HOOD RIVER — Clear Creek Distillery is deeply connected to local farmers, said Caitlin Bartlemay, master distiller.

“If they struggle, Clear Creek struggles as well,” Bartlemay said.

That’s because the distillery specializes in brandies and other spirits packed with fruit such as pears, apples and plums.

In the past year, Clear Creek used 1 million pounds of fruit, Bartlemay said.

“It’s such a big number, it’s hard to put it in perspective,” she added.

But the distillery tries by sharing an equation; every 700 ml — about 23 ounces — bottle of Clear Creek’s flagship pear brandy requires 20 pounds of pears.

Overall, the craft distiller used more than 500,000 pounds of Bartlett pears last year, accounting for 0.25% of the harvest in the Hood River Valley, Bartlemay said.

Truckloads of pears

The distillery purchases “ugly” fruit from Duckwall Fruit, using pears that are either too big or small, have a bit of blush from being out in the sun, or weird crooks from growing around branches.

Truckloads of pears are brought to the distillery to ripen in-house.

Bartlemay said workers can smell when the pears are ready to be crushed.

“The palpable sweetness in the air is indescribable. It feels like you’re walking through a perfectly ripe pear,” she said.

Throughout the two-week fermentation process, the pears are punched down once a day, like wine grapes.

Rise of cocktail culture

Every year, Clear Creek is making more spirits, and its lineup of drinks include McCarthy’s Oregon Single Malt Whiskey — the first American single malt whiskey — and the fast growing Timberline Vodka, which is made from apples and grain.

Bartlemay credited the distillery’s success to the rise of the cocktail culture.

Pear brandy and other fruit liquors once considered rather esoteric ingredients have become more popular.

“People’s palettes are starting to grow and change and they are looking for more flavors and aromas,” Bartlemay said.

Hood River Distillers

Clear Creek operates under the umbrella of Hood River Distillers, the Pacific Northwest’s oldest and largest

distiller, which is celebrating its 90th anniversary this

year.

The company started in 1934 — right after Prohibition was repealed — by making fruit wines and brandies out of excess apples and pears from the region. HRD produces nearly 1 million cases of liquor every year and distributes it nationwide. But HRD keeps a somewhat low profile, letting its 30 individual brands take the spotlight.

HRD has about 70 employees, including Clear Creek’s three distillers.

Clear Creek was founded in 1985 as one of the first craft distilleries in the U.S. and was acquired by HRD in 2014.

An exceptional fruit region

Clear Creek was formed with a goal of creating Northwest fruit spirits to rival the best of what Europe’s. Now it’s looking to expand its presence in Europe.

Its location in Hood River is a selling point, as tourists travel to the area for the exceptional fresh fruit.

“Anything that comes out of Hood River, people expect it to be exemplary,” Bartlemay said.

“At the end of the day, we’re trying to get out of the way of Mother Nature and bottle up pure Hood River sunshine and share it with the world,” she added.

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