The designation on the packaging reads DSP-OR-1. Distilled Spirits Plant, Oregon, Number One. Hood River Distillers wasn't just the first licensed distillery in Oregon — it was the first licensed distillery in the state's entire history. Founded in 1934, the year Prohibition ended and the country collectively exhaled, HRD started as the Hood River Apple Growers Association's answer to a simple agricultural problem: too many apples. Instead of letting the surplus rot, three Pacific Northwest businessmen turned excess fruit into brandy. That decision created an operation that, ninety years later, produces close to one million cases of spirits annually and holds the title of the largest and oldest distillery in the Pacific Northwest. The apple brandy origin matters because it explains how Hood River thinks about production. This isn't a company that started with bourbon. It's a company that started with fruit, adapted to every shift in the spirits market for nine decades, and eventually built a whiskey program that borrows finishing techniques from its brandy heritage. The Trail's End bourbon line — Kentucky Straight Bourbon finished with Oregon Garryana Oak — is the product of a distillery that knows how to manipulate wood, because they've been aging fruit spirits in barrels since before most bourbon brands existed. This guide covers the full HRD operation, from the glacial water source to the Oregon Oak finishing that defines their whiskey.
Hood River Distillers is headquartered in Hood River, Oregon, along the Columbia River with Mount Hood as its backdrop. The company has operated from its current bottling facility since 1969, expanding storage and upgrading production lines multiple times over the decades. The tasting room is at 304 Oak Street in downtown Hood River.
The founding story is agricultural, not romantic. In 1934, three businessmen looked at the Hood River Valley’s overproduction of apples and pears and saw an opportunity. They made fruit wines and brandies — applejack, pear brandy — using the surplus. No secret recipes, no inherited stills, no mythology. Just pragmatic Pacific Northwest problem-solving.
The portfolio evolved over the decades to include vodka, gin, rum, whiskey, absinthe, tequila (imported), and flavored spirits. In 2014, HRD acquired Clear Creek Distillery, the second-oldest distillery in Oregon, bringing European-style pot still expertise and an acclaimed fruit brandy and single malt whiskey program under the HRD umbrella. Master Distiller Caitlin Bartlemay, who joined Clear Creek in 2010 and worked her way from logistics coordinator to distiller, now leads production for Clear Creek’s brandies, liqueurs, McCarthy’s Oregon Single Malt, and Timberline Vodka.
In April 2026, HRD acquired the Crater Lake Spirits portfolio from Bendistillery, further expanding their Pacific Northwest spirits empire.
The water is sourced from Mount Hood — specifically from the Eliot Glacier. Glacial-fed water filters through volcanic rock, stripping impurities and iron while maintaining an exceptionally pure, soft mineral profile. This water is used for proofing all HRD spirits.
Hood River Distillers operates as both a distiller (through Clear Creek) and a sourcer-finisher (for the bourbon lines). This hybrid model means the mashbill story depends on which product you’re looking at.
Trail’s End Bourbon starts as Kentucky Straight Bourbon — a high-corn mashbill with rye and malted barley, distilled and initially aged in Kentucky. HRD sources this aged stock, transports it to Oregon, and finishes it with Oregon Garryana Oak. The Kentucky mashbill provides the classic bourbon foundation: vanilla, caramel, corn sweetness, rye spice. The Oregon finishing adds complexity on top.
Easy Rider Bourbon is also sourced Kentucky Straight Bourbon, proofed with Mt. Hood glacier water and bottled at 80 proof. Straightforward, accessible, budget-friendly.
McCarthy’s Oregon Single Malt is made from peat-malted barley imported from Scotland — the same grain that drives Islay Scotch. This is distilled at Clear Creek on traditional European pot stills. McCarthy’s is recognized by the American Single Malt Commission as the first American Single Malt Whiskey, and every expression has scored 92 points or higher in Whisky Advocate. The Oloroso Cask Finished expression scored 95 points and earned Editor’s Choice.
On yeast, HRD’s sourced bourbons carry the yeast character of their Kentucky origin distillery. For McCarthy’s and the Clear Creek spirits, the fermentation is managed in-house using their own protocols. The pot-still distillation at Clear Creek retains more of the ester and congener character from fermentation than column distillation would, which is why McCarthy’s carries a heavier, oilier, more flavor-dense profile than most American whiskey.
The production story at HRD is a tale of two approaches.
