Scratch owner Kim Karrick has been making spirits products in Edmonds for eight years this April. What common questions does she hear from first time visitors?

Don’t you just make gin? Actually… We handcraft many delicious spirits from scratch, using non-GMO, organic ingredients from Washington, primarily from Skagit Valley. We make about 6 liqueurs,  7 vodkas,  5 gins, 3 whiskies, 2 aquavits, brandy, and bier schnapps. You could come and have a tasting flight for a few visits before repeating on any flavors. We also anticipate to have rum in the mix by year’s end.

Why not stay open later? We are open 4-6 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays. We are open 2-6 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.

So many reasons — when the tasting room closes we instruct GINiology classes, we host Scratch Pride Club member events, we have space rentals for birthday parties and wedding announcements, or we just need to call it an early evening because we are up early the next day creating more products. Washington State has ensured that tasting rooms are not bars — tasting rooms must have a majority amount of our sales from selling bottles of spirit. Guests who would visit us after 6 p.m. are much less likely to be visiting to buy bottles. And of course, Edmonds is home to some pretty amazing bars and restaurants with plenty of good options for cocktails in the evening. And you can order Scratch products at several of them. Our space gets full sometimes at around 35 occupancy inside and another 20 on the patio in nice weather. You can reserve a spot here.

Also, we are a family space: dog- and kid-friendly in the tasting room and patio.

What is the gin-making class? GINiology classes are Kim Karrick’s passion project. The class is a three-hour deep-dive into gin recipe development and culminates in each participant’s own custom recipe that they take home in a 750ml bottle that day. We keep a copy of the recipe for everyone and many GINiology graduates reorder their recipe. We have about 1,300 recipes so far. Classes continue to be booked out a little bit. Here is the class schedule.

Some people have opted for our GINiology at Home version of the live class. Kim will interview the gin recipe recipient with a series of in-depth questions and custom create a gin to their palate and favorite flavors. Learn more here.

What should we know about the club? That it is my favorite thing! I had no idea that the club would become a community of friends, and that Scratch would become a social meeting space. I get to see so many friends every weekend. It really makes for a great vibe in the tasting room. We are grateful for all of the support and love. It’s why we say “gin equals love.” The club is like a wine club, you pick out three bottles every quarter with discounts, loyalty rewards, special release small-batch products, events… No charge to join, just the commitment that you are in with us for a year.