Last-minute Local and Sustainable Father’s Day Gifts from the PNW

Stafford's Reserve Bourbon
by Anthony Patria

“Dad” is nuanced in its meaning. “Dad” can sound like the thud of still-muddy boots on a beeline to the kitchen. The syllable can be drawn out over multiple notes to indicate disapproval of a bad joke. The word can look how his embrace feels: bookended in strength.

Father’s Day has crept in quietly after the more popular Mother’s Day, like a Dad who has learned to take his probably-still-muddy boots off at the door. But we won’t let Dad’s day meet the same fate as his jokes—coming quick and (hopefully) going quicker. We culled our favorite Ws for Father’s Day this year—whiskey, wine, wool, whiskers and the wild.

Now is the time to show the Dad in your life appreciation with a gift made in the Pacific Northwest, supporting other families in the region.

Whiskey—good whiskey—is the most direct route to a man’s heart. To that end, the new Western bourbon, Stafford’s Reserve, is high on our list. It is an American bourbon that sips nicely on its own or as the foundation for a decadent Old Fashioned.

Likewise Copperworks Distilling Company on Seattle’s waterfront, makes a single malt whiskey that is done the right way, in traditional copper stills made in Scotland. Copperworks’ single malt is made from barley from the Skagit Valley, north of Seattle, keeping it local.

The terroir of the PNW brings us many different surprises in a bottle. Through the wines Maryhill Winery, you can travel the Columbia Valley AVA, Horse Heaven Hills and the Yakima Valley to find dad’s favorites.

Argyle Winery, in the heart of Oregon wine country in Dundee, is another special plot of land that is home to some of the world’s best pinot noirs. Argyle Winery has taken the guess work out of it with its new Single-Vineyard Pinot Noir Trio with dads in mind.

Naturally gifts related to wool are part of the Pacific Northwest tradition that spans sheep ranches and inclement weather. One established brand and another enterprising newcomer make great gifts that are local and sustainable. Wool&Prince in Portland and Pendleton Woolen Mills in Pendleton are two ways to not go wrong with a long-lasting and beloved gift for dad this year.

Men’s skin care is an emerging area where you could help make big and sustainable lifestyle changes for dad. Landia, based in Oregon City, introduces a better way to think about skin care and dad’s whiskers with a organic, vegan, toxin- and cruelty-free handmade products that are designed to improve skin health unlike most consumer products. Try the Landia shave cream, made from organic aloe vera leaf juice rich in antioxidants, vitamins A and C to reverse skin dehydration.

Into the wild we go to fish on Washington lakes and to ride rails on a pedal-powered custom recumbent vehicle along the Oregon Coast. These two gifts will get dad off his arse and into a place of Zen. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife stocked 14 lakes with big trout for Father’s Day weekend. Discover these spots from Green Lake in King County to Williams Lake in Spokane County. Give a dad a fish, and he’ll eat for one day. Give him a Washington state fishing license, and he’ll have a year’s-worth of adventures.

Railriders is a new way to get out into the wild on old train tracks and new custom pedal platforms. Try one of the Railriding Cycling outings on the Oregon Coast, along the Puget Sound and in the shadow of the Wallowas in Eastern Oregon.

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