Review: Clear Creek McCarthy’s Oregon Single Malt 3 Years Old
One sip — heck, one sniff — of McCarthy’s whiskey and you’d swear it was fresh off the boat from a foggy distillery on the shores of Islay instead of in Portland, Oregon. The only hint that you’re drinking something different is the pale gold color, a signal of a relatively short time in cask — in this case, a mere three years in wood.
McCarthy’s certainly works to be traditionalist: It’s made from Scottish barley, it’s peated (quite a bit), and aged in old sherry barrels (though real Scotch is normally aged in old bourbon casks… details, details).
Clear Creek says that it resembles Lagavulin in style, but I think it’s better. What Stephen McCarthy has achieved here is a richly peated whisky — redolent with iodine, salt, and smoke — that still has some balance to it. There’s a touch of citrus-like sweetness here; orange, mostly, and a little banana too, with a honey kicker. There’s a touch of pepper in there, too.
The finish is surprisingly mild and a little sweet, making this whiskey impressive in its overall structure and balance. I got a touch of bitterness in a few sips early on. Let it aerate for a bit and you’ll find McCarthy’s nothing but charming.
80 proof.
A- / $50 / clearcreekvineyards.com
February 24th, 2009 at 6:28 am
Thanks, sounds promising. I’ll definitely seek this out.
February 24th, 2009 at 8:00 am
I should add that the company says they’re sold out until August 2009. :(
February 24th, 2009 at 12:45 pm
Yeah. That might be something you want to mention up-front. Your call.
April 29th, 2009 at 12:25 pm
A great whisky, comparable to anything that Islay has to offer. The youth adds a great freshness. I just wanted to comment that Bourbon is a relatively new spirit, barely breaks the 200 mark whereas scotch and sherry have been seeing each other for over 1000 years. But like you said, Details. Also this product is readily available at specialty retail stores, take it easy there Edoc.
June 23rd, 2009 at 8:02 pm
[...] a pity. Clear Creek (which makes a stellar Oregon whiskey) offers this classic Poire William, made from crushed whole Bartlett pears from its own orchards, [...]
June 23rd, 2009 at 10:38 pm
[...] a pity. Clear Creek (which makes a stellar Oregon whiskey) offers this classic Poire William, made from crushed whole Bartlett pears from its own orchards, [...]