The Dawn of Distillery Row

Distilleries in the Portland Area
Awards for Portland-Area Spirits
Handcrafted Cocktails in Portland

Portland has been at the heart of the microbrew revolution for more than 20 years, while the nearby Willamette Valley has produced world-class wines since the ‘70s … that ought to be enough cutting-edge and critically acclaimed beverages for one area, right? Well, no. Thirsty (and industrious) Portlanders are blazing another trail, making the city the center of a new artisan distillery movement.

Several of these new distillers started life as brewers and are applying the skills they developed in beer making — passion for quality, dedication to local ingredients and willingness to take risks — to crafting spirits. Other Portland distillers sprang from the local wine industry, recycling the grape material left over from winemaking into eau de vie or grappa. Still others became interested in traditional distilling techniques, and like Oregon’s early vintners, realized there was no reason that the world’s best couldn’t be produced here — in fact, the region’s natural bounty and entrepreneur-friendly atmosphere give Portland a distinct edge.

Clear Creek Distillery led the way, beginning production of its signature eau de vie in Portland in 1985. Founder Steve McCarthy was one of the first artisans to distill eau de vie in America, using fruit from his family’s Hood River orchards. Vodka had its Oregon small-batch birth at Jim Bendis’ Bendistillery (Bend, Ore.) in 1996; the Central Oregon distiller continues to garner awards for its vodkas and gin.

In the 21st century, Portland has seen a boom in craft distilling. Eight new distilleries have opened here in the past six years, many clustered in an area of inner eastside Portland that some call “Distillery Row.” Since 2004, Portland has hosted the annual Great American Distillers’ Festival, the first gathering of its kind in America. Each August, the festival features craft distillers offering pours of more than 40 spirits, a bartenders’ competition and seminars about distilling and appreciating spirits.

Confirming Portland’s distinction as a mecca for microdistilling, the Oregon Distillers’ Guild was created here in 2008. The guild comprises 17 Oregon craft distillers, and operates as a nonprofit corporation to promote the common interests of the state’s licensed distilling businesses. It’s only logical that the nation’s first such organization is here — Oregon is home to more microdistillers per capita than any other state.

 

Distilleries in the Portland Area

Artisan Spirits
1227 S.E. Stark St., Portland, Ore.
www.artisan-spirits.com
Tours by appointment.

One of the newest entries onto the Portland distilling scene, Artisan Spirits Distillery handcrafts vodkas using locally sourced ingredients. Artisan’s Martin Ryan Handmade Vodka is distilled from local grapes, using minimal filtration to preserve the fruits’ essence. Apia Artisan Vodka was inspired by a family history of distilling vodka from mead, or honey wine, in the Volga Basin of Russia. The tradition gets a local twist in Apia, distilled from Willamette Valley honey.

Clear Creek Distillery
2389 N.W. Wilson St., Portland, Ore.
www.clearcreekdistillery.com
Tasting room open Monday through Saturday, tours offered at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Saturdays.

One of the first players on Portland’s distilling scene was Clear Creek Distillery, which made its debut in 1985. Using local fruit, Clear Creek distiller/owner Steve McCarthy turns out a variety of products — eaux de vie, grappa, whiskey, liqueurs and brandy — cited by The New York Times Magazine as “what many experts believe to be the best fruit brandies ever made in the U.S.”

Eau de vie (French for “water of life”) is a clear, colorless brandy made by crushing and fermenting fruit, then distilling the fermented fruit mash. Eau de vie is often served as a digestif, to aid in digestion at the end of the meal. It all sounds very European, but Clear Creek produces some of the world’s finest eau de vie just north of the stylish cafés and boutiques that line Portland’s Northwest 23rd Avenue.

Clear Creek’s pièce de résistance is its stunning Pear-in-the-Bottle brandy, which features a nearly perfect, fully-grown pear inside each bottle. And just how do they get those pears in there? Bottles are hand-tied to tree limbs just after flowering, allowing the pears to grow to maturity inside.

