[Varies by batch] Small batch, 100% Oregon Select Malted Barley and the pure, raw water from the Bull Run Watershed and barrel aged for a minimum of 5 years in New American charred oak.
Grain • Wood • Time • Portland
We started Bull Run Distillery to make an Oregon Whiskey. A whiskey that would reflect the place where it is made and the influences that guided its vision.
Our goal was to create nothing less than a new style of American Whiskey. Made from 100% malted barley from the Klamath Basin and brought up in new American oak barrels influenced through the years by Western Oregon’s four distinct seasons.
Our whiskey is the culmination of the combination of grain, wood, time and home.
Backstory
When we set out to make whiskey, inspiration came from a pint of beer. The great beers in the great Pacific Northwest are made from malted barley. Looking for a grain that exemplified our region was right in our (glass/Pint) hands. Malted barley is bold, complex and delivers a lot of body. It is also not generally associated with traditional American Whiskies which fit our pioneering vision.
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We convinced our friends at Burnside Brewing to make our wash and soon Jason, Chip and the rest of the crew were taking turns making high gravity sweet liquor for us to turn into whiskey wash. Back at the distillery we ferment the wash at high temperatures using ale yeast, lots of ale yeast, and within days we have a high alcohol, bone dry wash ripe with fruity esters. The ester creation is on purpose. It concentrates well in the distillate giving the grainy, cereal driven spirit with a surprising brandy like nose. Once in the barrel it disappears and so we wait until it returns.
Barrel aging defines and refines the whiskey. We strongly believe that malted barley is uniquely suited to stand up to new oak casks. The intensity of the new oak with its char wrestles with the richness of the malt until a balance is found. The signal for us is the reemergence of those fruity notes first developed years back in the fermented wash.
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The result is a whiskey at once familiar yet surprisingly new.
The Taste
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Ripe fruit, almost brandy like nose underlined with grass and sage. The palate is soft, but all malt showing off roasted grain and cereal qualities.
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Serving Notes
New oak barrel aging and malted barley allow for diverse uses. Complex and robust enough to enjoy neat or over a large cube of ice, yet accessible enough to work in cocktails that benefit from either the sweet mysteries of oak or the rich textures inherent in grain.
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Pairing
Complex enough to stand alone or with a single ice cube. The sweet, fruity notes coincide well with apple, pears while the rich flavors intertwine with dark noted food such as chocolate and caramel.
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Availability
Better restaurants, bars and retails throughout Oregon and Washington.
Cocktails
The Single Malt Smash
~ 1.5 oz Oregon Single Malt
~ 1 heaping tablespoon Oregon Blackberry preserve
~ 6 sage leaves muddled
~ .75 oz lemon juice
~ .25 oz demerara syrup
Courtesy of Joel Schmeck of Irving Street Kitchen.