Clear Creek Distillery

We tried their plum Slivovitz once and when I realized how close this place was, and that we were right near it, we had to go! Nice tasting room and friendly folks. Tasting was only $ 5, and no rush to taste. Our favorites were still the clear brandies… The Blue Plum, cherry, and my boyfriend’s favorite the Douglas Fir! The D.R. was more expensive we found out in the end, but my boyfriend couldn’t resist it! I didn’t care for the whisky or other sweet brandies at all. I did however really enjoy the Gervertz Grappa… yummy grappa!!! The tasting was $ 5 and they give you little shot glasses too! We really enjoyed the experience here and would highly recommend this place if only just to taste that blue plum brandy!!!

When we came in, we were only able to try the tasting room. We were the only ones there at the time which was nice because we didnt feel rushed to decide what we wanted to sample.
We split a tasting which was good for the two of us. After a day of hiking waterfalls, alcohol was not a desired drink but I really wanted to come here to try the pear brandy.
The pear brandy is very strong. At least for me. I’m not a hard alcohol drinker but because the uniqueness of this bottle I had to buy one. It was a bit pricey. Over 100 dollars but the friend I bought it for really enjoyed it.
We also took home a bottle of the ligonberry liquor. Its super sweet.

There is parking so if you drive you don’t have to look for a spot, unless the spots are full.
They are the oldest distillery in the area, celebrating 30 years this year. They lock the door so don’t be startled, ring the doorbell and someone will let you in. They have a very old style looking a tasting room, nothing crazy modern looking just classic. They provide a list of their distills and you can pick 5 to try.
My +1 really loved their single malt whiskey that he said was fantastic. He tried the Doug Fir distill which has a pine color to it because it is double distilled. Very strong smell to it. Not great but you have to try it at least. The tasting guide was super nice and helpful with suggestions on what to try depending on your tastes.
Definitely make this one of your stops.

Great selection. The Slivovitz (Plum Brandy) is the BEST. The new Scotch os also outstanding. Tasting area well run.

You may be familiar with wine tasting, but have you ever done a tasting of some of the harder stuff? Well, if not, you should stop by Clear Creek for such an experience. We stopped by on a weekday and had the place to ourselves for a little while. The guy pouring was very helpful and gave us a hard time, but was fun and knowledgable all the less. The plum liquor was the most memorable, but everything was great and made for a good fun midday drinking experience.

Great tasting room. Was recommended to me by Bull Run (also great) and I was told that the folks at Clear Creek were very friendly. This was very true. I admittedly knew very little going in and the guy behind the counter was confident in his selections and made the whole experience very fun, and not too salesman-​ish. Which of course resulted in me buying three bottles…

Every year near Thanksgiving, Clear Creek hosts an open house, with tours and a tasting that covers their full line plus one or two special runs. Some years there’s chocolate too.
With a strictly-​enforced** rule of 5 samples only, it’s going to take a few years to try everything. From what I’ve learned so far I’ve formed the opinion that Clear Creek’s strength is its liqueurs, cranberry and cherry especially. The brandies and grappas (grappi?) are hit and miss — pear? yes! marc de Gewürztraminer? no!
The Oregon Pot-​Still Brandy is near perfect, while the Single Malt Whiskey is…, well, not to my taste. Not a fan of my mouth tasting like a swamp bog on fire.
All in all, the open house has become a holiday tradition I look forward to!
** There’s usually two people providing the samples, and by some law of nature one will be friendly, helpful, and informative, and the other will be uptight, sour, and yell at you for marking off the samples on your tasting passport yourself (rules!). Take some time to figure out which is which and stick to the good one.

Clear Creek may have been the first small distillery in Portland, at least the first legal one! Since then, their bottles have been served at the White House.
The owner experienced Swiss fruit-​based brandies, was inspired by Northwest pears, apples and berries, imported some Bavarian stills. The rest is history.
In prime season, Clear Creek receives many cubic yards of fruit, like pears, mashes them and then lets them ferment in large stainless tanks. The mash is transferred to German copper pot reflux stills resulting in a very dry concentrated and fruity aromatic brandy.
The distillery has a tasting room, with the factory floor viewable through windows. Ask to tour, or visit a few times a year tour announced on their web site.
The founder is also an innovator in locally-​sourced whisky.
If you are looking for Portland and region-​sourced gifts, Clear Creek should be on your list.
Clear Creek is an OG distillery with an artistic flair and best in class quality.
We are in a period of buyouts and mergers by world beverage conglomerates and would expect more. Just learned Clear Creek was bought by Hood River Distillers, a regional macro distiller in January 2014. But interesting, Hood River Distillers started from the availability of regional fruit a a source.