For bourbon, HRD is a finishing house rather than a grain-to-glass distillery. They source aged Kentucky Straight Bourbon and apply post-distillation techniques that transform the spirit: finishing in Oregon Oak, proofing with glacial water, and bottling with the care and expertise of a 90-year-old operation.
For Clear Creek’s single malt, brandies, and liqueurs, the operation uses traditional European copper pot stills. These are batch-process stills that retain the heavy oils, esters, and congeners that column stills strip out. The pot-still expertise developed over decades of fruit brandy production directly informs how HRD handles their whiskey finishing.
The Oregon Oak (Garryana) finishing is the single most distinctive production feature. Garryana oak grows in the Pacific Northwest and has a different chemical composition than the American White Oak used in standard bourbon barrels. It’s spicier, more tannic, and adds dark chocolate, coffee, and smoky notes that American White Oak doesn’t typically produce. Trail’s End is finished in Garryana Oak staves or casks after the initial Kentucky barrel aging.
The Kentucky aging provides the foundation — 8 years for the standard Trail’s End, 10 years for the reserve expression. Both age in new charred American oak barrels in Kentucky’s climate, developing the expected vanilla, caramel, and corn sweetness.
The Oregon finishing is where HRD’s contribution begins. The Garryana Oak adds its own layer of extraction — darker, spicier, more herbaceous than the initial barrel aging. The Pacific Northwest climate moderates this finishing period: warm, dry summers and cool, damp winters create a gentler aging cycle than Kentucky or Texas.
The Trail’s End Apple Brandy Finish takes the 8-year Kentucky bourbon and moves it into Clear Creek apple brandy barrels. The cross-pollination between the brandy and whiskey programs is a natural advantage of having both operations under one roof.
The glacial water used for proofing contributes to the final texture. Volcanic-filtered water is softer than limestone-filtered water, which affects how the spirit opens up in the glass and how the barrel-derived flavors present on the palate.
Caitlin Bartlemay — Master Distiller at Clear Creek Distillery (under the HRD umbrella). Joined Clear Creek in 2010, rose from logistics coordinator through the distilling ranks. She leads production for McCarthy’s Oregon Single Malt, all Clear Creek brandies and liqueurs, Old Delicious Apple Brandy, and Timberline Vodka. Her expertise is in European-style pot still distillation and fruit spirit production.
The broader HRD team manages the sourcing, finishing, and bottling of the bourbon lines. The company has been in continuous operation since 1934, which means institutional knowledge spans multiple generations of production staff.
Trail’s End 8-Year Kentucky Straight Bourbon (Oregon Oak Finish) — 90 proof. Kentucky bourbon aged 8 years in new charred American oak, finished with Oregon Garryana Oak, proofed with Mt. Hood glacier water. Roasted apples, hazelnut, chocolate, candy cap mushroom (maple-like). Long, warm finish. Gold SFWSC, 97 points Ultimate Spirits Challenge. The flagship.
Trail’s End 10-Year Kentucky Straight Bourbon (Oregon Oak Finish) — 105 proof. Two additional years of aging and a higher proof than the 8-Year. Vanilla, caramel, cherry, roasted corn, summer pine. Earthy and intense.
Trail’s End 8-Year Apple Brandy Finish — 8-year Kentucky bourbon finished in Clear Creek apple brandy barrels. Baked apple, pie crust, maraschino cherry, manuka honey. Bridges whiskey and brandy.
Easy Rider Bourbon — 80 proof. Kentucky Straight Bourbon proofed with glacier water. Vanilla, honey, light and approachable. The budget-friendly daily drinker.
McCarthy’s Oregon Single Malt — Peat-malted Scottish barley, pot-distilled at Clear Creek. Smoke, peat, campfire. Oregon’s answer to Islay Scotch and the first American Single Malt. Every expression 92+ points Whisky Advocate.
OAKR’s blind tasting panel evaluates every spirit without knowing the brand, the finishing technique, or the price. The panel scores across 100-plus individual flavor notes organized into 10 macro categories, producing a profile that shows exactly where the Oregon Oak influence shows up and how it compares to unfinished Kentucky bourbon. Your Spirit Match score tells you whether the Oregon Oak finishing direction aligns with the flavors you reach for, before you commit.
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Bourbon enthusiast, spirits industry analyst, and the voice behind OAKR's distillery guides, brand reviews, and bourbon education content. Visiting distilleries, dissecting mashbills, and translating the craft into data since 2024.
Oregon Oak finishing, glacial water, 90 years of production. Your Spirit Match score tells you if Trail’s End fits your palate.