One of Clear Creek’s distinctively Oregonian offerings is Eau de Vie of Douglas Fir, a brandy made from an infusion of the springtime buds from Oregon’s official state tree, the Douglas fir. Other varieties of eau de vie on offer include cherry, plum, apple and raspberry varieties.

Clear Creek also distills grappa, brandy made from the pressed skins and seeds of grapes left over from the winemaking process (called “pomace”). Clear Creek produces six grappas using pomace of different varietals sourced from local wineries.

Clear Creek continues its tradition of using the best Northwest fruit and berries with a new line of liqueurs: blackberry, loganberry, cassis (black currant), cherry, pear and raspberry. The distillery’s other spirits include the peaty McCarthy’s Oregon Single Malt Whiskey, which beer and whiskey expert Michael Jackson deemed among “The Ten Best American Whiskeys” in 2004, and an oak-aged brandy distilled from fine Oregon wines.

Dolmen Distillery
www.dolmen.arbre.us
No tours or tasting room.

Former brewer and self-described alchemist Anders Johansen started producing Dolmen Distillery’s honey spirits in 2005. Located in the Willamette Valley town of McMinnville, Ore., Dolmen distills mead, or fermented honey, to produce Worker Bee, a clear distillate with delicate floral aromas of honey and white flowers. If made from fruit, this would be an eau de vie or brandy. When it came time for federal licensing, the regulators weren’t sure what to call the creation, so they settled on “spirits of honey.”

Honey spirits may be new to the American government, but they’ve been around a long time. Mead dates as far back as 1700 B.C.E. and distilled mead is known to have been produced in the British Isles and northern Europe around 500 C.E. — in fact, it is quite possible that honey spirits were the original distillates.

Johansen recommends enjoying Worker Bee as one would a fine brandy, eau de vie or cognac: savoring it straight up in a glass, swirling to release the bouquet. While Worker Bee is dry — not sweet on the palate — it conveys the sweetness of honey through its aroma and mouth feel, and makes an interesting stand-in for brandy in mixed drinks.

Highball Distillery
610 S.E. 10th Ave., Portland, Ore.
www.highballdistillery.com
Tours given by appointment.

Founded in 2007, Highball Distillery introduced its first product, Elemental Vodka, in summer 2008. Created using 100 percent Northwest organic wheat in a still powered with wind-generated electricity, the vodka reflects Highball’s commitment to promoting organic agriculture while using environmentally sustainable production practices. Each bottle of vodka contains more than two pounds of grain, which is purchased from Bob’s Red Mill in Milwaukie, Ore.

Highball is in the process of developing a whiskey.

House Spirits Distillery
2025 S.E. Seventh Ave., Portland, Ore.
www.housespirits.com
Distillery tours and Spirit & Cocktail Boutique by appointment.

House Spirits was founded in 2002 by Lee Medoff and Christian Krogstad, two former brewers who wanted to stamp the taste and flavor of the Pacific Northwest onto their versions of vodka, gin and whiskey.

Their first product was Medoyeff Vodka, which is produced in small batches using techniques borrowed from the best Russian distilleries. The spirit gets its sweet, supple mouth feel and mineral finish from slow filtering through charcoal and limestone.

In 2006, House Spirits partnered with Seattle mixologist Ryan Magarian to develop a spirit that would honor the traditional American cocktail. Made in the full-bodied Dutch style, Aviation Gin combines 100 percent rye grain neutral spirit with a veritable herb garden of juniper, cardamom, coriander, lavender, anise seed, sarsaparilla and dried orange peel. Their plan worked; many Northwest bartenders have been inspired to mix with the uniquely flavored gin.

House Spirits Distillery offers a bespoke whiskey barrel program called “Whisk(e)y Your Way” (they haven’t decided whether to use the Scottish or Irish spelling). This unique program invites customers to participate in an educational tasting seminar and then consult with the distiller to select the grains, distillation method, barrel type and water variety for their customized whiskey. The customer is invited (although not required) to assist in running the still. The result is a barrel of whiskey tailored to a customer’s exact specifications. Over the next 3-5 years that it takes for the whiskey to mature, customers are encouraged to sample their barrel frequently to monitor progress and learn how the wood contributes to the finished spirit.

