McMenamins Cornelius Pass Roadhouse Distillery

Established: September 2011

Set in an old granary barn constructed by the pioneer Imbrie family in the mid-1850s, the Cornelius Pass Roadhouse Distillery boasts a century-year-old, 160-gallon Alambic Charentais pot still, gleaming a polished copper against a specially built, solid brick housing (using bricks recycled from Edgefield, the Kennedy School and the Crystal Hotel). Sourced from an old barn in Cognac, France, the still itself has a definite "steam punk" look to it - in fact, one wonders if this type of old-timey contraption wasn't the inspiration for the steam punk movement itself?

These Alambic Charentais pot stills are traditionally used to produce cognac. We here at the Roadhouse Distillery will expect a spirit that is silky in texture and retains much of the rich aromatics and flavors of base ingredients we use to craft our spirits -- a direct reflection of the elegant curves and bends of the still itself.