By Tom Allan

Northwest Portland is an interesting neighborhood. Here you can find old stone homes a block away from industrial properties, which in turn are just around the corner from quaint coffee shops and boutiques. It is well known as a home of good beer, with McMenamin's and Rogue taverns scattered among many other watering holes. A lesser-known fact is that NW Portland is also home to an award-winning distillery.

Clear Creek Distillery, founded 20+ years ago by distiller Steve McCarthy, resides in an unassuming 1-story building that might be mistaken for a dental clinic from the outside. There is a locked metal gate at the entrance, a small sign, and a doorbell. I remember that gate well, as I stared longingly through it the day after Thanksgiving after being told that tastings were offered by appointment only. The horror. 200 miles from home, my throat dry and legs tired after a painful experiment with public transportation, I sulked away to drown my sorrows at the Rogue brewery.

I, however, am not easily kept out. A month later I was back, and this time with an appointment! It was well worth the wait and my two trips down from Kirkland, WA. Our guide, Elizabeth, greeted us and told us the story of Clear Creek. She then quickly moved on to the product.

At this point I should offer the disclaimer that I am not an expert in judging brandy or grappa, but I know what I like. These opinions are my own, but you can find more detailed tasting notes (and some professional evaluations) at the Clear Creek website.

Elizabeth started us with the flagship product of the distillery, their pear brandy Eau de Vie de Poire Williams ($34.95 750ml). It takes 28 pounds of Williams pears to make one bottle, and you can smell all of them in the glass. It is often difficult to detect the underlying fruit in Eau-de-Vie, but not here. Pear dominates on both the nose and the palate.

Next came Eau de Vie de Pomme ($39.95 750ml), an apple brandy aged 8 years in old Cognac oak barrels. Like the pear brandy the fruit is obvious everywhere, even after the extended aging. A smooth and classy treat.

A Blue Plum Brandy (slivovitz) ($39.95 750ml) rounded out my selection of fruit brandies. This one is soft and fruity (but certainly not sweet), and distilled in the traditional eastern European style. Oregon-grown Italian blue plums power this aromatic refresher.

So, I must confess that I have never been much of a grappa fan. I know there are great grappas in this world, but the few I have tasted may as well have been grain alcohol in a pretty bottle. However, after three fine brandies on this grey day I was feeling a bit emboldened. I asked to try Steve's Grappa Moscato ($39.95 750ml), made from the pressed stems and seeds of the Muscat grape. Have you also been scared away from grappa in the past? If so, try this one to bring you back to the familia! Very floral, with actual flavors to savor and a clean finish.

The Grappa Pinot Noir ($39.95 750ml) is of a more traditional style than the muscat, but still very flavorful without the mallet to the palate alcoholic attack of other grappas. It is made from the pomace of Oregon's St. Innocent Blanc de Noir.

My personal favorite was McCarthy's Oregon Single Malt ($39.95 750ml). Fans of the smoked peat character of Islay and coastal single malts will be surprised by this one. The astringent peat nose comes from the imported peat-malted barley which is used by Widmer Bros Brewing to brew a scotch wash exclusively for Clear Creek. Our guide asked me to guess the age of the whiskey and I was at a loss. In fact, we were drinking three-year-old single malt that tasted much older. The distillery was sold out of their bottles, but Elizabeth was kind enough to fill three bottles for us straight from the tank (after proofing of course). We couldn't pass up the opportunity to have these fresh bottles signed by their maker and namesake, Steve McCarthy.

The tasting was almost over, but we saved a couple of interesting items for last. Eau de Vie of Douglas Fir ($49.95 375ml) is not something you will find produced anywhere outside of these walls. It is an eau de vie flavored with the soft tips of spring growth plucked from Oregon Douglas fir trees. The flavor is subtle at first, but lingers. It seems to me there is a fabulous Fir drink recipe out there waiting to be written. Our guide agrees and suggests a name: The Firtini.

We closed with a Loganberry Liqueur ($21.95 375ml). This is the only liqueur made at the distillery and is the product of a two-week loganberry infusion method. It is thick and concentrated, a far cry from the 150 proof neutral grape spirits that form its base.

You can find many of Clear Creek's products in Oregon liquor stores and restaurants. There is limited availability in select Washington liquor stores and also in California. For Washington residents, go to http://www.liq.wa.gov/services/brandsearch.asp and type in Clear Creek to find stores that carry their products and pricing information. And, of course, you can visit the crew at the distillery and buy directly from them.

The 411

Clear Creek Distillery
2389 NW Wilson Street
Portland, OR 97210-1430

MAP

Phone: 503-248-9470
www.clearcreekdistillery.com
Tom Allan is a Contributing Advisor for WineSquire.com