House Spirits also produces Krogstad Aquavit, a premium spirit flavored with anise and caraway, and recently unveiled an absinthe called Marteau Verte Classique, created in conjunction with Gwydion Stone of the Wormwood Society and Gnostalgic Spirits. The distiller also crafts an “apothecary line” of liquors available exclusively at the Spirit & Cocktail Boutique adjacent to the distillery (currently open by appointment only). A House Spirits whiskey is in the works.

Indio Spirits
www.indiospirits.com
Tours not offered.

Indio was founded in 2005 by John Ufford, whose background as the corporate beverage manager for McMenamins — Oregon’s highest volume hard-spirits-on-premises retail buyer — guided him to produce spirits that he knew the market craved.

Ufford’s instincts have done him proud: Indio Vodka took the silver medal at the 2006 San Francisco World Tasting Championships. The popular vodka is distilled from rye and filtered through charcoal-activated coconut husk — an innovation in vodka filtering.

The stars of Indio’s product line are its infused vodkas, highlighting flavors both local and exotic, including Oregon Marionberry, Lemongrass-Lime, Blood Orange and Wasabi. These edgy flavors lend themselves perfectly to cocktails. Indio also produces the London dry style Cricket Club Gin and a blended Canadian whiskey.

Integrity Spirits
909 S.E. Yamhill St., Portland, Ore.
www.integrityspirits.com
Tours available by appointment.

Integrity Spirits was founded in 2007 by Kieran Sienkiewicz and Rich Phillips. As the head distiller for Rogue Distillery in Portland, Sienkiewicz crafted awarded-winning rums. At Integrity, the offerings include vodka, gin and absinthe.

Integrity shares space with the environmentally friendly Green Dragon Bistro & Brewpub in southeast Portland’s “Distillery Row” area (home to four microdistilleries, in addition to a number of brewpubs). The sharing of resources lessens both companies’ ecological impact.

Lovejoy Hazelnut Vodka, flavored with roasted Oregon hazelnuts, offers a taste of the Northwest. Integrity’s Lovejoy Vodka is sold with a variety of artistically designed labels — same vodka, different designs. The distiller plans to introduce new label designs over time.

Integrity also produces 12 Bridges Gin, a marriage of London dry and Dutch genever styles that combines 12 botanicals. (There are also 12 bridges in Portland; hence the name.) The botanicals used include sweet Hungarian juniper berries, refreshing cucumber and spicy ginger.

In summer 2008, Integrity became one of a handful of distillers in America to produce absinthe, which was legalized in 2007. Trillium Absinthe Supérieure — named after the Northwest’s elusive spring flower — is flavored with green anise, wormwood, hyssop and other botanicals. And while the myth that absinthe causes madness has been debunked, at 120 proof, this liqueur may still invoke images of the “green fairy.”

Liquid Vodka
www.liquidvodka.com
No tours or tasting room.

This small-batch vodka distillery is located in Warren, Ore., about 25 miles northwest of Portland. Liquid Vodka earned a silver medal at the 2007 International Review of Spirits competition; the Beverage Testing Institute describes it as a “smooth vodka with a pure, clean flavor profile.” Liquid was also awarded a bronze in the 2007 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

McMenamins Edgefield
2126 S.W. Halsey St., Troutdale, Ore.
www.mcmenamins.com

The McMenamin brothers, pioneers of Portland’s brewpub revolution, were also early adopters of microdistilling, launching the Edgefield Distillery way back in 1998. In typical McMenamins fashion, Edgefield’s offerings are abundant, including whiskey, brandy, gin and coffee liqueur.

Edgefield’s master distiller makes the most of the on-site brewery and winery, using Hammerhead Ale and Edgefield Chardonnay as base spirits, and incorporating grapes from the property’s 5.5-acre vineyard. The Edgefield resort also boasts a golf course, spa, movie theater and nine bars and restaurants — including the Distillery Bar, where visitors can watch the 12-foot-high, gleaming copper and stainless steel still in action, and, of course, sample the still’s output.

