Patricia Green Cellars, an Oregon-based producer of Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc, has released its first two whiskeys: Multifarious and Purple Karma Pinnacle. Both are available on-site at the Newberg, OR winery, the company states.
The 2020 wildfires devastated many Oregon wineries’ vintage, leaving them with acrid and unsellable wine. A chance encounter with distiller Lynsee Sardell led to the idea to not only distill the tainted wine, but to incorporate the resulting distillate in a whiskey that reflects Oregon’s abundant landscape, according to the winery.
“Patty Green Whiskey Distillers seemed to be the most appropriate name for this venture. Everyone called Patricia Patty so this brings her real name into the business, as well as taking her passion to save and fix anything she could – this project would have meant a lot to her to see it work this way,” noted her business partner and Patricia Green Cellar Head Winemaker, Jim Anderson, in a news release.
Creating One-of-a-Kind Whiskeys
The use of brandy created using the smoke-tainted harvest, rather than the traditional corn distillate, allows for both instantly recognizable whiskey-based aromatics and flavors as well as a textural component, the winery states. While these rare first bottlings are truly one-of-a-kind spirits, Patricia Green Cellars will continue to make whiskeys and release them as they become ready in the foreseeable future.
“Working with Lynsee not only gave us the ability to pivot off of our smoke-tainted wine but it also enabled us to work with a person that is creative, talented but also a collaborator with us, along with the farmers we purchase from and folks at Oregon State University who helped us develop this new expression. We never imagined the commonality whiskey and wine could have, but tasting the individually distilled grains is a lot like tasting wines from our different vineyards,” Anderson added in the release.
The Making of Multifarious and Purple Karma Pinnacle
Multifarious is a blend of three strains of barley and is a nod to the name of the winery’s high-end Pinot Noirs, according to the winery. It was aged in both charred French oak and Oregon oak barrels with 137 cases bottled at 98 proof.
Purple Karma Pinnacle comes from the name of the Tibetan heritage barley from which the whiskey is distilled, the winery states. It is an incredibly rare bottling at only 37 cases and is presented at the cask strength of 112 proof.
Future releases will include strains such as Francin Barley, Baroness Barley, Gazelle Rye and Dark Northern Rye. All grains are sourced from farms located in Oregon.
Currently, all sales of the small-batch whiskeys are running through the winery. There are future plans to expand into Oregon bars, restaurants and OLCC stores, the winery states.
