High Spirits
The city of Portland is well-known for its laidback vibe, its friendly citizens and its artistic ambience. But this Oregon hotspot is now finding itself increasingly celebrated for its thriving drinks scene – from flourishing whiskey distilleries to burgeoning breweries to world-standard wineries.
On my first night in Portland, Oregon, I find myself propping up the bar of Hey Love, Portland’s newest drinking hole, located in the boutique Jupiter NEXT Hotel. As I sip my knock-yoursocks-off Oaxacan Sunrise (mescal, passionfruit, lime, strawberry, slushee float, hibiscus salt and ‘desert vibes’ – yes, every bit as delicious as it sounds) I take in the atmosphere of this retro tropical-themed bar. Floral wallpaper, quirky photos and a veritable jungle of leafy plants contain without a doubt the coolest crowd I have ever encountered, anywhere in the world. There are more tattoos, hipster beards, inventive hairstyles and creative ensembles than you can poke a swizzle stick at. But despite their uber-coolness and vintage fashion chic, the locals I chat to are superfriendly and down-to-earth, as per their reputation.
Portland lies in America’s Pacific Northwest – just two states below Canada – and I’m here to check out its official status as America’s hippest city. Specifically, to investigate its drinks scene, as the city is now home to a fast-growing whiskey distillery and craft brewing scene that is drawing lovers of fine intoxicants from all over the world.
My convivial guide, Christian Krogstad is a proud Oregonian who decided 15 years ago to move into making whiskey. An ex-beer brewer, he decided it was his life’s mission to create a single-malt whiskey par excellence produced from locally grown barley that would put Portland on the map.
Just 12 years later, the distillery he founded, House Spirits (rebranded as Westward Whiskey in 2018), was voted No. 6 of the 12 best single malt whiskey distilleries in America.
“Portland is a really fun city for beer, wine and spirits,” he tells me. Super proud of the distillery he founded, which is now the largest craft distiller on the US west coast, he says, “We’re not trying to make Scottish whiskey, we’re making American single malt [one that is produced at a single distillery using malted barley as the only grain in the mash bill]. We had an opportunity to push the boundaries and we’re trying to do that.” Miles Monroe is Westward’s lead distiller. An ex beer brewer like Christian, he “fell in love
with single malt” six years ago and now heads a team of distillers who live and breathe whiskey and produce around 25 barrels of the stuff every week. “You can see our passion and our drive in what we do,” he smiles.
The thriving Westward distillery operation is the largest in the Pacific Northwest and on a tour of the outfit, we learn that the team in the distillery is on the go from 5.45 in the morning till 10 at night.
Says Christian: “In our first year, we were doing 10 to 20 barrels a year. This past year, we’ve done 1,300.”
The distillery also produces their signature Aviation Gin, which has its own devoted following, as well as Krogstad Aquavit (voted best aquavit in the world at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition), the gold medal-winning Volstead Vodka and their delicious Casa Magdalena Rum, manufactured from Guatemalan sugar cane.
BEFORE WHISKEY, IT WAS BEER
All whiskey begins life as beer and according to the quirkily-dressed Arielle, our artist-cum-tour guide on the Forktown Food Tour of Mississippi Street, “Portland is No. 1 in the world for microbreweries”. It’s not clear whether she means Portland has the best – or the most – microbreweries in the world. But hey, who cares?
“We are in a post-IPA moment now,” she tells me. “IPAs are still good but we want to do other beers well now.” Apparently, beer is a top five earner for the state of Oregon. Portland boasts an impressive 77 breweries in the city itself – and 117 in the greater metro area. It seems competition is breeding success as the microbrewery scene is showing no signs of slowing down. As part of our Forktown tour, we stop off at Ecliptic Brewing, a brewpub (brewery/eatery in one location) where we make short work of Ecliptic Burgers washed down with Carina Peach Sour Ales all round (black bean-frikeh-walnut patty burgers and honey lemon mocktails for the vegans/non-drinkers among us).
