‘Whiskey for chocolate lovers' earns this Pierce County distillery another global award
Justin Stiefel has gone over the recipe for his distillery's award-winning chocolate-flavored whiskey so many times he can talk about its flavor profile for a full minute.
It starts with the scent, he says. Take your time absorbing the cocoa-rich aroma from the glass. Then, enjoy successive notes of chocolate and a hint of marshmallow hitting your tongue before getting to the 'really deep, deep dark chocolate at the end.'
Stiefel compared it to a rainbow or a pumpkin pie — there's these 'cascading layers of additional flavored nuances' that emerge.
Heritage Distilling Co.'s Cocoa Bomb Chocolate Whiskey was recently recognized as 'World's Best Flavored Whiskey' by Whisky Magazine, according to a company news release Thursday. The award marks the third time Heritage has won the global title in that World Whiskies Awards category, following two wins for its Brown Sugar Bourbon in 2018 and 2019.
'Team's very excited,' said Stiefel, the distillery's CEO and co-founder with his wife Jennifer. 'It's a testament to how hard we work on really trying to nail the flavor profiles and make sure the overall roundness of the spirit is as pure as possible.'
Jennifer Stiefel also credited Heritage's whiskey production team led by Dain Grimmer, marketing team and customers for the award.
The Stiefels started Heritage Distilling in 2011, finished up the paperwork and opened their first distillery in Gig Harbor in 2013, according to Justin. They opened a tasting room on the Gig Harbor waterfront in 2014, followed by distillery tasting rooms in Roslyn and Tumwater in Washington state and in Eugene, Oregon. The company recently partnered with the Stillaguamish Tribe to open a Heritage-branded tasting room in Angel of the Winds Casino Resort in Arlington, Washington, The Everett Herald reported.
The business has since grown to become the largest craft distillery in Washington state, joining an increasing number of small distilleries across the nation, The News Tribune's Kristine Sherred reported in 2022.
Its Cocoa Bomb Chocolate Whiskey is featured in several cocktails on its winter 2025 menu, including Grandpa's Hot Cocoa, with chocolate bitters, cayenne pepper, espresso syrup, brown sugar syrup and cream; Mocha Bomb, with half and half, drip coffee, whipped cream and cocoa powder; and Cosmic Caramel, with Elk Rider Vodka, caramel syrup, espresso, half and half and caramel sauce.
Another popular order is the Cocoa Bomb Old Fashioned cocktail made with orange bitters, simple syrup, a dash of cocoa powder and orange peel, according to the online recipe.
Jennifer Stiefel said her favorite aspect of Cocoa Bomb is its versatility.
'I actually love it as a summer drink with lemonade and grenadine,' she said. 'It's like a chocolate-covered strawberry on ice.'
It's also approachable, she said. It doesn't burn and remains flavorful without letting the chocolate overpower you. She also recommends it in 'boozy baking,' having used it herself to make a chocolate cake with chocolate filling and a dab of whip cream on top, she said.
'We call it whiskey for chocolate lovers and chocolate for whiskey lovers,' Justin said.
Asked what's next for the business, he said they're working on a few other recipes for flavored whiskeys and are preparing to release a line of spirits in honor of first responders, including police, firefighters, EMTs and search-and-rescue teams.
The public can buy shares in the business after Heritage Distilling listed its stock on the NASDAQ in November under the ticker symbol 'CASK,' according to a company news release.
▪ 3118 Harborview Dr., Gig Harbor, 253-514-8120, heritagedistilling.com
▪ Sunday-Wednesday 11 a.m.-7 p.m., Thursday-Thursday 11 a.m.-8 p.m., Friday-Saturday 11 a.m.-9 p.m.
▪ Tasting rooms in Tumwater, Ballard and Roslyn, as well as two in Oregon
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