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The
MacTarnahan is available at local liquor stores for about
$50 and is poured at Portland Brewing's Taproom and Grill,
2730 NW 31st Ave., 228-5269.
The
new Collaborator brew Old Hallucinator, an old ale, will
be introduced Thursday, Nov. 16, at the New Old Lompoc Brewpub,
1616 NW 23rd Ave., 225-1855. Pints of Hallucinator and Milk
Stout will be $2 from 6:30 on.
Upcoming
Beer Tastings at
Belmont Station
4520 SE Belmont St., 232-8538
Organic Beers:
6-8 pm Friday, Nov. 17
Northwest Winter Warmers: 2-4 pm Saturday, Nov. 25
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The brisk fall wind whipped up my kilt as I set out to meet
Portland Brewing Company's Scottish foster-child, "The MacTarnahan,"
a 15-year-old single-malt whiskey. The alcoholic warmth of
the whiskey was just what I needed.
Scotland, like Oregon, is a soggy country where people
drink ales and whiskies with lots of malt flavor in hopes
of drying out their heads. Thankfully, the new MacTarnahan
whiskey (or "whisky," as the Scots have it) debuts just
in time for the onset of our beloved rainy season. Named
after company stockholder and benefactor "Mac" MacTarnahan,
this sauce is made exclusively for Portland Brewing at a
secret Highland distillery and is at the forefront of a
growing trend of breweries expanding their businesses beyond
beer.
Like Portland Brewing beers, the MacTarnahan is well-rounded
and easy to drink without being bland or boring. The aroma
is peaty at first, with some sherry and brown sugar-like
sweetness and a touch of oak. Slightly more alcoholic than
most whiskies at 46 percent by volume, the MacTarnahan's
flavor is balanced between sweetness and dryness from the
alcohol, finishing with a solid peat note.
After the whiskey comes out of the still at the secret
distillery in the Grampian Mountains, some of it is aged
in American oak barrels, some in Spanish sherry casks. Later,
these separate spirits are back-blended to create the MacTarnahan.
This blending is part of all single-malt production and
does not make them "blended whiskies." Blended whiskey--chiefly
invented for mixed drinks--is a mix of many different malt
whiskies, often from different distilleries, and 60 percent
"grain whiskey," a whiter spirit without much character
as a malt. The result is a mild whiskey suitable for mixing
with soda water or other adulterants. Single-malts are blended
only from whiskies from one distillery.
Portland Brewing Company executives spent about a year
traveling to Scotland to locate a distillery that would
sell them the kind of whiskey they were looking for. The
identity of the distillery is a closely guarded secret,
due to agreements with distributors of its other products.
The initial bottling of the MacTarnahan was only 200 cases,
but 400 more were bottled Oct. 12.
The notion of a brewery importing and marketing a whiskey
is new, but there is a growing interest in spirits across
the board. McMenamin's Edgefield distillery is an example
of the crossover that some microbrewers anticipate. In fact,
Washington state's Fish Brewing Company recently lobbied
to change the licensing laws so it could start distilling
as well as brewing. I say, let the spirits move us.
Slainte mhaith (good health)!
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