Gale Force Gin and Hurricane Rum

Gale Force Gin and Hurricane Rum, from Triple Eight Distillery, located on Nantucket. I thought the rum tasted nearly the same as Appleton V/X, but at $28/bottle is quite a bit more. Nantucket and Jamaica may both be islands, but the production costs on each are way different. The gin was nice, but not particularly notable. Looking at their marketing materials, it’s a bit disconcerting to see that they don’t know the difference between percent ABV and proof, since they say the gin is “over proofed at 88.8%”.

Brandy Peak Pear Brandy, distilled in Brookings, OR, was very nice. Pot distilled from Bartlett pears and aged in French and Oregon oak casks. I love pears, and this was fantastic. The pear flavor came through crisp and strong, with the oak-derived flavors giving it just enough depth with which to present the pear. $19/half-bottle in Oregon.

Clear Creek Distillery is the granddaddy of Oregon distilleries. They produce something out of nearly every fruit grown in the state, and at least one tree. Their Douglas Fir Eau-de-vie is probably the most esoteric spirit produced by anyone. Most pine/fir/spruce flavored beverages have flavor just like a certain cleaning product, but I found this to actually be pleasant. It’s very strong, so I think neat not the common way to use it. While tasting, Charlie Hodge of Clyde Common said that he uses it by the drop in martinis, to just float the flavor in the background. $50/half-bottle. The other CC product I was excited to try was their McCarthy’s Oregon Single Malt Whiskey. Distilled from peat smoked malt from Scotland, it tastes serious and complex, deliciously smokey. $45/bottle.

Bendistillery Desert Juniper Gin was great. I was surprised to discover that the juniper from Oregon is the only flavor added. It gives it a nice clear juniper flavor, and was perfectly pleasant neat. In a cocktail, I think this would be a perfect complement to mix with the spice-based Aviation to mix a custom juniper-spice blend to match with whatever other components the cocktail has.

Rogue Spirits Spruce Gin was interesting, with the spruce flavor displacing the prominence of the juniper flavor. The spruce is introduced to the spirit as an extract, but all of the other components are whole. $35/bottle. The Dark Rum is made from block Hawaiian brown sugar from C&H. Call me a purist, but I’m of the opinion that rum should be made primarily from molasses, rather than mostly sugar with some molasses mixed in (if anyone has any more specific info on what traditional producers are doing these days, let me know). It wasn’t terribly impressive, and at $35/bottle, there are plenty of Caribbean-produced rums that better.

The Modern Spirits Black Truffle Vodka from Monrovia, CA, was interesting. I was expecting it to taste like truffle oil, but not really. I picked up more general earthy/mushroomy flavors, but not at all overpowering. It would probably be nice in a savory martini. $34/half-bottle (!).