Page 117 - Southern Oregon Magazine Winter 2018

And that’s exactly what he does. He has one product that he focuses
on, which he would describe as a “Speyside” style whiskey. Thompson
says that from his whiskey you can expect something smooth and clean,
well balanced, and memorable. While he’s also working on a gin recipe,
he hasn’t nailed down the right one yet. But like the other distillers,
he’s a whiskey guy. Come Celebrate Harvest!

Whiskey is what he loves to make, and he approaches his craft from Our Estate is Family, Pet and Picnic Friendly
the standpoint that whiskey should be shared among friends. “Whiskey
should mean something,” says Thompson. His implied second half of
this statement appears to be—because it means something to make it.

2014 saw the dawn of a third local craft distillery brought to us by
someone with a firm foundation in brewing. Todd Kemp began III
Spirits—that’s the Roman numeral—after starting his career in the
late 1980s and early 1990s at Etna Brewing Company in Northern
California. He’s been to Scotland a few times, where he fell in love
with making whiskey.

Kemp makes three products. His Jefferson Gold has a mash bill of
30% rye, 30% corn, and 40% malted barley. His Oregon Highlander
is 100% barley and goes entirely into new American oak barrels from
Minnesota, before moving it to used wine barrels, and ultimately into
a 60 gallon solera system. “It is meant to emulate a more Scottish OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK FROM 11AM to 5PM
Highland style,” says Kemp. Finally, he creates an Islay style whiskey, 222 Missouri Flat Road, Grants Pass, OR 97527
getting his malt from Inverness. If you haven’t tried an Islay whiskey, www.serravineyards.com 541-846-9223
they are “peaty” and sometimes described as tasting the way a campfire
smells—think Lagavulin, Laphraoig, or Ardbeg.
Fresh. Delicious. Wholesome.
“Craft distilling is very reminiscent of the early days of the craft brew-
ing industry,” says Kemp, citing that not only is it a labor of love, but
that it’s a tight knit group of distillers who share ideas and help each
other. “It’s not uncommon,” he says, “for people to share what kinds of
oaks they’re using, and what their processes are.”

The importance of oak barrels can’t really be overstated. Gallagher,
from Immortal Spirits, uses Oregon oak, which gives his product a
more “local” appeal. Thompson, from Table Rock, prefers the American
oak from Kentucky. All three use a heavy char when utilizing new
barrels.

The size of the barrel and the length of time is also a vital factor in the
final whiskey product. Perhaps the biggest barrier that any of these
distillers encounter is time. The big whiskey houses in Scotland can
afford to age their whisky in the traditional 62-gallon barrels for long
periods of time because they’ve been in production for hundreds of
years. Gallagher, Thompson, and Kemp age in smaller barrels because
it speeds up the aging process, since more of the whiskey is in contact
with the oak. In the same way they all have different oak programs,
N The Café
they also have their own aging processes that work best for the prod- —
ucts they’re making. A
D
—
The final piece of the Southern Oregon craft spirits industry is find-
ing the product once it’s made. Of course, you can get any of these
products at a state run liquor store, but a couple of them have a tasting Open Daily 8 to 8 • 945 S Riverside Ave
room. (541)779-2667 • medfordfood.coop

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