Amber-hued Hogshead Whiskey is one of the specialties of the house, with its palate-pleasing combination of malty spirit — reminiscent of its malted barley grain base — and smoky, vanilla sweetness from the wood that surrounds the spirit until bottling.

Edgefield produces three brandies: the newest, Edgefield Brandy, is a barrel-aged grape brandy marrying two distilled Edgefield wines. Edgefield Pear Brandy is an eau de vie of pears grown just up the Columbia River Gorge in Hood River, Ore. Longshot Brandy is crafted from Edgefield Syrah grapes, which lend spiciness to the fiery spirit.

Rounding out Edgefield’s offerings are the Dutch-style Vintners Gin, distilled from juniper berries, and the limited-batch Coffee Liqueur, imbued with house-roasted Sumatran Mandheling beans.

New Deal Distillery
1311 S.E. Ninth Ave., Portland, Ore.
www.newdealdistillery.com
Tasting room open most Saturdays; tours also available by appointment.

Portland’s first vodka distillery, New Deal, was founded by Tom Burkleaux and Matthew Vanwinkle in 2004. The distillers are committed to using locally grown ingredients and Bull Run water (Portland’s municipal water, from the Bull Run watershed near Mount Hood, considered some of the purest water in the nation), which they believe gives their artisanal vodka its delicious flavor.

Their flagship, New Deal Vodka, is a “sipping vodka” with subtle botanical hints and a smooth finish. Portland 88 Vodka is a traditional vodka, distilled in copper stills and bottled at 88 proof. The name is also a tribute to the year the founders “fell in love” with Portland.

Rounding out New Deal’s lineup is Hot Monkey, a vodka infused with chili peppers for a smoky heat. Hot Monkey Pepper-Infused Vodka garnered a gold medal at the 8th Annual San Francisco World Spirits Competition in 2008. Hot Monkey shared its goldmedal honors with eight other flavored vodkas, including some of distilling’s biggest names: Finlandia, Skyy and Smirnoff.

Other infused vodkas are in the works, with flavors ranging from basil to chocolate. The distillery is also developing an organic vodka and produces a line of organic liqueurs for LOFT, based in California.

Ransom Wines & Spirits
845 N.E. Fifth St., McMinnville,Ore.
www.ransomspirits.com
Open for tours, tastings and sales by appointment.

Ransom Wines & Spirits is a one-man artisanal producer of small-batch organic wines and spirits made from Oregon grapes. Tad Seestedt founded the distillery in 1997, making limited quantities of grappa, eau de vie and brandy. In 1999, Seestedt added a winery, based in McMinnville, Ore.

Ransom’s Pinot Noir Aquavitae is a smooth, complex spirit embodying the varietal characteristics of Willamette Valley Pinot noir. For maximum flavor, this “whole berry” distillate is made from the juice of the grapes, not just the pomace.

Other eaux de vie include the spicy and flowery Gewurztraminer Aquavitae — distilled from the equivalent of seven bottles of wine — and Riesling Aquavitae, created in the whole-berry style from world-class Riesling, using only the “heart of hearts,” the very best part of the distillate.

Ransom also produces a muscat grappa using lightly pressed early muscat pomace to create a smooth, easy-to-drink spirit as well as an Old Tom style gin, a sweet gin popular in the 1800s.

Rogue Spirits
1339 N.W. Flanders St., Portland, Ore.
www.roguespirits.com
Tours offered at 2 p.m., Monday-Friday.

Since 2003, Rogue Spirits — a spinoff of successful craft brewer Rogue Ales — has distilled a variety of award-winning smallbatch spirits in traditional handcrafted copper pot stills. Rogue’s Portland location was Oregon’s first rum distillery.

Rogue has garnered more medals (10, as of 2008) at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition than any other Oregon distiller. Its decorations include double gold medals for both its Dark Rum and Spruce Gin. Rogue’s Hazelnut Spice Rum has also won accolades from the American Distilling Institute, including Best of Show and Best American Rum in 2007.

