Hood River Distillers is the oldest and largest distillery in the Pacific Northwest. The company was founded in 1934 to turn excess pears and apples produced by regional growers into fruit wines and brandies. When the advent of cold storage reduced fruit waste, the company shifted to importing rather distilling spirits. Today, Hood River Distillers bottles more than 1 million cases per year.
The company’s Hood River bottling plant is the heart of its manufacturing operation. The 50,000-square-foot facility has been expanded and updated significantly since it opened in 1969 and features 400,000 gallons of storage. That’s about 2 million bottles of liquor.
About 95% of the liquor bottled at the plant arrives by train or truck and is cut to proof and flavored prior to bottling. Its products include vodka, tequila and bourbon, among others.
The remaining 5% of liquor bottled at Hood River Distillers’ facility is produced by the company’s Clear Creek Distillery, which occupies a separate location in Hood River. Clear Creek, a craft distillery Hood River Distillers bought in 2014, produces brandies, liqueurs, vodka and other spirits from regional fruit. It also produces McCarthy’s Oregon Single Malt Whiskey, the first single malt produced in the United States.
In addition to producing its own spirits, Hood River Distillers does contract manufacturing at its bottling facility. Its largest contract customer is Pendleton Whisky.