Craft distillers have spirits riding high in Portland

Tag : Distilling Flask

PORTLAND — You know folks in the southeastern part of thiscity reckon they are on to something big because the nickname gamehas commenced. Should the district be "Distillery Row"? "LibationAlley"? You get the picture.
The small craft distillery scene has hit Portland, reminiscent ofthe microbrewery boom two decades ago. Young microbrewers andwinemakers are now distilling whiskey, brandy, grappa and evenabsinthe. And taking a page from Kentucky's iconic whiskeydistillers, they are beginning to host tours and tastings. With 17microdistilleries in Oregon, and eight more startups expectedacross the state by year's end, spirits aficionados haven't seenanything like this in recent memory.
Sure, boutique distilleries also dot the landscapes in Michigan andNorthern California, but only in Oregon do most artisandistilleries concentrate around a city. Collectively, thedistillers help shape the bar and culinary scene in Portland. TheRose City is now seeing a renaissance of classic cocktails, andsome high-end restaurants are trying experimental pairings of foodwith spirits.
"The distillery scene here is where the wine industry in Californiawas in the 1960s," said Steve McCarthy, owner of Clear CreekDistillery, one of the nation's first microdistilleries. "We arerewriting all the rules. The artisan distilleries are making up awhole new industry."
Breaking in with brandy
McCarthy earned a cult following after making small batches of eaude vie, or fruit brandy, in 1985.
Now, four-star restaurants Le Cirque in New York City and CharlieTrotter's in Chicago carry his brandy. The hip Pegu Club in NewYork invented a cocktail in homage to it. Local celebrity chefs TomDouglas and Thierry Rautureau both rave about it.
In 1987, McCarthy sold his hunting-rifle part supply company tofocus on his dream: making a world-class brandy. The Mercer Islandnative now lives a few blocks from his distillery in northwestPortland.
Clear Creek is Oregon's most impressive distillery, a must-stop foranyone who wants to see how a world-class distillery operates. Onour recent visit, McCarthy, 65, gave a tour of where his brandies,grappas, liqueurs and whiskeys are made.
He stood next to a pallet of brandy set to be shipped to France,petting it like it was man's best friend. "The French invented eaude vie. For a French distributor to say that my stuff is goodenough to go into France and compete with their stuff is a verynice recognition."
He also distills cherry, apple and even Douglas fir brandy, madefrom green buds plucked near Mount Hood. But his pear brandy, about$40 a bottle, is the big draw.
It takes 30 pounds of pears to make one 750-ml bottle. McCarthytrucks in Bartletts from his orchards in the Hood River Valley. Theripe pears get crushed, then fermented for a month in one of six2,300-gallon tanks. The fermented mash then heats up in his copperstills.
How does it taste? Crisp, with an intense clarity of fresh-fruitcharacteristics. It doesn't taste medicinal or get run over by thehigh alcohol content. In the United States, only St. George Spiritsand Germain-Robin in California belong in the same pantheon. It'sas good as or better than many of the respected eaux de vie I'vetasted in France.
Craft distilleries
Outside of Kentucky, Oregon hosts one of the nation's most excitingcraft distillery scenes. Family-owned Brandy Peak Distillery inBrookings makes spirits the old-fashioned way, from a wood-firedstill. Beer empire McMenamins runs a distillery next to EdgefieldHotel in Troutdale, east of Portland. In southeast Portland, HouseSpirits Distillery can craft a barrel of whiskey tailored to yourtaste. Nearby, Integrity Spirits makes an absinthe.
Two factors put the state at the forefront. Like wineries,distillers in Oregon can sell their spirits on their premises andoffer tastings — unlike most states.
Also, an artisanal culture was already here. Think winemakers whomake the famed pinot noir in Willamette Valley, and all the city'smicrobrewers. These days, those winemakers and brewers or theirapprentices, along with bartenders and farmers, distill spiritswith a Northwest flavor, even aging whiskey in Oregon oak.
Among the spirits being crafted here: pinot noir brandy,gewürztraminer grappa, Eastern-style gin, hazelnut spiced rum,or vodka infused with hot pepper, saffron, tarragon, chocolate orbasil.
Distillery district
Many distill out of warehouses in an industrialized part ofsoutheast Portland. Also on this corridor will be a few breweries,wineries and the much-anticipated September debut of a restaurantfeaturing Kevin Ludwig and Lance J. Mayhew, two of the city's bestbartenders. Talks have begun about creating tour signs and a catchynickname for this area.
Most distilleries in Portland offer tours and tastings, butexpectations should be tempered, since most are startups and theiroperations are modest.
Often now, tasting means cozying up to a makeshift bar or a barrelthat doubles as a tasting table. It's actually charming and morepersonal. Although many plan to build more formal tasting rooms byyear's end, this informal setting falls more in line with themom-and-pop profile of the small craft distilleries.
House Spirits Distillery is one of the big kids on this block. ItsAviation Gin was served at a James Beard award dinner and carriedin many bars in New York City and San Francisco, the epicenters forclassic and contemporary cocktails.
Aviation Gin breaks from traditional London Dry-style gin (thinkTanqueray or Beefeater). It has less emphasis on juniper berries,and possesses a spicy nose, with hints of lavender and corianderand a smooth finish, similar to a Dutch genever gin.
Sophisticated spirits
Artisan spirits in Portland are so sophisticated that advocatessuch as Oregon Distillers Guild President Lee Medoff, who alsoco-owns House Spirits Distillery, are convinced spirits can pairwith food just as wines do. Some of the city's top restaurantsagree. Simpatica Dining Hall, Park Kitchen and Paley's Place alloccasionally feature tasting menus with cocktails and spirits.
That's a sore point with traditionalists such as Clear Creek'sMcCarthy who believe the alcohol content is too high to pair withfood. That it's a topic of discussion in restaurant kitchens andbars shows how big the distillery scene has grown in a city billedas "the capital of microbrewery."
In the Pearl District, bartenders Daniel Shoemaker at TeardropCocktail Lounge and Kelley Swenson of Ten 01 both create innovativecocktails with local spirits and almost draw as much attention infoodie circles as the city's top chefs. Their rise can be partlyattributed to the craft distillery scene, which has raisedawareness among the young crowd.
The craft distillery scene "is just about to explode," saidShoemaker, who owns Teardrop. He doesn't want to miss out. He plansto open a distillery to make peach liquor and apricot brandy forhis bar.
Seattle Times staffer Tan Vinh is a regular contributor toNWWeekend. Contact him: 206-515-5656 or tvinh@seattletimes.com .