Vinn Distillery, Portland

The siblings that own Vinn Distillery come from a long line of distillers. Their ancestors grew up in remote villages around China and Vietnam, where a scarcity of alcohol forced them to learn how to make it for themselves. So they began distilling their own alcohol to be used for celebratory and everyday drinking, as well as medicinal purposes. Vinn Distillery carries on that tradition by using the same family recipes that have been passed down for more than seven generations. Read on to learn more about this family affair:

• Vinn's spirits are all gluten-free. That's because they use fermented rice to create their alcohols, including vodka, whiskey, and blackberry liqueur.

• Vinn produces China's most popular drink. Baijiu, a clear liquor made primarily from sorghum and rice, may be the national drink of China, but it's relatively unknown to American drinkers. According to the New York Times, it's been described as "resembling stinky cheese, anise, pineapples, musk and gasoline." Yet it has a slew of die-hard fans. The Times recommends first-timers put baijiu in a cocktail, saying "because it has so many flavors, it works well in a variety of combinations." If you want to try it by itself, you can't go wrong with Vinn's baijiu, which won a gold medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

• You can try Vinn's baijiu and other beverages on Distillery Row. Vinn's tasting room is located in Portland's Lower East Side Industrial District. Its neighbors include seven other independent distilleries.