About the Producer
Clear Creek Distillery was one of the first craft distillers, founded in 1985 in by Stephen McCarthy with the goal of producing eau-de-vies. To this day their most popular product is pear eau-de-vie made from Oregon pears. Clear Creek was bought out by Hood River Distillers in 2014 and moved from their original home in Portland to the Hood River valley. In addition to a wide range of aged and unaged brandies they also make what’s likely the first American single malt, made with peated barley and named after the founder.
Details
- Made from a variety of Oregon wines.
- Says aged 2yrs on the bottle but in interviews they say it’s really aged 4yrs.
- Aged in new and used French oak barrels.
- 42.5% abv.
Nose
Light nose. Traces of toasted oak and orange marmalade. Vanilla. Very dry. Fairy simple and smells a little young. Very distillate driven.
Palate
Similar to the nose with the same youthful, distillate driven flavor. Fruity with orange marmalade, vanilla and toasted oak. Texture is drying. Light bodied and dry. Needs more oak and a bit more time in the barrel I think. Think that would add some complexity.
Finish
Short to medium. Dry red wine.
Rating: 4
Overall
Not bad but a bit under baked. Would benefit form either more proof or more time in the barrel. The orange marmalade note is pretty interesting but it doesn’t have too much else.
1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out.
2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice.
3 | Bad | Multiple flaws.
4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but many things I’d rather have.
5 | Good | Good
6 | Very Good | A cut above.
7 | Great | Well above average
8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional.
9 | Incredible | An all time favorite
10 | Perfect | Perfect
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