Meet Some of the Women Behind the Whiskey
In celebration of International Women’s Month, we would like to take a moment to introduce you to some of the women who are the backbone of making Mischief’s award-winning whiskey and sprits.
Distilling is part science, part heart, and lots of hard work. Finding the perfect balance between all the competing priorities is a true art form. Luckily Mischief has a variety of artisan women who also love good whiskey and are all willing to roll up their sleeves and master the complex process.
Patti Bishop is the co-founder of Fremont Mischief Distillery. She and her partner Mike started the distillery in 2009, right when craft liquor distilling became legal in Washington State. She was one of the pioneers who helped build the craft distilling industry in Washington State. Patti comes from a hard-working ranching family in Eastern Oregon. In fact, the first whiskey Mischief distilled & barreled is graced with a Bishop family name: John Jacob Rye Whiskey.
In our 12th year, Patti (with Mike) steadfastly continues Mischief’s core principles: sustainability, distilling premium spirits & whiskey, sourcing local freshly ground grain, and using Fremont Mischief as a tool to give back to our community.
Asked what she likes best about distilling, she replies, “The people. Our lasting friendships with our farmers and millers, the joy of harvesting a barrel and sharing a sip with those who helped us make it. Pouring a sip in the Tasting Room with friends, new and returning, and our Mischief Family” – those who have helped us so much along the way and became “family” while doing it.
Checking the temperature of the grain mash. 
Part of the complex distillation network. 
Some of the 13 botanicals that we infuse into our Gin.
Once we get the grains from our local family farms milled and our custom malts created, our distiller, Annie Ferris starts the complex process of turning grain into whiskey. We use a very fine grind to make our wort (the beer slurry that is the basis for creating alcohol). This fine grain creates challenges in fermentation, storage, and moving the product between all of our different tanks through the complex series of pipes, pumps, and drains. But we have found the fine grind is what helps ensure the flavor of this fresh grain shine through in the finished spirit and is worth the hassle of trying to move this glue-like substance through the process. Her background in sculptural welding and her mechanically inclined nature has certainly helped to prepare her for the challenge. She is often seen with just her feet poking out from under some still or tank while she coaxes the distillation process along. Annie is currently on an adventure to hike several thousand miles of the Pacific Crest Trail. She is just starting on the Mexico/California border and will be walking her way back towards Mischief over the next several months. We are excited to hear more about her adventures.
Mischief is currently bottling 20 unique award-winning spirits. Mischief’s in-house creative Jill Carter gets to spend her days putting an artistic stamp on each of these bottles and labels. From designing unique steampunk-inspired crazy contraption illustrations for each bottle, to hand painting murals and signs around the distillery and tasting room, to creating the website, menus, and custom animations about the distillation process. Her long background in theater scenic design contributes to her ability to tell Mischief’s unique visual story.
Once the spirits are aged, bottled, and labeled they go to our Tasting Room where Elsa Silva, our Master Mischief Maker will walk guests through tasting the unique spirits. Tracking the inventory, and the distillation process is a complex job, so when Mischief upgraded their tracking system, Elsa stepped right up and dove into the daunting task. Elsa has the uncanny ability to know where everything is, a great asset when you are trying to track down each of the 13 botanicals that go into our delicious gin, or any of the thousands of components that goes into each of our bottles. In addition to working in the Tasting Room, she has been instrumental in designing memorable events and experiences, from corporate launch parties to memorable birthday parties to really fun weddings. Her background in architecture has contributed to her unique ability to make sure everything is planned, organized, and perfect.
We are looking forward to a time, that will hopefully be coming soon, when we can all take off our masks and have events again and share the unique heart of Mischief, with these fine women artists at the center.
