Talking Cedar Distillery Kayak Gin Review

Some spirits on the market can describe themselves only as loud. Others arrive with a quieter confidence, and those are typically the ones you want to keep your eyes on. For these distilleries, it’s less about the novelty and more about place, about the ground on which these products were built. Kayak Gin from Talking Cedar Distillery is an epitomization of this idea. A gin shaped as much by its surroundings and associated history as it is by the still. It carries with it a sense of the coast by which it was created, the evergreen landscape sitting closely by, and just that essence of the Pacific Northwest. Kayak is certainly more than just trendy, and we’re excited to give you the full experience on what you can expect from this award-winning gin.

Talking Cedar: A Path Forward

The Talking Cedar Distillery includes both a brewery and restaurant, and is proudly owned and operated by the Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation in Washington. This historic operation was the first distillation operation on tribal land in modern history, a project that was birthed after the overturning of federal restrictions that had been in place since 1832.

Open since 2020, Talking Cedar was largely an effort to expand beyond the gaming industry. It quickly found its success and its full-scale production of beer, spirits, and food made it so much more than just a commercial venture. This proud establishment is the purest representation of long-term investment in tribal enterprise, and its combination of craft production and Chehalis hospitality has turned it into a PNW staple.

The Distillery

Currently, Talking Cedar distills over 10 different spirits, including a series of hand-crafted, small batch whiskeys, cask-finished brandies, and their award-winning Kayak Gin. It boasts the largest still west of the Mississippi, 31,000+ liter fermentation tanks, custom Italian pot stills, and the capabilities to produce 1.5 million gallons of spirits.

The distillery was generous enough to send their Gin for review, as well as some popular offerings from their brewing team as well. We’re excited to share our experience with this featured spirit, and also plan to highlight some of their most popular beer offerings as well.

Kayak Gin

45% Alc./Vol. | 90 Proof

Talking Cedar’s flagship gin was the first legally distilled spirit made on Native American land. Its base of fresh mountain water and locally foraged botanicals include a blend of Douglas Fir and Juniper tempered with Mountain Yarrow and Nootka Rose to capture the Pacific Northwest’s natural flavors in every sip.

Our Review

The nose is bright and expressive, with aromas that feel like stepping into a dense conifer forest. There’s a soft, almost perfumed lift on the back end—botanical in nature, with hints of bay leaf and faint whispers of tarragon that reinforce that woodsy character.

On the palate, pine needles and candied citrus lead the way. As it develops, it leans earthier, with juniper taking a more defined role. That initial touch of sweetness gives way to a gentle, well-balanced bitterness. The finish opens up more floral than the palate suggests, bringing in notes of rosewater and a subtle lychee-like sweetness.

The ethanol presence is noticeable but well-integrated. There’s a quick flash of heat up front, but it settles almost immediately into a smooth, lingering warmth that rounds everything out nicely.

It’s such a beautiful expression of gin. While not a spirit typically thought to be enjoyed on its own, this has so much to offer. I even tried adding some tonic for a classic G&T, and all it did was suppress all that beautiful complexity of the base gin. That fact alone speaks volume to just how good this is.

Zooming Out

There’s something very interesting about where Kayak Gin sits within the broader gin category. While maybe more under-the-radar, it’s a spirit category that has become increasingly crowded with modern craft expressions trying to push different botanical intensities or hybridize styles entirely. Talking Cedar isn’t looking to reinvent anything.

It leans into identity. It uses the land. It doesn’t try to overwhelm the palate with experimentation, but instead emphasizes specific profile elements known to gin that the region can really speak to. It’s not a statement gin, but more of a “definition gin”. We feel this is a product that will really resonate the most with drinkers who have an appreciation for classic gin structure, but want something with a more vivid sense or origin and environment – in this case, something definitively more juniper/botanical-forward.

Final Verdict

Above all, this gin delivers on its rare balance of being both highly expressive and incredibly composed. Each botanical plays a specific role in a larger story. This spirit stands so confidently on its own, and really begs the drinker to slow down. Sit with it. Really pick it apart. And these are things generally not evoked from gin. In a category often driven by novelty, Kayak Gin is a reminder that clarity, balance, and history can be the most compelling attributes of all.