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Caitlin Bartlemay

Caitlin Bartlemay Profile Photo

Master Distiller

Caitlin Bartlemay is the Master Distiller for Clear Creek Distillery and Hood River Distillers and brings deep knowledge and craftsmanship to create distinct spirits using quality ingredients sourced from neighbors and farmers alike. Clear Creek was founded with a vision to use the bountiful fruits of the Pacific Northwest to create fruit-based spirits that rivaled the best of their European counterparts and Bartlemay’s work continues to push that vision forward with her stewardship of McCarthy's American Single Malt and industry innovations like Timberline Vodka and Trail's End Bourbon.
Bartlemay went to Oregon State University and acquired a B.S. in Food Science with an option in Fermentation and Minor in Chemistry. During her time at OSU, she became distinctly aware of how little the public knows about how spirits are made. With a resolve to change that, Bartlemay sent a resume to every distillery in the Pacific Northwest, and Clear Creek Distillery called back. 15 years later, her dedication to creating high quality spirits remains unchanged.
In the rare occasion that she has an extra minute, Caitlin enjoys cooking with the ingredients she grows in her own garden in Oregon.

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June 23, 2025

The Origins of American Single Malt with Caitlin Bartlemay of McCarthy’s Whiskey (S4 E7)

In this episode of Barrel Room Chronicles, host Kerry Moynahan sits down with Caitlin Bartlemay, Master Distiller at Clear Creek Distillery, to dive into the pioneering spirit behind McCarthy’s Whiskey—widely recognized as the original American single malt. Broadcasting from the heart of Hood River, Oregon, Caitlin shares her journey from wheat farm kid to one of the most respected figures in American craft distilling.Listeners will hear about the visionary founder Steve McCarthy, who launched Clear Creek in 1985 with a mission to create European-style fruit brandies using Oregon-grown produce. A rainy hiking trip in Ireland later sparked his passion for peated single malt, and in 1994, McCarthy’s released the first drops of what would become the foundation of the American single malt movement.Caitlin breaks down the unique distillation process using imported Scottish peated malt and Oregon oak barrels, as well as the use of a single-pass hybrid still—setting McCarthy’s apart from tra…