Distillers' Spirited Debate

It’s her birthday! YOUR ONLINE LOCAL NBA’s bestest ‘Lucky’ Eleanore Rubinstein DAILY NEWS King James, rookiekie Lillard basks in 100th feting www.portlandtribune.com deserve league’s top honors Portland— See LIFE, B1 Tribune— See SPOSPORTS,RTS, B8 THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 2013 • TWICE CHOSEN THE NATION’S BEST NONDAILY PAPER • WWW.PORTLANDTRIBUNE.COM • PUBLISHED THURSDAYHURSDAY Advocate Distillers’ spirited debate says lead, Tom Burkleaux, fl uoride a owner of New Deal Distillery, adjusts a steam valve while bad brew keeping a close eye on his still, used for making gin and Lead Safe America vodka. New Deal handcrafts its director adds a new spirits starting with link to water fi ght the grain. By STEVE LAW The Tribune Tamara Rubin, the Sell- wood mom who earned a national reputation as a cru- sader against lead poisoning, is taking on a new target: fl u- oridated water. Rubin says the number of children poisoned by lead could double or even quadruple if Port- landers vote next month to fluoridate the city’s Bull Run “I think it’s water supply, settled based on stud- science.” ies showing fl uoride causes — Kip Duchon, more leaching U.S. Centers for of lead into the Disease Control water system and enables more lead to be absorbed by the human body. It could be a potent argument if it resonates among voters, since the major benefi t of fl uori- dating water is improving children’s health by reducing cavi- ■ ties. Difference between ‘made’ and ‘produced’ in PDX bubbles up However, like nearly every as- pect of the fl uoridation contro- versy, the link between lead and n the past two years, Portland’s Distillery For example, he says: “Nike’s a local brand, fl uoride is hotly debated by duel- Row — the collective of small distillers but those shoes are not a local product,” which ing scientists and advocates on within a 1.5-mile swath of the now-hip certainly hasn’t deterred the millions of loyal both sides. I Lower Eastside Industrial District — has Nike fans worldwide. Rubin, executive director of been featured by local and national media al- McCarthy is a granddaddy in the industry, the Lead Safe America Founda- most more times than than the city’s food one of the fi rst three to spring up in the United tion and producer of an upcom- carts. States when he opened in 1985. ing video documentary on the The boon in craft distilleries is seen as yet Now, Oregon is home to 35 distilleries that hazards of lead contamination, another wave of small entre- have spirits on the shelf, 23 notes that many older Portland preneurship, artisan innova- of which are members of the homes and schools suffer from tion, economic growth and Story by Jennifer Anderson Oregon Distillers Guild. An- high lead in the water due to old trendiness, Portland-style. Photos by Christopher Onstott other 15 distilleries have plumbing. But what’s missing from submitted their application “I sent a letter to the city, if the buzz is a dirty little se- for licensure, which could they fluoridate the water, I’ll cret in the distilling industry that no one likes soon bring the total number of distilleries to 50. have to sue them for poisoning to talk about: A large share of Oregon’s spirits That’s a big boon for the guild, the nonprofi t my children,” Rubin says, “be- are not made here. trade group that started in 2007 with the goal of cause they drink water in the In other words, the gin, vodka, whiskey or promoting Oregon spirits both locally and na- schools.” bourbon may be bottled and “produced” in Or- tionally. David Shaff, administrator of egon but not necessarily distilled here — unless In his 28 years of business, McCarthy’s ob- the Portland Water Bureau, says its label explicitly says so. served that “a great percentage of what’s being his staff have read the dueling “There’s a difference between a local brand sold in Oregon as an Oregon product is not an scientific studies on lead and and a local product,” says Steve McCarthy, own- Oregon product.” fl uoride, and they defer to health Lien Ly, co-owner of Vinn Distillery, pours samples of their Mijiu er and founder of Clear Creek Distillery in Other local distillers wholeheartedly agree, experts. Shaff notes that Mult- Fire — a Chinese wine made from black rice — at a public tasting Northwest Portland, one of the many distillers nomah County Health Depart- one recent Saturday. contacted by the Tribune this week. See DISTILLERY / Page 2 ment, the Oregon Health Au- thority, the U.S. Centers for Dis- ease Control and “every reputa- ble health organization” endors- “It says on the label ‘produced here.’ That’s all I need to say.” es fl uoridated water as a health benefi t. — LENNY GOTTER, EASTSIDE DISTILLING Kip Duchon, the CDC’s national fl uoridation engineer, says there was a period several years ago when the reputed link between lead and fl uoride got a lot of scientifi c attention, but those concerns have since been al- layed. Union Cabs pull away from curb “There’s a lot of information that ends up never going away, even after it’s been proven to be isn’t quite as dramatic as arriv- incorrect,” Duchon says. “I think Cooperative company ing in the United States, but, he it’s settled science.” revs up ‘new era’ in says, it’s connected. Fluoride critics and many sci- “Coming to the U.S. was a entifi c researchers disagree. Portland taxi service very big opportunity for me. The studies that fi rst set off This is a big empowerment for alarm bells were 1999 and 2000 By PETER KORN me, and proof that this is a great research reports led by Roger The Tribune country,” Wako says. Masters, emeritus Dartmouth Portland this week entered College professor at the Institute Kedir Wako is used to fresh what is supposed to be a new for Neuroscience and Society; starts. Born in Ethiopia, he era in taxi service, with 50-car and Myron Coplan of Intellequi- moved to the United States in Union Cab hitting the streets to ty Technology Services. They 1990. In 1996, he embarked on join existing cab services in a pored over federal blood tests a second new beginning competitive and occasionally administered to more than 1 mil- when he moved to Portland. cutthroat taxi environment. lion children and found those liv- Wako tried his hand at a Many existing drivers and of- ing in communities with fl uori- number of jobs. He worked in a fi cials at the established compa- dated water had nearly three nursing home. Later, he at- nies believe the city’s decision times the rate of elevated lead tempted to operate an airport to grant 50 new taxi permits to a levels as those in unfl uoridated shuttle service that didn’t work new company (and 28 additional communities. out. In 1999, Wako started driv- permits to established compa- Nearly 2 percent of the Mas- ing for Broadway Cab, improv- nies) is a mistake. This will sim- sachusetts children under the ing his English and learning the ply mean less business and rev- age of 6 had 10 milligrams or city’s streets along the way. enue for all drivers as the reve- more of lead per deciliter, a level But this week was a third nue pie gets sliced smaller and of concern then used by the fresh start for the 41-year-old smaller, they say. TRIBUNE PHOTO: CHRISTOPHER ONSTOTT CDC. About 0.75 percent of chil- Wako, president and acting Portland’s newest taxi company, 50-car Union Cab, hits the road this week with its fl eet of 50 Prius sedans manager of Union Cab. This one See UNION / Page 11 that company president Kedir Wako says will be more visible in city neighborhoods. See FLUORIDE / Page 5 “Pamplin Media Group’s pledge is to Portland Tribune Neighbors object ■ Gresham residents are unhappy that Portland plans to replace a 40-foot emergency deliver balanced news that refl ects the to new tower on communications tower with an 180-foot tower on Gresham Butte. Search: Gresham Butte stories of our communities. Thank you Online for reading our newspapers.” Gresham Butte Read it fi rst at portlandtribune.com — DR. ROBERT B. PAMPLIN JR. OWNER & NEIGHBOR A2 NEWS The Portland Tribune Thursday, April 18, 2013 Distillery Row growth puts spirits in the spotlight Since the fi rst craft distillers began popping up in inner Southeast Port- land in 2004, two are still thriving, three have fold- ed and three more have taken their place — with one more set to move in later this year. Rolling River, owned by a Camas, Wash., family, could be operating this summer, de- pending on the speed of the Visitors get a license and permit process. tour of Eastside Rick and Joan Rickard and Distilling, one their son, Tim, will bring their of fi ve — soon engineering and business to be six — background to their soon-to- spirit shops on open space at 1215 S.E. Eighth Distillery Row. Ave., complete with a still Eastside’s they will craft by hand. Burnside They’ll start with vodka Bourbon is and gin, and diversify. The winning family says they’re looking accolades, forward to helping grow the but it is craft spirits movement. “produced” “Really, it’s providing in Portland, not more choice for consumers,” distilled.

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