Visit Our Tasting Room
mon- sat 2-9 pM
Visit Our Tasting Room
mon- sat 2-9 pM
Visit us at our on-site Tasting Room in the restored historical Army Fort bakery. Just uphill from the Port Chilkoot cruise ship dock in Haines.
Samples, Custom Cocktails, Bottle Sales, Merchandise
Handcrafted spirits in a handcrafted building
Handcrafted spirits in a handcrafted building
Our Story
meet the team
Our Story
meet the team
Creating fine spirits is an extension of the Alaskan way of life. Putting up hand-crafted food and goods comes naturally to people here, and during the Klondike Gold Rush, bootleggers made moonshine. We’re a small team committed to harvesting sustainably from the land, creating our own quality goods, and following our dreams in a place that can be wild and unpredictable. We wouldn’t trade it for anything, and we’re proud to produce exceptional spirits we hope you'll savor.
Heather shade, Owner
A former National Park Service biologist who once spent weeks at a time in the backcountry of Denali, Heather still brings a scientist’s curiosity to her work, and loves experimenting with botanicals to create spirits with an unmistakable sense of place. Heather is the founding president of the Distillers Guild of Alaska, which advances the interests of spirit-makers (and spirit-drinkers) statewide.
SEAN copeland, Owner
Sean came to distilling as a carpenter with more than two decades of experience, and you can taste his meticulous attention to detail in everything we make. You can also see it when you visit our tasting room, which Sean restored from the ground up, as well as our new production building that he built from scratch in 2019. When he’s not patiently coaxing perfection out of our whiskies, Sean is usually sailing, fishing, or romping around in the woods.
David Thomas, distiller & production manager
When David isn’t distilling delicious liquors for the public to enjoy, he is out kayaking around Southeast Alaska and enjoying the astounding natural beauty of the area. He loves to travel and experience new places and cultures, trying different regional food and drinks from around the globe.
In the dark of winter he enjoys wood burning art projects, tattooing and catching up on a long list of great books.
Rahsaan Gregg, Facilities & Production Assistant
Rahsaan is a third-generation resident of Port Chilkoot in Haines Alaska. His grandparents arrived in Haines in 1947 and were one of the five families who established the “Port Chilkoot Company”.
Rahsaan spent his childhood and young adulthood growing and playing all over the Chilkat Peninsula, enjoying all the freedom and adventures of Alaskan life. After spending 25 years in the “Lower 48” working in live event production and custom carpentry where he began a family of his own, he decided to return to Haines in the summer of 2022 so his two young sons could begin school and enjoy all the pleasures and simplicity of a life in Haines.
Rahsaan’s return to Haines opened the doorway to joining the team at the Distillery where he is more excited every day to increase his knowledge of the Craft Spirits production process and provide customers, both local and from far away, an unforgettable memory and experience of the place he calls home.
lucy Nieboer, tasting room manager
Lucy came to Haines seeking community and new outdoor experiences after spending her post-grad years in the NYC restaurant scene. Now, happy to call Haines home, she’s excited to take on this new role.
Jen reid, tour guide & host
Jen has lived in Alaska most of her life, living truly off-grid in a number of ways. Her passion for working from scratch has carried through her works in similar industries. Tour guiding being one of her many expertise, she looks forward to bringing her own style to Port Chilkoot Distillery.
rebekah jean, host
Rebekah moved to Haines ten years ago and is inspired by all aspects of Alaskan life. With 15 years of industry experience, she hopes to grow in mind and spirit alongside Port Chilkoot Distillery.
ozzie, distillery dog
Ozzie may not be a sea creature, but she’s just as much a mascot for our distillery. She been part of the distillery story since the very beginning, supervising Heather and Sean as they renovated what is now the tasting room and now, keeping a close eye on our barrels of whiskey as we’ve moved into our new production building. Even though Ozzie has moved on, she still lives on with us in spirit.