Naturally, being a huge single malt fan, when the Sweet Cheeks Q bartender said she had a really good single malt whiskey from Oregon, I laughed. Although on my list of states to visit, I have never been to Oregon before and didn’t think single malt whiskeys was something they’d be good at.

One of the things I have found since I started to drink whisky/whiskey is that most of the times it’s the brands I’ve not heard off that surprise me. McCarthy’s Oregon Single Malt Whiskey is included in that, it definitely surprised me, in a very good way.

McCarthy’s Oregon Single Malt Whiskey is produced by Clear Creek Distillery in Portland and was founded by Steve McCarthy. McCarthy initially started distilling brandies using fruit from the family’s orchard almost 30 year ago. It wasn’t till sometime afterwards that this McCarthy’s Oregon Single Malt Whiskey was created.

This whiskey is matured for 3 years and based on their site; this whiskey is of Islay traditions of whisky. Now they indicate that it resembles Lagavulin. If you didn’t know this about me, Lagavulin happens to be one of my favorite single malt whiskies. Maybe my palate is different than theirs, but I don’t agree with this resemblance. Don’t get me wrong, I very much enjoyed this Oregon single malt; however to me it does not resemble Lagavulin.

Tasting Experience

Nose: Light peat notes and oak

Taste: hints of peat, oak and iodine

Finish: extremely smooth with a delightful slight burn at the end

This Oregon single malt is actually pretty darn good. To me, if there are similarities between this malt and Lagavulin it is only in the peat. With that said, it may not resemble Lagavulin to me but I highly recommend trying. It is extremely surprising! It’s one of the smoothest American whiskies I have had yet.

My minor issue with this whiskey is on the price. A bottle comes to about $55-$65 depending on where you buy. If you look at the overall prices of American whiskey then it is pricey, however, if you are looking for pretty darn good American whiskey then I am going to tell you that it’s worth the price. This whiskey for being 3 years old is pretty well made, smooth and very enjoyable.

It is tasty enough that I plan to enjoy another dram tonight before walking over to Fenway to catch the game.

Cheers!

Note: The contents on my blog are solely my opinion. To me every palate is different! Although I may or may not like a product, I always recommend for people to try it and make up their own minds.