From the folks at McMenamins, the popular brewery chain primarily speckling Portland’s metro area, comes the intricately created spirits of Cornelius Pass Roadhouse Distillery (CPR). Established in 2011, the small-batch distillery currently produces a gin made from a wide array of botanicals, a Pinot Noir-based brandy and an award-winning 98.6 percent ABV white whiskey.
CPR also recently released its handcrafted Phil Hazelnut Liqueur, which is named after the filbert hazelnut from which it’s made and boldly stands out from its nutty brethren. Between sugary and foamy hazelnut lattes, creamy and chocolaty Nutella (read: spreadable, legal crack) and the sweet and syrupy Frangelico hazelnut liqueur, the hazelnut is getting a wrap as the “dessert nut.” But CPR’s Phil offers a more natural counterpoint to knock the hazelnut off its candied pedestal. The hazelnut flavor, which is a fitting flavor for an Oregon-based distillery considering the state produces 99 percent of the US’s hazelnut supply, has more of a natural, earthy, smoky, toasty and dry nut aroma and taste here. The liqueur’s body is made from an unaged wheat whiskey that offers a more raw spirit profile that pairs well with the more raw nut flavors, with a consistency that isn’t syrupy but isn’t too watery either.
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