OOLA Distillery

Our Story

At OOLA, we want to awaken your palette and inspire you to pause, reflect and ultimately savor the things that make life meaningful. Namely: Good friends. Deep relationships. Art in its many forms. People have been transforming humble grains into noble spirits since the third century, and we proudly join this long line of adventurers, fools and alchemists.

Raise your glass to being above ground and lucky enough to enjoy it.

The Distillery Story

OOLA Distillery produces small batches of gin, vodka and whiskey. This is the real deal – spirits made with a sense of place and a connection to the people who grew the raw ingredients and the man who coaxed them into their more spirited forms. The goal is 100% use of Washington state people and ingredients from grain to glass: gins in which you can taste the botanicals, distinctive vodkas, and whiskey flavorful and smooth.

OOLA hosts an on-site distillery and tasting room with bottles available for purchase. Located adjacent to OOLA is 10 degrees, initiated and created by dancer and choreographer, KT Niehoff – it is the new home of KT’s dynamic performance company, Lingo Productions.

Kirby's Story

For OOLA owner and distiller Kirby Kallas-Lewis, OOLA is a labor of love, intellectual curiosity and commitment to the neighborhood he has called home for more than two decades. Kirby has been studying the art and science of distilling intensively since 2009. He has participated in numerous workshops, tastings, and conferences on the topic of craft distilling by some of the leaders in the industry. A former artist and tribal art dealer, Kirby has long been interested in the power that great food, wine, art, cocktails and entertaining have in connecting people to each other and to a place. Kirby is also in the development stage of a boutique hotel in the town of Waitsburg, WA, near Walla Walla – a quiet, inspiring and rejuvenating locale set against the Blue Mountains, surrounded by rolling wheat country along the southern edge of the Palouse Hills.