This place is just a few blocks from Nob Hill into the industrial neighborhood. It’s not fancy shmancy at all. A distillery is basically a chemical plant and the tasting room is like the lobby to that plant. Really low key. You have to ring the doorbell to be let in (not sure why the security) but then you get a free (yes, FREE) tasting of 5 of their spirits. They have a lot of fruit brandies, grappa and liqueurs. It’s a little overwhelming. I basically let the guide pick for me

Wow. Wish I lived here just because of this place,. Free tour and samples. Try the cranberry liquor I am hooked. Staff was friendly and helpful

My real rating is «0»
I hope Stephen McCarthy is not the owner b/​c he is has no customer service skill or basic human communication ability. Complete wannabe cool guy pretentious douchebag.
We wanted to buy my uncle and myself a bottle of McCarthy’s Oregon single malt but it was sold out in our local stores and on their website. Here was our email to the company from the website inquiring about their next batch and how we can get a hold of a bottle b/​c we really wanted to buy/​try some:
Hi there, I would like to order a bottle of this whiskey when it comes in. I live locally in Portland so I could come pick it up. Here is my info…
Here is the response received by this McCarthy guy:
Hi. It «came in» three years ago when we made it. Nothing «comes in» at Clear Creek. Everything is made here. From scratch. Pear brandy doesn’t come in. Pears come in – 600,000 pounds of them. Our Whiskey for fall 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 has «come in.» Grain has come in. Most other distilleries do not make what they sell. We do. Am I making myself clear here. And it goes on sale at the distillery next Monday at 9:00 a.m. And it won’t last. Maybe try your nearby OLCC store. We shipped to them last week. Best,
Stephen McCarthy
I will never buy anything from them. They suck and don’t know how to treat their local community who want to support a local Portland distillery with decent respect.

This place is a little far out, and not in distillery row on the east side. I recommend making it out here for the large selection of spirits.
This place specializes in brandy, grappa and liqueurs. You get to try 5 spirits for free so choose wisely since there are about 20 bottles to choose from. The liqueurs are excellent. They have a nice brandy and eau-​de-​vie selection. The grappas, especially the Gewurtztraminer, are some of the best I’ve ever had. Try the douglas fir eau-​de-​vie if you’re adventurous. It’s like nothing you’ll ever experience.
The guy who did the tasting was so nice and helpful.
Side note: while we were here there was a couple who owns a distillery in Canada on Victoria Island doing some corporate «espionage.» They were kind of know-​it-​all-​y and asked all kinds of ridiculous questions. They did get the master distiller to come out so we got to see him.

Tasting were a good size. My lady sure enjoyed the sweeter brandies. I was disappointed their whiskey was sold out but the host mentioned it only lasts 3 days. Whoa.
Open house coming up around thanksgiving. Wish they had a daily walk around.

