Distillers based in Alberta, particularly southern Alberta, are pretty lucky to have some of the world’s best corn at their doorstep. Especially centered around the town of Taber (roughly 200 km southeast of Calgary), corn is deeply rooted in the culture of the region. Just like Mundare (located southeast of Edmonton) is famous for its sausages, Taber is the first place people think of when they think of corn. It’s not uncommon for certain shifty folks to pass their product off as Taber corn, which is why the town issues certificates of authenticity to ensure the public that the corn is proudly Taber’s. Taber’s 36 ft tall corn statue, just off Highway 3, is a testament to that pride.

The meteorologist in me (my day job for the last 20 years) suspects that the region’s climate has a lot to do with how well corn grows in southern Alberta. The growing season in this area commences around mid-May and extends until mid-October, presenting a substantial timeframe for corn growth. During the summer, the days are hot and relatively dry and the nights are cool. Most of the precipitation is convective (i.e. thunderstorms), which is perfect so long as the hail is small and the winds aren’t too punishing.

Like all grains, much scientific development has gone into creating genetically modified corn varieties that thrive in southern Alberta’s climate, particularly during potentially cold periods during the late spring and early fall.

Located in Calgary, Bridgeland distillery has established a relationship with a relatively new corn farm in the Taber area. Molnar’s Farm was established in 2005 and specializes in both corn and pumpkins. Molnar’s Taber corn makes up 60% of the mashbill in Bridgeland’s Taber Berbon, which is finally old enough to be called whisky!

Made from 60% Molnar’s Taber corn as well as 32% malted barley and 8% wheat, both from Red Shed Malting, run by the Hamill family near Penhold, Alberta, this Taber Corn Berbon whisky is the third installent in Bridgeland Distillery’s Artisan Collection series. To celebrate their Berbon’s attainment of its long awaited 3 year age statement (the minimum age in Canada for spirit to be called a whisky), this release has rested in a single, new American oak cask for just over three years. It’s bottled at a healthy 55% ABV.

A while back, I reviewed their Berbon at just one year old. I loved the potential it had and am looking forward to see what’s changed!

Nose: In Bridgeland’s single cask Artisan Collection Wheat Whisky, which was also high in the ABV department, I got quite a bit of alcohol burn. This Taber Corn has no such burn, I’m happy to say, allowing me to more easily focus on the underlying aromas.

After three years in Southern Alberta’s climate, the cask is much more prominent compared to their younger Berbons. The main character on the nose is a slightly sour cherry, like the fruit I occasionally pick from my neighbour’s yard.  This is followed by a good hit of sponge toffee and a very slight floral note. Typically, I wouldn’t get nutmeg until later in the development, but it’s not waiting long in this whisky. This adds a slight earthiness to the nose. Cinnamon is also here in roughly equal measure to nutmeg. Barley sugar is coming through now as well as a sprinkling of orange zest, which adds a freshness to this dram.

Palate: For a 110 proof whisky, the entry is surprisingly light and sweet. Honey and vanilla wafers. Like other Bridgeland whiskies, this has a wonderful mouthfeel, right to the very end. 

This sweetness is balanced by the sour cherry and the flesh of a navel orange at the beginning of the development. The sour cherry reminds me of the Old Forester barrel proof Bourbon’s I’ve had in the past. Mid-development the heat starts to kick in, but not in a major way. Cinnamon and allspice mostly. The nutmeg I get on the nose is there, but it’s faint. As I take more sips of this, I’m getting a touch of milk chocolate that carries through most of the development. Combined with the toffee, I’m close to getting my beloved Cadbury’s Crunchie bar vibes. 

There’s almost no youthful graininess in here. Surprising for a three year whisky.

Finish: This is a bit short, given its proof. Still, its balanced, with just the right amounts of the sweet, sour, and spice components that I got during the development.

With water added

The orange and floral notes are more prominant than sour cherry now. The corn is coming through as a small bowl of Frosted Flakes. Pineapple is joining the citrus as well as barley sugar. The distillate is clearly the star of the show with water added. Frosted Flakes aside, this has much more of a Scotch-like character now. Although the entry remains much the same, the development is revealing the youth of this whisky. However, some sponge toffee, ginger, milk chocolate, and pineapple are helping to temper this youthfulness somewhat.

Conclusion

Drank neat, this whisky was mature beyond its years. I’m not sure if everyone will be fan of the sour cherry in here, but rest assured you will still get plenty of the sweetness that one expects from a Bourbon-style whisky. Often, limited releases can be on the pricey side, yet I applaud Bridgeland for keeping the prices on their Artisan Collection low. For $60-65 CAD you get a whisky that always delivers solid value and great taste, with a fancy bottle that looks great on your shelf.

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Dive into the world of blended whisky, and you’ll quickly discover its definition shifts depending on which part of the globe you’re in. Venture to Scotland, and you’ll find Blended Scotch whisky, a marriage of malt and grain whiskies usually hailing from various distilleries scattered across the rugged Scottish landscape.

