Clear Creek Pear Brandy 750ML

Clear Creek Pear Brandy 750ML is a 40% ABV unaged eau de vie distilled from Williams (Bartlett) pears in Hood River, Oregon. A Double Gold medal winner at the 2013 San Francisco International Spirits Competition and ranked among the world's top spirits by F. Paul Pacult's Spirit Journal, this brandy is widely regarded as one of the finest pear distillates produced in the United States.

Quick Facts: ABV: 40% (80 Proof)  |  Origin: Hood River, Oregon, USA  |  Unaged Eau de Vie  |  Distillery: Clear Creek Distillery

Production & Heritage

Clear Creek Distillery was founded in Portland, Oregon, and sources its Williams pears from orchards in the nearby Hood River Valley — one of the Pacific Northwest's premier fruit-growing regions. The whole pears are crushed and fermented into a fruit mash, then distilled in German-made copper pot stills, a method borrowed directly from the eau de vie tradition of Alsace and Switzerland. The spirit is left unaged to preserve the intensity of the fruit, and the production ratio is staggering: approximately 20 pounds of pears go into every single 750ml bottle, yielding a distillate of uncommon concentration and purity.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: The nose opens with an intense burst of ripe Bartlett pear, followed by subtler notes of green melon and a faint buttery quality. The overall impression is strikingly fresh and true to the source fruit.

Taste: The entry is silky and round, delivering immediate pear essence alongside a tingling alcoholic warmth. At mid-palate, the spirit remains pleasingly dry rather than sweet, with notes of fresh-cut pear, a touch of pear skin, and a light peppery bite. The effect is akin to biting into a perfectly ripe piece of fruit.

Finish: Medium in length and clean, the finish carries warm floral accents and a lingering impression of pear chips. There is no cloying sweetness — just pure, fading fruit character.

How to Drink Clear Creek Pear Brandy

Serve it chilled or at cool room temperature in a tulip-shaped glass to concentrate the aromatics. A few drops of cold water can open the nose further without diluting the pear intensity. This brandy also performs exceptionally well in cocktails:

• Pear Sidecar — Substituting pear brandy for cognac adds a vibrant fruit dimension to the classic citrus-and-spirit template.
• French 75 (Pear Variation) — The dry, floral character of the eau de vie pairs naturally with sparkling wine and lemon.
• Champagne Cocktail with Pear Brandy Float — A small float of Clear Creek over a sugar cube and bitters creates a fragrant, elegant aperitif.

Best For

• Gifting a spirits enthusiast who appreciates artisan, small-production distillates
• Serving as a digestif at the end of a dinner party
• Introducing someone to the eau de vie category with an accessible, fruit-forward expression
• Adding a premium pear component to craft cocktail programs

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Clear Creek Pear Brandy taste like? It delivers an intensely pure Bartlett pear flavor that is dry rather than sweet, with a silky texture, light peppery warmth, and a clean finish marked by floral accents.

How does Clear Creek Pear Brandy compare to Massenez Poire Williams? Both are pot-distilled pear eaux de vie, but Clear Creek uses Pacific Northwest Bartlett pears and an exceptionally high fruit-to-spirit ratio of roughly 20 pounds per bottle. The Washington Post has described Clear Creek's version as "peerlessly true to the original fruit" when compared to European counterparts.

Is Clear Creek Pear Brandy good for sipping neat? Yes — it is designed to be enjoyed neat or lightly chilled, and its clean, unaged character showcases the distillate's purity without the influence of barrel aging.

Where is Clear Creek Pear Brandy made? It is produced by Clear Creek Distillery in Hood River, Oregon, using Williams (Bartlett) pears sourced from orchards in the Hood River Valley, a renowned fruit-growing region at the base of Mount Hood.

What foods pair well with Clear Creek Pear Brandy? Aged blue cheese such as Roquefort complements the fruit intensity. Almond tarts and frangipane desserts echo the stone-fruit family. Fresh pear and walnut salads mirror the brandy's character. Dark chocolate with a moderate cacao percentage balances the spirit's dryness. Foie gras or rich pâté benefits from the brandy's cleansing acidity and fruit brightness.

What sizes does Clear Creek Pear Brandy come in? The standard bottling is 750ml at 40% ABV (80 proof).

Is Clear Creek Pear Brandy worth the price? It positions as a premium artisan eau de vie, and the 20-pounds-per-bottle fruit ratio, German pot-still distillation, and multiple Double Gold and Gold medals place it at the top of its category for the price tier.

Why Clear Creek Pear Brandy?

The defining fact is the sheer volume of fruit behind each bottle: 20 pounds of Hood River Valley Bartlett pears distilled into 750ml of spirit. That ratio, combined with traditional German copper pot stills and a deliberate choice to leave the distillate unaged, produces an eau de vie of remarkable fidelity to the source fruit. The accolades back this up — Double Gold at the San Francisco International Spirits Competition, a place in F. Paul Pacult's Spirit Journal Hall of Fame at number 55 among all spirits worldwide, and consistent Gold medals across competitions through 2021. In a category often dominated by Alsatian producers, Clear Creek has earned its reputation as a world-class American alternative.