Posted on 07/09/2026 3:48:23 PM PDT by dennisw
A gin brand co-owned by Ryan Reynolds in Portland has closed a bar just four years after it opened.
Aviation American Gin's Tasting Room and Visitor Center held its last tasting on June 28.
'Thank you for all the memories, Portland. Stay weird,' a sign hung on the door read, according to Willamette Week.
The bar was opened in 2022 to promote Reynolds's gin brand. The actor once called the tasting room a 'Disneyland for adults.'
The closure comes amid a sales slump for Diageo, the drinks giant that co-owns the brand with Reynolds.
The London-based beverage giant was down by 15.4 percent in spirit sales between January and March of this year in the US alone, according to The Spirits Business.
'After careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to close the Aviation American Gin Visitor Center in Portland, Oregon,' a spokesman for Diageo said.
'This decision reflects evolving business needs, as we continue to support growth ambitions for our Aviation American Gin brand.'
'Aviation American Gin remains an important part of Diageo's portfolio and we are committed to the brand, our customers and consumers.'
The Daily Mail has reached out to Diageo for comment.
Production has been moved to an existing facility outside Portland, said a spokesman.
The decision to move production comes as the city struggles to keep its residents from leaving.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.com ...
Aviation and gin don’t go together....why the name?
“”Fortunately Ryan Reynolds has sufficient wealth of $350M””
I heard/read that he is the wealthiest of 3 male Hollywood celebrities and I can’t recall the other two!!
I'm no biologist but I'm thinkin' that's a big part of the problem.
Apparently, gin sales need a tonic.
I live two miles South of the Portland, Multnomah County line in unincorporated Clackamas County (Oak Grove neighborhood).
If you go look at a crime map, the street that separates the counties shows bright red high crime on the North side of the street, and bright green low crime on the South side of the street.
The criminals know exactly where laws are and are not enforced.
Well, I don’t drink any more. Of course I don’t drink any less!
Deadbrew
I’m now making my own wine. Tasty and 1\3 the price. No sulfites.
Gin sucks. So does Portland.
Gin is the most gawd-awful drink on the planet! Who thought a Gin Bar would be a good idea?
Ryan Reynolds is a dope, and his wife is even MORE insufferable.
At least he has the loss to write off on his taxes. Wouldn’t want him to suffer a reversal of fortune or anything.
*SMIRK*
Portland’s Rogue Brewhouse closed both locations in Portland - now out of business completely.
Rogue Ales & Spirits (the brewery behind Dead Guy Ale) is essentially gone as an operating brewery.
It was the best place in Portland for beer. My personal favorite was Hazelutely Choctabulous. That’s a mix of Rogue Hazelnut Ale and Rogue Chocolate Stout, mixed on the spot or available in bottles at the brewhouse.
Only three or four years ago, I was at the west location (the last to close down) and there was a big, huge banner on the wall of a bearded man standing alone in the middle of a barley field. I asked the bartender about it. He was an employee - they named a beer after him, it was on the big chalkboard on the wall above the bar, with all the brews listed. There was one named “Beard Beer”. That’s because the yeast used in the beer was taken from the beard of the employee on the banner, grown in a lab, and used as the basis for the beer.
No, really!
I told the bartender, “Imagine if he had a girlfriend and...”
This dude has annoyed me for years. What a woke moron.
It Ends in Portland
When it comes to legalized vices like alcohol, cigarettes and marijuana... Legal sales are way down... But are they really down?
Governments worldwide have overtaxed these three vices buy such a large margin that the illegal market for them has increased substantially... And that market is very profitably.
Carton’s of cigarettes sell for $15 and less... High grade marijuana for $20 an ounce and less... And alcohol for almost next to nothing.
Legal sales are down... Illegal sales are skyrocketing.
Who wants a 15 dollar shot of gin, in Portland, when you can get fentanyl pills for $2?
I don’t see how any specialized bar like that stays in business. Especially whiskey bars. All the “boutique” whiskeys are promoted as some kind of magical experience when they aren’t aged, or just blended bulk whiskey from proper distilleries. Most of them are just moonshine. And $30 a shot moonshine.
If you can’t make a business work next to the Pearl District and that area of Portland, then you didn’t have a good business.
The Fred Myers in that area won’t be going under.(A grocery store.)
The Multnomah Athletic Club will still be around.(A place where the Portland money drinks & socializes.)
The Roseland theater will still fill up with people wanting to listen to live music.
The left wing nuts & crazies will still fill up Pioneer Courthouse Square with their silly political diatribes.
Reynolds had a “dime a dozen” niche business in an area saturated with those type of businesses. So it shouldn’t be surprising when the underwriter decided to pull the plug.
I’m a gin guy. Aviation is a famous gin cocktail (gin, luxardo, crème de violette, lemon juice) and this gin is well suited for it. It is a nice subtle gin for lighter cocktails and is reasonably priced (typically low $20s) It is a safe pour for those who don’t think they like gin or you are looking for a more floral and dialed back juniper. It is to American style gin what Fords is to London dry: a well-crafted mixing gin for its range of cocktails. It doesn’t hold up in a martini or Negroni but it is quite good in its namesake.
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