McCarthy's 3 Year Old Oregon Single Malt Whiskey
McCarthy's 3 Year Old Oregon Single Malt Whiskey is an 85-proof (42.5% ABV) American single malt aged a minimum of three years in 36-month air-dried Oregon oak casks — the original 1996 release from Clear Creek Distillery in Hood River, Oregon (Hood River Distillers), and the bottle that started American single malt. Like its 6-year sibling it is 100% peat-malted Scottish barley, single-pass distilled in Holstein pot stills and non-chill filtered, in the style of an Islay malt. The distillery's words: "A robust and smoky nose and taste is complemented by hints of dried fruit, plum and a warm finish of honey and delicate peat." The medal count is extraordinary: 97 points at the 2017 Ultimate Spirits Challenge, 92 from Whisky Advocate (2023), Platinum at Sip Magazine's 2022 Best of the Northwest, and Golds at the San Francisco, New York, and Los Angeles competitions. It is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.
- ABV: 42.5% (85 proof)
- Size: 750mL
- Age: minimum 3 years in 36-month air-dried Oregon oak
- Grain: 100% peat-malted Scottish barley (NOT bourbon — single malt)
- Distillery: Clear Creek Distillery / Hood River Distillers, Hood River, Oregon — original 1996 release
- Awards: USC 97 pts (2017); Whisky Advocate 92 (2023); SFWSC/NYWWSC/LAISC Golds; Sip Northwest Platinum 2022
The Original American Single Malt
In 1996, Steve McCarthy did something no American distiller had done: he released a peated single malt made like an Islay whisky, in Oregon. The 3-year remains the entry point — robust smoke, dried fruit and plum, a warm honey-and-peat finish — and three decades of medals later it is still the reference bottle for the category it created. Taste the origin story in our whisky collection alongside the rest of McCarthy's.
Tasting Notes
Nose: robust and smoky. Palate: dried fruit, plum, delicate peat. Finish: warm honey, lingering smoke.
How to Enjoy
Neat or with a single cube — the gentler 85 proof needs no taming. A smoky highball works; find mixers in our cocktail-ready spirits.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is McCarthy's 3 Year a bourbon?
No — 100% malted barley, pot-distilled: an American single malt. The store's Type has been corrected to American Whiskey.
What does it taste like?
Robust smoke with dried fruit and plum, finishing warm with honey and delicate peat.
Why is it significant?
Released in 1996, it was the first American single malt — the bottle that created the category.
Where American single malt began — buy McCarthy's 3 Year Old Oregon Single Malt Whiskey online at Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA.