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Wildfires that ravaged the Pacific Northwest in 2020 left winemakers in a dire situation, facing grape harvests marred by soot and acrid smoke. Responding with creativity, Patricia Green Cellars in Oregon transformed the damaged wine into brandy and innovatively blended the distilled product to create a new pair of whiskeys.

Patricia Green Cellars, renowned for its Pinor Noir and Sauvignon Blanc wines, teamed up with Oregon distiller Lynsee Sardell of Big Wild Spirits. Sardell, whose products include Witch’s Gin and The Wolf’s Whiskey, collaborated with lead winemaker Jim Anderson and associate winemaker Matt Russell to birth the unique spirits under the Patty Green Distillers label. Their aim was not only to repurpose the affected grapes and wine but to utilize locally grown heritage grain varietals to emphasize a unique sense of place, or ‘terroir’. “Said Sardell, “Whiskey, especially those derived from barley, are just as expressive of Oregon’s exceptional landscape as wine or any other cultivated plant we have here. Collaborating with winemakers is tremendously exciting—their skill, quality, and sense of place are infused into these one-of-a-kind whiskeys that distinctively represent the Pacific Northwest.”

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There were approximately 12,000 gallons of Pinot Noir that the winery considered undrinkable due to smoke taint. Fortunately, Sardell was able to distill it into a brandy that the winemaking team adored. The first pair of releases are blends of both whiskey and brandy. Multifarious, the first release, features a base distillate made from a medley of three distinct malted barley types: Lightning Malt, Purple Karma, and Full Pint. Overall, there were five barrels—two created from a tree harvested from the Yamhill-Carlton AVA and charred to levels No. 2 and No. 3, and the remaining ones which were previously used for aging Pinot Noir. For the latter barrels, the intention was not for a cask finish. Instead, these barrels were sanded, toasted, and charred to effectively eliminate any residue of the wine. The final blend is composed of 80 percent malted barley distillate and 20 percent brandy, resulting in a product with a proof of 98 that carries the flavors of dried fruits, earthen spices, molasses, tea, oak, and ginger snaps.

The second offering, Purple Karma Pinnacle, is substantially more exclusive and pricey. It owes its name to the barley grain type used in the whiskey mashbill, an antiquated Himalayan variant that, as per the winemaking team, possibly has never been utilized in whiskey production. Aged for 2.5 years in precisely two ex-Pinot Noir barrels (which were repurposed to eradicate wine traces), this expression also has a blend makeup of 80 percent whiskey and 20 percent brandy. Packed at a cask strength of 112 proof, it boasts fruity, tobacco, spice, and oak-infused sweet notes.

You can purchase both whiskeys—Multifarious ($80) and Purple Karma Pinnacle ($200)—directly from the Patricia Green Cellars website. If you want to try the brandy on its own, you can find that available for purchase as well. And if you’re in the mood for some wine that is absolutely not smoke-tainted, you can find the Pinot Noir available from websites like Wine.com.

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