Each batch of Rogue’s Dark Rum is made from pure Hawaiian cane sugar, double-distilled, hand-filtered through charcoal and aged in fire-charred whiskey barrels from the Jack Daniel’s Distillery in Tennessee. Rogue White Rum combines cotton candy aromas with butter cream and spice flavors and a finish of pepper and vanilla fudge.

Introduced in 2006, Rogue’s Hazelnut Spice Rum is crafted with toasted Oregon hazelnuts, bitter orange peel, Madagascar Bourbon vanilla beans, cinnamon, clove, Hawaiian cane sugar, dried ginger and Champagne yeast.

Another of Rogue’s Northwest-flavored spirits is its Spruce Gin, flavored with Willamette Valley spruce and cucumbers, angelica root, orange peel, coriander, lemon peel, ginger, orris root, grains of paradise, tangerine and juniper berries.

Sub Rosa Spirits
2025 S.E. Seventh Ave., Portland, Ore.
www.subrosaspirits.com
Tours by appointment.

Michael Sherwood is no stranger to alcoholic beverages. Formerly the founding executive director of the Oregon Brewers Guild, Rogue Spirits director of distillates and designer of Rogue’s Newport, Ore., distillery, Sherwood still works part time at Sineann Winery in Newberg. With so much alcohol in his blood — so to speak — it’s little surprise that he took his work home, experimenting with infusing vodkas using herbs from his backyard and every spice in his kitchen.

Sherwood went public with his experiments in 2007, launching Sub Rosa Spirits’ tarragon and saffron vodkas. Sub Rosa’s craft-distilled herbal vodkas are infused with fresh herbs and spices — not the usual extracts or oils. The botanicals are soaked separately in ultra-filtered 190-proof vodka to capture the most authentic flavors possible. And what flavors! The Tarragon Vodka features Oregon-grown French tarragon, plus hints of fennel and mint. Its pale green color is a product of the fresh herb infusion. Sub Rosa Saffron Vodka blends the bold flavors of cumin, lemony coriander, ginger and peppers with aromatics of saffron, the most expensive spice in the world. National wine and spirits writer Anthony Dias Blue gave Saffron Vodka a 93-point rating, noting its “silky texture” and “lovely freshness.”

Sub Rosa was chosen as the official distillery of the 2008 Portland Rose Festival — a first for the 100-year-old festival and a further sign of the city’s embrace of the craft-spirits movement. Also in 2008, Sherwood helped found the Oregon Distillers Guild, the first such organization in the country.

 

Awards for Portland-Area Spirits

As Portland’s microdistillery industry grows, the spirits world is taking notice. While spirits crafted in Portland and Oregon have won too many awards to list here, results from two of the biggest competitions are detailed below.

San Francisco World Spirits Competition
The San Francisco World Spirits Competition (www.sfspiritscomp.com) is the United States’ first annual, comprehensive, international spirits judging.

2008
Rogue Spruce Gin — Double Gold
New Deal Hot Monkey Pepper Infused Vodka — Gold
Rogue Dark Rum — Silver
Rogue Pink Gin — Silver
Rogue Wasabi Ginger Vodka — Bronze
Sub Rosa Saffron Vodka — Bronze

2007
Rogue Dark Rum — Double Gold
Liquid Vodka — Bronze
Rogue Hazelnut Spiced Rum — Bronze

2006
Clear Creek Eau-de-Vie of Douglas Fir — Gold
Indio Vodka — Silver
Rogue Dark Rum — Bronze
Rogue White Rum — Bronze

2001
Clear Creek Grappa of Pinot Grigio — Silver
Clear Creek Single Malt Whiskey, Pot Distilled — Silver

2000
Clear Creek Williams Pear Eau de Vie — Double Gold
Clear Creek Apple Brandy Eau de Vie de Pomme, 8 Years Old — Bronze
Clear Creek Blue Plum Eau de Vie — Bronze

International Review of Spirits Awards
The Beverage Testing Institute’s International Review of Spirits (www.tastings.com) is one of the most prestigious annual spirits competitions in the United States.

