Clear Creek Distillery: McCarthy's Oregon Single Malt and Visitor Guide
Clear Creek is known for fruit spirits and for McCarthy's Oregon Single Malt, an early American interpretation of heavily peated malt whiskey. Its story links Steve McCarthy's pioneering work with the later stewardship of Hood River Distillers.
A visitor should also distinguish the production operation from the public Hood River tasting room. The 304 Oak Street address is a tasting destination, not automatic evidence that every production stage takes place at that storefront.
Official production and portfolio photograph. The public tasting-room location is identified separately.
Clear Creek Distillery (McCarthy's Oregon Single Malt) at a glance
Key fact | Verified detail |
|---|---|
Producer | Clear Creek Distillery / Hood River Distillers |
Whisky brand | McCarthy's Oregon Single Malt |
Founder | Steve McCarthy; Clear Creek established in 1985 |
Ownership milestone | Hood River Distillers acquired Clear Creek in 2014 |
Production lead | Caitlin Bartlemay named master distiller in 2024 |
Whisky identity | Peated Oregon single malt |
Public tasting address | 304 Oak Street, Hood River, Oregon; confirm current access |
Official product information | hrdspirits.com |
Research checked 26 October 2026. Visitor arrangements, ownership and bottle specifications are date-sensitive. Producer descriptions are not personal Whisky Clan tasting reviews.
In this guide
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Clear Creek Distillery (McCarthy's Oregon Single Malt): history and development
Steve McCarthy founded Clear Creek in 1985, initially associated with Pacific Northwest fruit spirits. His interest in malt whiskey developed into a distinctive American single malt project rather than a bourbon made with a Scottish-sounding label.
The producer presents McCarthy's as a pioneer of American single malt. That is a historical positioning claim, not a reason to omit the precise identity of the distillery or to assume that every American malt uses its production methods.
Hood River Distillers acquired Clear Creek in 2014. The current brand sits within that portfolio, and the ownership relationship should remain explicit when older Portland-era descriptions and current Hood River information appear together.
People, ownership and identity
Hood River Distillers announced Caitlin Bartlemay's appointment as master distiller in April 2024. Its account describes a career within Clear Creek stretching back to 2010.
The article photograph shows the McCarthy's portfolio among maturation casks. It is a producer-supplied production photograph, not a picture of the Oak Street public tasting-room frontage.
How the whiskey is made
McCarthy's connects peat-smoked malt with Oregon distilling and maturation. The character of the raw material and the chosen oak should be recorded separately from a bottler's later finish.
The producer's range includes three- and six-year expressions alongside sherry-cask finishes. A finished six-year release is not the same product as the standard six-year whiskey merely because both use the same base brand.
A source check also found a useful caution: the PX product text and one supplied bottle photograph do not display exactly the same strength. Rather than choose silently, the handoff retains both values for batch verification.
Whiskey range and bottle identities
The following entries distinguish expressions and release families. A missing age or strength is left unresolved rather than copied from another bottle. Current stock and prices are not asserted.
Expression | Documented detail |
|---|---|
McCarthy's Three Year Old Oregon Single Malt | Three years; 42.5% ABV; 750 ml on the producer's range page. |
McCarthy's Six Year Old Oregon Single Malt | Six years; 50% ABV; 750 ml. |
McCarthy's Six Year Old Pedro Ximénez Cask Finish | Six-year PX-finished release. Producer text states 112.2 US proof, while a supplied photographed batch shows 112.5. |
McCarthy's Six Year Old Oloroso Cask Finish | Six-year Oloroso-finished release; producer lists 56% ABV and 750 ml. |
McCarthy's Six Year Old Oregon Single Malt
Six years; 50% ABV; 750 ml.
Any publication score appearing on the producer image is not a Whisky Clan rating.
Release milestones and recognition
The continuing appearance of age-stated and finished McCarthy's bottlings documents the development of the range. The producer lists recognition for particular releases, but Whisky Clan does not transfer those accolades to every bottle.
The best comparison starts with identity: age, finishing cask, strength and bottling details. The same source can contain both current range descriptions and an older illustrative bottle, so image text needs its own check.
Visiting and current practical information
Hood River Distillers lists a public tasting room at 304 Oak Street in Hood River. Check the current opening calendar, tasting availability and identification requirements before visiting.
This guide does not advertise an unrestricted factory tour at that address. A tasting room can represent several portfolio brands without being the exact place where each one is distilled.
For a production-focused enquiry, contact the operator directly. Clear Creek's historical Portland association, the current Hood River business and the public storefront should not be collapsed into a single unchanging location.
Explore more Whisky Clan distillery guides
Continue exploring the region through these existing Whisky Clan guides. Check each site's visitor arrangements separately.
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Frequently asked questions
Who owns Clear Creek?
Hood River Distillers acquired it in 2014 and continues to present McCarthy's within its portfolio.
Is the standard six-year McCarthy's the same as the PX finish?
No. They are distinct releases with different finishing and strength information.
Where is the public tasting room?
Hood River Distillers lists 304 Oak Street in Hood River. This should not automatically be treated as the whisky production address.
Why is the PX strength left unresolved?
The checked producer text and an illustrative bottle photograph show different values. The exact batch must be identified.
Sources and photograph credits
Producer material, company announcements and dated historical sources were checked on 26 October 2026. External references and image credits are grouped here. Attribution does not by itself establish unrestricted image reuse rights.
Hood River Distillers, 2024 producer photograph.
Hood River Distillers official product photograph.
About the author
 | Filip Janczak Storyteller, drinker and explorer of all things whisky. Read more about the person behind Whisky Clan and explore additional reviews and distillery guides. |
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