How many of you have gone to a local brewery or winery in your area? Many of you (at least those of you reading this) probably have. It is fun to taste and support your local drinking establishments, isn’t it! How many of you have gone tasting at your local craft distillery? The list is probably a lot shorter.

Earlier this weekend, I attended an open house at Clear Creek Distillery in Portland, Oregon. I had been to the distillery a handful of times before to do tastings (and purchases of course!) but this was the first time that I had the pleasure of getting a tour.

Clear Creek is absolutely wonderful. They have dozens of fabulous spirits from Eaux de Vie, Grappa, fruit liqueurs and much more (including their famous whiskey which sells out in hours). We restrained ourselves and left with only the Mirabelle Plum Eau de Vie and the Cranberry Liqueur, two selections we had not previously tried.

As much as I love Clear Creek, they are not the only craft distillery around. There are a number of others in Portland, throughout Oregon… and hopefully in your area too. Distilling.com has a map of craft distilleries throughout the United States (and even  few in Canada). Also from Distilling.com is a list of distilleries in the US, but the map seems to be a bit more comprehensive and/or updated.

Those of you in Portland (or visiting Portland) may also be familiar with Distillery Row. If you do visit Distillery Row, be sure you don’t skip Stone Barn Brandyworks. Also from Oregon, Ransom makes a very unique gin called Old Tom, and Bendistillery makes some great spirits. If you love juniper, you must try Desert Juniper gin.

Clearly, my experiences of craft distilleries are pretty limited to my area. I would love to hear about your favorite distillery in your area. Also, if there are craft distilleries that are missing from these lists, let us know about them.

Cheers! And don’t forget to drink local!