Ted Pappas opened Big Bottom Whiskey in 2010 with the focus of producing 36% rye American straight bourbon, at strictly 91 proof. The ’91 is a salute to his classmates of the 1991 Delta Company at The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina. Even the name of the distillery is a tribute, this time to the now federally protected wilderness and road-less land within Oregon’s Mt. Hood National Forest called Big Bottom. Based in Hillsboro, Ore., Pappas also puts an emphasis on wine cask-finishing his brown liquors, including the Port Cask Finished Bourbon. This small batch bourbon sits in 10-year-old California Tawny Port-style casks for six months before bottling, resulting in a complex spirit with aromas and flavors of chocolate-covered dried cherries, raisins and vanilla with a smooth, spice-based finish.
