Early holiday gift planning idea:

Spokane’s Dry Fly Distilling is releasing four new spirits around Dec. 1, and expects them to sell out within two weeks.

Started in 2007, Dry Fly has gradually added more choices to its initial group of two retail offerings — vodka and gin.

Around Dec. 1, the privately held distillery will start selling bottles of Port Finish Wheat Whiskey, Straight Triticale Whiskey, Cask Strength Wheat Whiskey and Barrel Reserve Gin.

The first and last are distilled versions of existing blends but using oak barrels to add more taste and variety to the flavor, said co-owner Don Poffenroth.

The Cask Strength Whiskey is Dry Fly’s wheat whiskey but distilled to 120 proof and not the current 80-proof variety. Poffenroth said. That makes the whiskey better for mixed drinks. “You can use less and still get its bolder flavor,” he said.

The Triticale Whiskey from Dry Fly may be the first commercial production of that flavor, he added. Triticale is a grain hybrid of wheat and rye, he added.

It took a number of trials using different Triticale seed varieties to find the right one for the whiskey. The liquor being bottled comes from farms near Ritzville and Rosalia.

“It’s the best thing we’ve ever made,” added Poffenroth, who described it as a smooth blend of rye and wheat whiskey flavors.

All four new blends, plus a second batch of last year’s Dry Fly Bourbon, will go on sale on Dec. 1, said Poffenroth. Bottles will be found in Washington and Idaho liquor stores and many area supermarkets (other than Safeway, which doesn’t carry Dry Fly products).

And now the prices:  Around $30 for a 375-milliliter bottle. That's half the usual fifth size. So .... it's not something most people will buy for themselves. Better to give it to someone who deserves a good present.

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