McCarthy’s Cognac Finished American Single Malt

My Price: $119.95

Country/Area: Oregon, USA

Distillery: Clear Creek Distillers

Proof/ABV: 115.5 Proof/57.75 ABV

Mash Bill: 100% Malted Barely

Barrel: New Oregon Oak for 6 years before finishing in Used Cognac Casks

Age: 6+ years

Nose: Smoke, Grape Jam, Caramel

Taste: Smoked Meat, Damp Earth, Sweet Bread

Review: I have long been a fan of the McCarthy’s Single Malt Whiskies. Made only an hour from where I grew up and made to mimic an Islay style scotch makes it a near perfect whiskey for me. A number of years back new offerings began to appear on the market and I seemed to love each of them more than the last. When I saw on Instagram that McCarthy’s had teamed up with the Multnomah Whiskey Library in Portland Oregon to release a special single barrel Cognac finish, I jumped in the car and drove the 45 minutes to the only liquor store in Oregon (Baseline Liquor) that had it for sale. The nose and palate are still dominated by the peat smoke but in a sweet BBQ kind of way. The nose offers fresh fruits like grape and slight stone fruit. The palate gives traditional scotch notes of smoke and damp earth but leaves with a sweet baked goods taste. Overall, I am very happy with the whiskey coming out of Hood River Oregon that punches way above its weight class in my opinion. If you ever come across a bottle of the Cognac Finished McCarthy’s Single Barrel Single Malt, I recommend you pick one up. Cheers!

My Rating: Sip it if you can find it!

May the miles you hike be filled with wonder and the glasses you raise be filled with whiskey.

Cheers!

Rating scale:

-Spit: Don’t bother with this one. If a friend gives you a dram of it, are they even your friend?

-Shoot: Good enough to get you drunk.

-Sip: Tasty enough to enjoy neat or on the rocks.

-Stock: I’d recommend keeping a bottle on hand.