Making a visit to the tasting room to try and buy more varieties of Clear Creek products than the too few available at our local liquor store was at the top of our «to do when next in Portland» list. Last week we checked this off the list and highly recommend their spirits, turning up in more and more high end cocktail bars and news articles, and a visit to the tasting room in an industrial section in NW Portland.
THE PRODUCTS
My hubby and I are not normally liqueur drinkers but the cordials from Clear Creek made with Oregon fruit are so pure and precise that we love them to drink ourselves and to give as gifts. We recommend both modalities to Yeeps and other Peeps!
The eau de vie and brandies are also excellent and while I’m still not one to appreciate grappa, the grappas made by Clear Creek, in particular their Gewürztraminer and Muscat grappas, might convince me to reconsider my position.
All products are pot distilled, in old world artisan fashion, and use Oregon fruits, as in the eau de vie, brandies and liquors, or botanical products, as in the case of the Douglas Fir eau de vie and McCarthy’s Single Malt Whiskey.
In all their products, the combination of artisan distillery practices and fresh Oregon fruit creates fabulous outcomes for tastebuds! And the aroma of the liqueurs is that of fresh picked fruit. Ahhhhhhh… some.
TASTING ROOM & SET UP
The tasting room is located at the front of the production facility. A welcoming space, you can taste any of the 80 proof alcohol spirits they make, like grappas (several), eau de vie (several) and brandy (several) or any of their liquors (several). OLCC rules require them to restrict tastes to five per person. Tasting is free.
The tasting room hostess was extremely friendly and über knowledgeable about the product. That always adds to the fun. Also we appreciate that they use excellent glassware for tasting and each taste is poured in a fresh glass so you are tasting a pure pour of the item you’ve selected. Very nice.
HOURS
The tasting room is open Monday through Saturday from 9:00a to 5:00p but to be served you need to be in the door by 4:30p.
OUR CHOICES
We particularly enjoyed the Oregon Brandy and the Raspberry, Marionberry, Cherry and Cranberry liqueurs which were all new to us. Some of each went home with us. We’ll add them to the Pear Liquor, Loganberry Liquor, Apple Brandy and Pear Brandy already in our liquor and gift cabinets. I am a cherry fan (atic) and the flavor of the Cherry Liqueur which zings with both the tart and Bing cherries used to create it defies description. If you or someone you love is a cherry fan, they’ll thank you if you introduce them to this liqueur.
THIS N THAT:
1) ACCESSIBILITY: There are stairs up to the front of the building. If you can’t climb them, call ahead and they’ll have one of two ways to get you in the door. First, a lift to the back door if it the lift is working. As back up, they’ll open the garage doors so folks who can’t climb stairs can enter through the garage and then the side door of the tasting room.
2) OPEN HOUSES: Two open houses a year where visitors are able to tour the pot still production room. Check with the office for dates, but I think one is Memorial Day weekend and the other is the weekend before or after Thanksgiving.
3) GIFTABLE: The liqueurs are great in cocktails, over ice cream, or blended into milkshakes — served in a coupe glass and call it dessert. They are priced right to be a hostess gift in lieu of a bottle of vino. And the labels are so gorgeous, you won’t even need to wrap the bottle — add a bow and you’re good to go.
4) SINGLE MALT WHISKEY: Among our samplings this time, we chance to taste their single malt whiskey, McCarthy’s. This would be called Scotch were it made in Scotland. Sold out soon after release each year (one in spring and they’ll do a second this fall) it is peaty-​smokey. If one were a Scotch drinker I can see why it sells quickly. Check with the distillery if you’re interested in the next release.
5) THE DISTILLERY SHIPS: To some locations. To others where they are unable to ship, they’ll happily provide a list of places who can ship their product to locations where they cannot.

My friends and I have been wanting to come here for years. It finally happened this weekend. One of my friends had his parents in town and they wanted to go, so I ended up joining in on their party.
Clear Creek only opens their production facility two times a year and Memorial Day weekend happens to be one of those times. Mind you the tasting room is open 6 days a week, but if you want to do your tasting near the stills you better find out when that second time is. If you don’t care, just drop by Monday-​Saturday 9a to 5p.
Upon entering the facility you are given a passport. This shows you what the products are and gives you an idea of what you are going to taste. They only allow 5 tastings and the pourer will check off you selections as you taste them. I’m not sure I had ever had any of Clear Creek’s product before this. Or at least not that I can recall.
On this visit I tasted the Pear Brandy which is what they are known for. 30 pounds of pears go into making one 750 ml bottle of this. That is wild stuff. Others I had were the Marc de Gewürztraminer which is one of their Grappas, the Oregon Pot-​Still Brandy which is one of their aged products, the Cherry Liqueur and finally the one they say you must try and try it last is their Eau de Vie of Douglas Fir which is made with needles from Doug Fir’s on Mt. Hood. That one was interesting to say the least. I wasn’t sure if I liked it. One sip yes, the next sip not so much, the next sip yes again. I would say it is an acquired taste.
Didn’t end up buying anything on this visit, but I know that I can come back 6 days a week if I am looking for something for a special occasion. Another reason to love living in Portland.

Don’t be afraid of this place if you don’t drive, easy walk up from the end of the NW 23^rd NS streetcar stop.
You get a chance to taste 5, with a passport book they check off so you remember the ones you got.
Ended up buying a bottle of the Pear Liqueur, and leaving with a nice little buzz, so maybe it’s best you do walk up to this place :).

