Steve McCarthy

Steve McCarthy founded Clear Creek Distillery (DSP-OR-6) in 1985 as one of the early craft distilleries in the United States. His vision was to create spirits that rivaled the best European offerings.

  • In 1996, Clear Creek was the first American distillery to release its own single malt whiskey. They were followed single malts from St. James Spirits (1998) and St. George Spirits (2000) both in California. Both McCarthy and Jim Busattil of St. James were mentored by Jörg Rupf of St. George earlier in their careers.

  • Steve passed away in January 2023 after paving the way for many of the craft distilleries of today.

  • Clear Creek joined the Hood River Distillers family in 2014, enjoining the two oldest operating distilleries in Oregon. The Clear Creek brand is currently led by Master Distiller Caitlin Bartelmay.

  • Hood River Distillers currently produce McCarthy’s Oregon Single Malt Whiskey, Easy Rider Bourbon, Forthwest Whisky, Sinfire Whisky,    Lewis & Clark Spirits, and Trail’s End Bourbon;
    along with gin, tequila, brandy, rum, vodka, amaro,
    aperitivo, & absinthe.

When asked what distilling was, Steve McCarthy responded “this is a production job. It’s repetitive. Distilling isn’t what most people think.” “Get good fruit and get out of the way”. The quality of the bas materials mattered most in distilling. To distill properly, you show reverence for the ingredients and love for the liquid, and you humble yourself to each.

While eau de vie is what Steve was best known for, he also produced McCarthy’s,  the first American single malt. As said by his close friends and co-workers, being first was never a thing Steve cared about. He focused on a spirit’s balance and trained his people on the parts that mattered to him. Where the category is now he’d claim to have no part in, despite his place in its legacy. 

Steve had success as a writer, an environmentalist, a lawyer, a businessman, and even ran TriMet, the Portland public transportation agency all before running a distillery. During a business trip to Europe, McCarthy came across Poire Williams, a clear brandy made from pears, and felt it was the perfect way to utilize fruit from his family’s pear orchard. McCarthy purchased a brandy still from Germany and reached out to St. George Spirits founder Jörg Rupf to train him. In June, 2023, Steve McCarthy passed away from his battle with Parkinson’s.