Clear Creek Distillery's McCarthy's Single Malt is one of the original pioneers in the nascent American Single Malt scene, having debuted in 1996, long before "craft whiskey" was a term with any meaning to anyone. Using peated barley grown in Scotland, the expectation may initially be that it will simply be a pale imitation of Islay whisky, but the peat is much more tempered than an Islay peat bomb, and the aging in Oregon oak lends a distinct and robust spice that makes this decidedly more Oregon than Scotland.
Rich nose of peat—burning leaves, a touch of sweet diesel—and fresh oak. But not just peat: creamy malt makes a solid floor and an exit that may be the most complex part of the experience. Refined American whiskey made from imported Scottish barely. Bottled at 42.5% abv.
