt, glaciers, icefields, and regular rain.”