WINE COUNTRY OF THE WILLAMETTE
In addition to its thriving craft beer and whiskey industries, Oregon is a world-class wine region with more than 760 wineries and over 1,000 vineyards growing 72 grape varieties. Portland’s wine district is the Willamette Valley and if you step outside of the city and head south as we did, you’ll soon be amongst this 240km long, 96km wide stunning wine district boasting almost 600 wineries of its own. Visitors are spoilt for choice but we focused on two, Domino IV, and Flâneur Wines. Headed up by convivial independent winemaker Patrick Reuter and his viticulturist wife, Leigh Bartholomew, Domino IV is a picturesque winery with a pretty 1911 house and enormous 1915-built barn at is centre. Visitors can sample and purchase their irresistible pinot noir, syrah, chardonnay, viognier and tempranillo.
At our next stop, we learn that a flâneur is a leisurely wanderer, a worldly explorer, a connoisseur of life. The Flâneur Winery philosophy is that life – like a good wine – should be enjoyed and appreciated. It’s hard to
“In addition to its thriving craft beer and whiskey industries, Oregon is a world-class wine region.”
argue with this sentiment while enjoying the fruits of this 33-acre vineyard on a sunny summer’s afternoon with friends. Flâneur grows and sells pinot meunier, chardonnay and pinot noir.
TIME FOR TEA
To give our bodies a little break from all that alcohol, we decide to pay a visit to Steven Smith Teamaker, “the finest name in tea since 1949”. A native son of Portland, Smith was inspired to establish his tea business by memories of drinking Red Rose tea on rainy afternoons with his grandmother in the parlour of her Oregon home. Smith’s premises are conveniently located across the road from the Westward Whiskey brewery and I join a group ordering gourmet teas from an enticing menu featuring more than 50 different teas, including such temptingly-named beverages as Darjeeling Crème Caramel and Yunnan Silver Needle.
After a gentle half hour of sipping and trying various blends, we all leave with a beautifully designed, biodegradable box of Smith’s Tea (green, black and herbal) to keep the flavour going at home.
KING OF COFFEE
It’s becoming clear that Portland is bursting with homegrown success stories but in amongst all the native Oregonians doing spectacular things with edibles and drinkables is a ‘proud’ Aussie. Nolan Hirte is a Perth native who converted the coffee drinkers of Melbourne to his two establishments, Liar Liar and Proud Mary, in the early 2000s.
In 2017, he made the leap across the pond to the US, selecting Portland as the city from which to launch his coffee kingdom. Since then, Portlanders have swarmed to his Proud Mary café in the Alberta Arts District, one of the city’s hippest ‘hoods, to sample his direct-from-origin coffee, all-day breakfasts, smoothies and cakes. (On my travels around the city, I note many in-the-know hotels are also stocking his blends.)
“My success comes from my heart – my conviction and vision for what I do,” says Hirte. “I want Portlanders to have the best coffee they possibly can.” But if you’re thinking of paying a visit, make haste – Hirte already has his eye on his next destination and he hints at Austin, Texas, followed by Japan. “Austin is like a sister city to Portland. There’s an amazing food scene there, but no-one’s doing what I’m doing.”
THE SWEET STUFF
Talking of food, if you’ve got a sweet tooth, you’ve come to the right place for a sweet snack. Specifically doughnuts and ice-cream. Portland is famous for both, and proud of its local success stories.
Salt & Straw ice cream’s shtick is its ‘unexpected’ flavours. I couldn’t go past their chocolate gooey brownie, but be braver than me and order pear & blue cheese, freckled chocolate zucchini bread or buttermilk pancakes, bacon & eggs … plenty of locals do. If you’re a fan of ice cream sandwiches, Ruby Jewel’s handmade concoctions are to die for – I recommend their lemon & honey lavender on shortbread. For doughnut aficionados, the city has two homemade Portland brands: Blue Star and Voodoo Donuts – both beloved by locals and tourists alike. But be sure to get there at opening time … the lines snake around the block!