2008
Rogue Spirits Dark Rum — Silver
Rogue Spirits Hazelnut Spiced Rum — Silver
Rogue Spirits White Rum — Silver

2007
Liquid Vodka — Silver
Rogue Spirits Spruce Gin — Silver
Rogue Spirits White Rum — Silver
Rogue Spirits Dark Rum — Bronze
Rogue Spirits Hazelnut Spiced Rum — Bronze

 

Handcrafted Cocktails in Portland

Reading about world-class spirits is great, but the proof (so to speak) is in the sipping. Many bars around town carry locally crafted spirits; here are a few of the top spots for an authentic Portland cocktail.

The Heathman Bar and Restaurant
1001 S.W. Broadway, Portland, Ore.
www.heathmanrestaurantandbar.com

One of Portland’s most respected restaurants (located in one of the top hotels), The Heathman is known for the French Northwest cuisine of James Beard Award-winning culinary director Philippe Boulot. Less commonly known are the cocktails — both classic and cutting-edge — that round out the menu. Like the cuisine, the mixed drinks incorporate the best fresh, local flavors. One example is the summer special Grapes of Wrath, made of pressed Willamette Valley red grapes, fresh lime, sugar and Sub Rosa Tarragon Vodka. The Heathman serves more than 10 Oregon spirits, highlighted in bold on the extensive cocktail menu.

Mint/820
816-820 N. Russell St., Portland, Ore.
www.mintand820.com

This north Portland restaurant and lounge was founded by Lucy Brennan, who has been named one of America’s top mixologists by such diverse sources as Playboy and Bon Appetit. Her cocktails blend fresh ingredients and bold flavors, and many of the 40 or so cocktails on 820’s menu use house-infused spirits. Signature drinks include the Ruby (beet-infused vodka with a splash of lemon-lime juice served up) and the Avocado Daiquiri (light and gold rums blended with slices of avocado, cream, lemon-lime juice and sugar). Brennan shares her bartending savvy in monthly cocktail classes at the lounge.

Park Kitchen
422 N.W. Eighth Ave., Portland, Ore.
www.parkkitchen.com

At this Pearl District restaurant, James Beard Award-nominated chef Scott Dolisch specializes in creating new dishes using local ingredients. The same culinary philosophy applies to the cocktail list, which includes the surprisingly refreshing Salt and Pepper — House Spirits Aviation gin, fresh grapefruit juice, fresh lime juice and a touch of simple syrup, served up in a glass with a salted rim. Many of Park Kitchen’s drinks were developed by renowned bartender Kevin Ludwig, who recently departed to launch his own bar and restaurant, Beaker & Flask, due to open in 2009.

Teardrop Cocktail Lounge
1015 N.W. Everett St., Portland, Ore.
www.teardroplounge.com

Daniel Shoemaker and Ted Charak have been described as “fanatical,” and they would probably take that as a compliment. The owners of Teardrop Cocktail Lounge are dedicated to nothing less than reviving the classic era of mixed drinks. Concocting truly handcrafted cocktails, they create everything from tonic water and specialty liqueurs to a wide array of bitters and tinctures in-house. Daily specials always include one cocktail from the pre-Prohibition era. Monthly tiki nights and frequent events featuring local spirits offer additional opportunities to appreciate the not-quite-lost art of the cocktail.

Wildwood
1221 N.W. 21st. Ave., Portland, Ore.
www.wildwoodrestaurant.com

This Northwest Portland restaurant helped set the standard for Pacific Northwest cuisine using fresh ingredients from local farms, cheese makers and vintners. Its bar is a beachhead for local distillers as well, offering an impressive list of house cocktails featuring local artisan spirits and innovative takes on classic recipes. Seasonal flavors like spring mint and autumn pears are highlighted and house-made bitters and purees emphasize layers of flavors, in keeping with the restaurant’s menu.