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McCarthy’s Oregon Single Malt Whiskey Review

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McCarthy's Whiskey Review

Up for review today is McCarthy’s Oregon Single Malt Whiskey. It’s a pot distilled single malt whiskey that I’m proud to review seeing as this spirit hails from my home state, Oregon. Now, if you’re reading and aren’t well versed on the history of whiskey, America isn’t known for making great single malts. That reputation has traditionally been ascribed to Scotland and more recently to Japan. But the whiskey up for review today is proof that enterprising and innovative American distilleries like Clear Creek (owned by Hood River Distillers) are finally producing product that can stand toe to toe with Scotland’s great distilleries.

Product Specifics

  • Whiskey Reviewed: McCarthy’s Oregon Single Malt
  • Distiller: Clear Creek Distillery / Hood River Distillers
  • Mashbill: imported peated Scottish barley
  • ABV: 42.5% (85 proof)
  • Age: 3 years
  • Aged in: “air dried” Oregon Oak

Appearance

McCarthy’s Oregon Single Malt comes in a bottle that brings up a lot of nostalgia for me. The design of the label is in line with other great local brands (McMenamin’s comes to mind), and the center of the label features a quaint illustration of Multnomah Falls, a hike I made many times growing up.

In the glass, the liquid is a light, honeyed gold.

Nose

Quite light. Aromas wafting up from the glass include a unique Oak note, moss, and a faint charcoal barbecue-like scent. What’s interesting to me about this whiskey is that though you can smell the peat from a few feet, it’s not nearly as aggressive off of the glass.

Palate

Just marvelous. Not too aggressive on entry though the whiskey does betray its age a bit. Flavors kick off with moderate peatiness, malt and round oakiness (presumably the Oregon oak influence). It doesn’t stop there, offering additional flavors of apples, pine, and, if you can bring yourself just to imagine it, the inside of an old wooden cabin in the heart of the Cascades.

Ok that last one might be a stretch. Point being: it’s good.

Finish

Sweet, long, and a bit astringent. You’ll want to have a glass of water on hand if you’re going to be drinking much of this whiskey.

Conclusion

McCarthy’s Oregon Single Malt is a classic American single malt, and I’m not just saying that because I’m a native Oregonian. It absolutely refuses to behave as young as it is, sipping like a much older whiskey. It delivers abundant and nuanced flavors that engage the palate and ignite the imagination: exactly what a whiskey should do.

Highly recommended.

Final Score: 91

Trail’s End Bourbon Review

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Trail's End Bourbon Review Bottle

Up for review today is a relatively new whiskey from Hood River Distillers that was created in collaboration with Clear Creek Distillery.  Clear Creek Distillery is the producer behind McCarthy’s Oregon Single Malt Whiskey, an extremely well crafted and popular single malt that has won the hearts of many a whiskey blogger (myself included). So, I’m excited to try this product if for no other reason than the minds at Clear Creek Distillery were involved in the making of it.

Also cool to note about Hood River Distillers is that they’re not just churning out whiskey in isolation. After 2017’s nightmare fire season burned huge swaths of Oregon forests, HDR partnered with the National Forest Foundation to give part of the proceeds of each bottle of whiskey to support reforestation. Bravo, guys.

Alright, on with the review…

Product Specifics

  • Whiskey Reviewed: Trail’s End Bourbon
  • Distiller: sourced (not specified)
  • Bottler: Hood River Distillers
  • Mashbill: at least 51% corn, rye, and malted barley
  • ABV: 45% (90 proof)
  • Cask: New Charred Oak and finished with Oregon Oak staves
  • Age: 8 years
  • Batch: 003

Notice here the distinction between “bottler” and “distiller.” Since this is sourced whiskey, we really don’t know which distillery produced it. Does that mean it’s bad whiskey, or somehow cheap? Not at all. Some of the most popular brands on the market today use whiskey sourced from MGP, including big names like Angel’s Envy, High West (one of my favorites) and dozens more.

What matters is, does the person purchasing and blending the sourced whiskies know what they’re doing? In this case because Hood River Distillers is working with Clear Creek Distillery–a distillery that has proven it knows whiskey–I have faith even before tasting this that the product will be, at minimum, thoughtfully produced.

Trail's End Bourbon Review

Appearance

The bottle that this whiskey calls home pays obvious respects to Oregon, its origin (at least in terms of bottling). Unlike 99% of bottles you’ll encounter, this one actually has the logo and product information printed directly on to a very thin slice of wood.

The Oregonian in me is pleased.

As you can tell, the whiskey in this bottle is very red. The lighting for these shots create the impression that it is darker than it actually is, but it is still a dark copper tone with red hues.

Nose

The aromas off the glass are assertive but without much burn. Heavy doses of caramel, vanilla, rye and a bit of oak.

Palate

Other reviews have noted that this whiskey starts off hot and aggressive on entry. That isn’t my experience, though to be fair I’m drinking batch 003 and other reviews have focused on batch 002. To me, batch 003 is soft on entry with butter and vanilla (this may be the Oregon Oak). Then the flavor blooms immediately, with lots of rye spice and some chocolatey character. The mouthfeel is really round (a texture I enjoy) and for that reason this whiskey is extremely drinkable.

Finish

The finish is long, with oak, vanilla, a bit of rye, and moderate ethanol burn.

Conclusion

This was a difficult review for me to write, partially because every glass of Trail’s End I poured to review came loaded with my hopes and expectations that this whiskey would live up to the incredible quality of McCarthy’s Single Malt. In the end, it didn’t, which was disappointing.

Still, Trail’s End is a very drinkable whiskey. The vanilla character pops more on this bourbon more than I’m used to, which could have to do with the Oregon Oak staves. It’s a quality I really enjoy, along with the oaky roundness and rye spice. For those reasons, Trail’s End is a whiskey worth buying. The chances you’ll find it at a bar is nil so I’d recommend purchasing it at your local liquor store or online.

Final Score: 88

Disclaimer: the fine folks at Trail’s End graciously offered this bottle for review. While I’m grateful they did, I retain all rights to speak my mind.