Spirited Distilleries Showcase Flavors Of Oregon's Mt. Hood Territory

By Guest Author: Matt Wastradowski

Distilleries in the United States are older than the country itself — and centuries of craft and innovation have paved the way, in recent years, for a new class of small-batch independent producers across the country.

Oregon’s Mt. Hood Territory is no exception to the burgeoning craft spirits trend, with a trio of high-quality distilleries making whiskey, gin vodka and more across the foothills (and on the slopes of) Mt. Hood. In fact, all are part of the Mt. Hood Territory Tap Trail, a broader network of roughly 15 regional producers. (Sign up for this free mobile passport program to unlock discounts and prizes along the trail!)

On a recent autumn weekend, I wanted to experience the area’s distilleries for myself — so my partner and I sipped our way through creative cocktails and flavorful flights at each. Here’s how three game-changing distilleries showcase the flavors of Oregon's Mt. Hood Territory.

Trail Distilling is steeped in history — one that you can’t help but taste in every cocktail and spirit sample it pours. The distillery opened its doors in 2016, billing itself as the “first distillery in the first city west of the Mississippi” — reflecting both its own past and its connection to the nearby community of Oregon City, which was founded in 1829.

In the years since, Trail Distilling has produced an award-winning dry-style gin (featuring more than a dozen botanicals and bursting with bright citrus flavors), a small-batch rye whiskey (crafted with rye grown on the distillery’s farm), a refreshingly smooth vodka and other easy-drinking pours. Trail Distilling also provides behind-the-scenes tours and hosts occasional classes that teach amateur mixologists how to craft seasonal cocktails at home — complete with step-by-step instruction, hands-on experience and (naturally) the chance for students to try their creations.

On a recent visit, my partner and I ducked out of the rain, ambled past a 1971 motorcycle displayed prominently inside the industrial-inspired seating area, and perused the distillery’s menu — no easy task when compelling choices include a flight of six spirits (accompanied by tasting notes) and a handful of seasonal cocktails. We decided on a pumpkin-spiced White Russian and an old-fashioned crafted with the distillery's First City Whiskey, plopped down onto a spacious couch and toasted each other in the shadow of branded barrels aging yet another sublime spirit.

Trail Distilling hosts a variety of mixology events year-round, providing guests with hands-on experiences to craft cocktails with skill and creativity. The classes are for all skill levels, guiding participants through the art of cocktail making with their award-winning spirits.

Trail Distilling has produced an award-winning dry-style gin since they opened in 2016.

When we arrived at TMK Creamery on a sunny fall Sunday, our first decision wasn’t about what to order — but rather whether to see the creamery and distillery’s “cowlebrities” before or after ordering.

That’s because TMK resides on a working farm just 4.5 miles south of Canby and is home to several cows who produce milk for cheese, ice cream and vodka that gets sold in TMK’s family-friendly tasting room a few steps away. It’s all part of a sustainably minded effort to make good use of the farm’s output; the resident cows — dubbed “cowlebrities” by TMK — eat food grown on the farm and provide milk for items that are sold on-site. A food cart serves cheese curds and cheese-infused dishes that incorporate the cows’ milk, and any whey that’s left after the cheese-making process is then used to distill vodka.

That commitment to sustainability and locally sourced foods is on full display inside TMK’s tasting room. Just inside the front door is a cooler stocked with farm-sourced fare — including meat, cheese and eggs — that visitors can take back to their home, hotel room or campsite to enjoy later on. To the right is the counter where visitors can order all manner of food items — including grilled cheese sandwiches and a plate of curds that I was powerless to resist — as well as milkshakes, soft-serve ice cream, cocktails and a few taps of regional craft beer and cider. (Shots of vodka — AKA “cowcohol” — are also for sale.) My partner and I paired our curds with a vodka lemonade and a house-made IPA (more on this later) and savored every bite and sip on TMK’s covered patio.

After polishing off far too many chewy curds, we picked up a map at the counter and took a self-guided tour of the TMK facilities, where we saw how its vodka gets made, checked out TMK’s milking parlor and said “hi” to Spaz, Molly and the other cowlebrities who produce milk for all the curds and vodka I’d just enjoyed. A few signboards explained the process in more depth, enriching the experience and giving us a better appreciation of how the distillery operates.

TMK’s latest foray into the world of craft beverages is Thirsty Heifers IPA brewed in collaboration with Portland-based Culmination Brewing. The crisp, easy-drinking IPA is available on draft and in six-packs at TMK’s tasting room, and leftover grain from each batch is fed to the cowlebrities.

The “cowlebrities” of TMK Creamery and Distillery are the real stars of visiting the farm.

Walking into Just Rum Distillery, at the edge of downtown Sandy, on a brisk fall evening, I knew exactly what to expect: plenty of tequila.

Just kidding. As the name implies, Just Rum pours a half-dozen or so house-made rums that include the grassy Simple White, the smooth Oregon Oak Rested (sporting agreeable notes of vanilla and caramel) and a few seasonal releases — including a spiced rum that evokes the flavors of the holidays with notes of allspice, cardamom, vanilla and orange.

Visitors can try a handful in a custom flight or in a variety of cocktails — all of which go down smooth in a brick-lined tasting room that eschews an all-out tiki theme for a more refined atmosphere that puts the rum first. Even so, a few nods to rum’s rowdy history abound: A few tiki masks line the walls, a decorated pirate skeleton lords over the bar and Just Rum’s Tiki Tuesday promotion rounds up classic drinks of the genre, including a daiquiri, a hurricane and (of course) a mai tai.

If rum isn’t your thing, fear not: The distillery shares its space with Boring Cider Company, which produces roughly a dozen creative hard ciders that reflect the local bounty (including a hazelnut hard cider) and flavors of the season.

Just Rum pours original flavored rum like maple and blackberry.