This is a neat place to visit every now and then. I’ve been to a couple of their open house tours in the fall and I took my in-​laws when they came up for a visit recently.
The in-​laws were particularly in favor of the cranberry and black currant liquors but I already guessed that would be their favorites. We had 5 tastings each and we all left a little warmer, especially in the face area.
Just come in, sip on a taster (you get 5 free of charge), stand around and talk, read about Clear Creek Distillery, look at the products, and repeat… Everytime I’ve been, I’ve recognized the staff from previous visits. They’re all friendly and they don’t pressure you to buy anything. It’s just really hard not to though because you’re probably going to have a favorite or two or three.
*Side note*
They make great gifts! Don’t know what to get someone? Stop here. Problem solved. Local product made with local fruits. You can’t go wrong. Unless of course, they don’t drink… then… I can’t help you there.

We walked up to the office door on a rainy and cold Friday afternoon. It looked a little intimidatingly industrial, but my friend bravely rang the large buzzer, and a girl in business casual attire answered the door. «Ehrm, are you still doing the free tastings?» my friend asked, perplexed. «Yes!» She said, propping the door open wider.
Once we were inside, everything was splendid. We were given 5 free tastes of various fruit brandies. They were all delicious and of varying intensity. I was particularly enamoured with the 2 year old apple brandy. There was minimal pressure to buy anything at the end. This is definitely a great place to go for a fun free drinking experience.

Clear Creek Distillery says they love visitors.
I have my doubts.
Throwing up a few tables in the middle of your blank industrial space doesn’t really show the love. Maybe you thought your large pressure vessels were interesting in and of themselves, but you were wrong.
As for the tables, there was no pattern, no plan. Just shoulder your way through the crowds of idiots that invariably plant themselves in front of an attraction. Don’t, y’know, stagger the tables or set them up in a U to maximize usable space in front of them.
The guy pouring tasters was friendly but the snooty older dude who we failed on several occasions to be helped by wasn’t encouraging us to spend money. If you’re a back of the house guy, stay in the back of the house. I sure try to.
Turns out I don’t like brandy. Not that I would have come back or recommended this experience anyway.

Clear water creek is the oldest distillery in Portland and generally that means they’ve been doing it right for a long time. Twenty-​six years to be exact… who makes awesome brandy? Clear Creek makes awesome brandy! Today we visited the distillery, and took a tour of the grounds where all the magic happens. Plus today happened to be one of the couple times a year that they had an open house with 5 free tastings per person, newly mandated by the OLCC (lame) Five tastings later we’ve determined a couple of things, Eight year old oak aged brandy, knocks your socks off, literally and figuratively.
Also… Looking an all grown up version of your «I drink, but not really cause I’m lame and never really developed a taste for alcohol» Cosmo? unlike that ocean spray crap at every big box bar… something that a Mattel Barbie playing seven year old would enjoy. then take a real good look at the Oregon grown and distilled cranberry Liqueur, it’s tarty perfection is exactly what vodka screams for, oh and the opportunity to regain your self esteem.
Mini-​umbrellas are pretty much never called for.

I will preface this review by saying that I’m not much a liquor connoisseur and rarely – ok never – drink it straight. I was one of those fairly timid tasters who entered their tasting room rather reluctantly. Well I left a changed woman.
The pear eaux de vie was dry, crisp and not at all sweet. It was amazing. I absolutely fell in love with one of the grappas and couldn’t resist purchasing a bottle to take with me. I passed on trying the Doug Fir Eaux De Vie… but I hear that it has a very distinct and unique taste that is well worth trying at least once.
I’m not sure if you can find their products at local Portland eateries/​bars but I do know you can purchase your own bottle at a number of locations.
I cannot rave enough about how incredible this distillery is. They take a lot of pride in their products and can trace the entire chain of supply and production… where each fruit comes from, which vineyards, etc. You can be guaranteed a very high quality liqueur.
I definitely recommend visiting the tasting room because even though our government has severely restricted the number you can taste and makes the distillery do a ridiculous amount of paperwork to track everything that passes through your lips it is completely worth it to better understand their products.

This is a Portland must. After hearing about Clear Creek for years — it was finally time to visit.
You can either time your visit so that you are able to tour the facility or just the tasting room — or during a field visit. Check their website to coordinate the details.
We did the tasting room tour –our hostess was very knowledgeable and guided us through their extensive offering, then let us select the items we wanted to taste. What fun.
There is no fee for the tasting. But you’ll be tempted to purchase one of their over-​the-​top spirits — which are the water of life. While we marveled at the pear and apple brandies, the the cranberry liqueur was our favorite. And we are still talking about the douglas fir…