Rogue Spirits rum distiller Mel Heim gives a tour.

If there is one word that could describe the year 2008 in the Portland artisan distilling world, it would be new. New distilleries, new spirits and new recognition for our area's emergence as the center of American artisan distilling.

Two new distilleries opened in Portland in 2008 – Highball Distillery and Artisan Spirits -- boosting the city's total to seven. If you count the distilleries on the outskirts of town, as well as the spirits companies that are producing their own spirits under contract in Portland distilleries, the area is home to 14 artisan distilleries or about one tenth of the country's total.

Portland has already developed its own distilling district on the inner eastside. “Distillery Row,” also known as “Libation Alley” because of the collection of craft breweries in the neighborhood, boasts five distilleries, representing nine spirits companies, in a 13-block stretch.

As far as new spirits, 2008 might be remembered as the Year of Absinthe. The storied “green fairy” that had been banned from commercial production in the United States since 1912, saw a resurgence nationally and locally.

Integrity Spirits, which opened in late 2007, launched its Trillium Absinthe Superieure in early 2008 – only the second U.S. Distillery to resurrect the fairy. House Spirits teamed with Gwydion Stone of Seattle's Wormwood Society to launch Absinthe Marteau Belle Epoche later in the year. Absinthe fountains popped up on bars across the city.

House also capped the year by introducing their Apothecary Line of spirits: limited edition specialty spirits available only at the distillery store. The first offering is an Oregon Ouzo.

New Deal Distillery, which moved into a new home in 2008, also helped bring a new product to market. The makers of New Deal, Portland 88 and Hot Monkey vodkas is making the fruit infused Loft organic liqueurs for Lisa Averbuch of California.

The two Portland newcomers also added their own new twist to the already crowded vodka shelf. Highball Distillery staked its claim to the sustainable niche by opting for wind to power the distillery and by producing its Elemental Vodka from scratch, using local organic wheat. Artisan debuted two vodkas: Apia, made from local honey, and Martin Ryan, made from wine, which the distillery stores in a huge 6,000-gallon bladder that resembles a waterbed for King Kong.

Portland's westside distilleries didn't sit still in 2008, although neither technically released new products. Clear Creek Distillery, the granddaddy of Oregon distilleries, released its new Blackberry Liqueur in November of 2007. But I'm going to call it close enough.

And Rogue Spirits launched three new products in 2008, but all three came from their Newport Distillery. Still, they rate a mention here, since that will make a good segue into our discussion of awards and recognition.

Rogue's three new spirits each scored medals at the World Beverage Competition in Geneva, Switzerland. Rogue's Pink Gin, aged in used Pinot Noir barrels earned a silver medal, losing out to Rogue's Spruce Gin in the flavored gin category. Vintage Vodka, another wine-based vodka took the bronze in the vodka category. And Rogue's new Dead Guy Whiskey, made from the same malt bill as Rogue's top-selling Dead Guy Ale, took silver in the whiskey category.

The whiskey medal is perhaps the most impressive, since the Dead Guy Whiskey is aged less than a year. Most whiskeys spend a minimum of three years in the barrel to round out their flavors and get their distinctive brown color. It is also only the second whiskey to come out of Oregon, the first being Clear Creek's single malt McCarthy's. House Spirits has its own whiskeys in the works and several more Oregon distilleries will have their own “brown spirits” in the coming years.

Rogue's Portland rum distillery also bagged two medals in Geneva: a gold in spiced rum for its Hazelnut Spice and a silver for its Dark Rum.

The medals capped a busy and productive competition year for Rogue Spirits, which claimed more than 20 medals in national and international competitions.

Portland's burgeoning spirits scene caught the attention of everyone from Food and Wine magazine to the Seattle Times, the San Francisco Chronicle and Wall Street Journal.

Portland is already home to the Great American Distillers Festival and in 2008 launched the nation's first artisan distiller's guild. So it looks like the City of Roses is well on its way to becoming not only the beer capital of the U.S., but also the artisan spirits capital.