Cross the Atlantic to America, and the blending narrative takes a twist. Traditionally, American blenders play matchmaker with whiskies of the same kind—be it rye or Bourbon—melding different mashbills and age statements to conjure a balanced sip. Yet, the script has seen a few edits in recent years. Blenders have begun dancing across traditional boundaries, orchestrating unions between Bourbon, rye, single malt, and even unconventional rice-based whiskies. This creative alchemy has given birth to enigmatic blends like Beam Suntory’s Little Book series (affectionately termed chapters) and the bold Jack Daniel’s Triple Mash.

Journey north to Canada, and the narrative of blended whisky unfolds yet again. Here, tradition dictates a blend of whiskies, each crafted from a singular grain, aged in solitude, then vatted together. Corn usually takes the leading role in this Canadian whisky tale.

Now, steer your curiosity to Bridgeland Distillery’s newest concoction, the Single Blend (2023 edition), which is the star of this week’s review. This blend is a nod to modern American blending artistry, marrying their eloquent Glenbow single malt whisky with the robust, Bourbon-esque Taber Corn Berbon. 

This is 2023 Edition of their single blend is comprised of three casks. The first is their Glenbow single malt whisky containing malted barley from Red Shed Malting. This was aged in a new American oak barrel (char #3) for two years before being aged an additional 14 months in a used Heaven Hill Bourbon cask. The other barrels contained Bridgeland’s Taber Corn Berbon whisky with a mash bill of 60% corn from Molnar’s Taber Corn, 32% malted barley and 8% wheat. The latter two grains are from Red Shed Malting. The first Berbon was matured in a new American oak barrel (char #4) for a little over 3 years. The second Berbon (same mashbill) was the smallest component by volume but was the most unique. It’s maturation journey began in a new, toasted Bulgarian oak barrel where it sat for 2 years, followed by another 2 years in a freshly dumped grappa cask made of toasted Hungarian oak. It’s bottled at 43.5% ABV.

Thanks to Bridgeland Distillery for the detailed description! All this talk is making me thirsty. Let’s dive in.

Nose: The nose on this whisky was quite tight initially, so I made sure to have a couple of drams and then let it mellow for a couple weeks first. As I’ve said time and again on this blog, there is no harm in this. Always give your whisky time to show its true colours. 

Now this whisky is grilled white stone fruit through and through. Grilled peaches are the star of the show here. Beneath that, the climate get more tropical, with cantaloupe and a few slices of pineapple. Grilled oranges too.

With the majority of this blend containing malted barley, a good whiff of barley sugar was sure to make an appearance. Staying on the confectionary side, there’s a bit of meringue in here. Shades of my childhood! The spices are already putting me in the mood for Christmas. Cinnamon, allspice, ginger and a touch of freshly cracked cardamom pods. No clove or nutmeg, but they may make an appearance during the development.

Palate: Lovely and mouth coating, right from the beginning. This helps it to feel like I’m drinking whisky far beyond its stated proof. The entry is mild and sweet. Now the barrel characteristics are showing through. Loads of caramel along with a drizzle of honey and some mild cream.

The development slowly starts to turn up the spice dial, although nothing overpowering. Ginger and ground black pepper with cinnamon taking a back seat. There’s a slightly cooked down apple note coming through mid-development. The sweetness from the entry carries all the way through the development. Caramel on the entry transitions to sponge toffee, which becomes darker as the development progresses. Grilled pineapple is present, with its caramelized edges deepening the layers of sweetness. There’s a lot of balance in here.

Finish: This is not as long as I was expecting it to be, but is still pleasant. The experience doesn’t dry out at all. The tart cooked down apples combine with lingering ginger and black pepper to keep that pre-Christmas vibe going.

With Water Added

The toffee that I got on the development is now making its presence felt on the nose. Big time. This is also joined by a light floral honey note. The sweet shop is now in full effect with boiled orange flavoured candies and candied pineapple. Ginger is the dominant spice. At this point, if you gave this to someone without telling them what it was, they would probably guess an ex-Bourbon cask matured Scotch. 

That candy store signature just keeps on chugging during the entry and development, along with a nice peppery kick that delivers mid-way through. Those cooked down apples, which I got without water, are still here.

Conclusion

Bridgeland is quickly becoming a fan favourite among Canadian whisky lovers, now that their stock is old enough to be called whisky. This masterful blend may be on more than a handful of “Best of” lists before this year is through. In every review, I always crave balance and this one did not disappoint. At roughly $60 for a 500 ml bottle, I think this is an excellent price for what you get. Some may be put off by the low ABV of this bottle, but I assure you that this drinks far higher than 43.5%.

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As Hansen Distillery’s signature rye has gotten older, founder and head distiller Kris Sustrik has started releasing one-off Distiller’s Editions which highlight unique cask maturations, finishes, and even new mash bills. These are for the hard-core whisky fans who have been waiting for these releases for a long time now.

This is the first of four reviews of Hansen’s limited editions, posted in the order they were released in. This bottle was loaned to me by Jonathan, who owns the long-running Whisky Neighbour YouTube channel. Based in the Edmonton area, Jon has posted hundreds of reviews since the fall of 2017 and is definitely worth a follow.

This Hansen Distiller’s Edition French Oak x Port Cask is made from 100% Alberta rye. The whisky spent 22 months in a French oak ex-red wine cask before being finished for 34 months in an ex-Port cask.  It was proofed down to 47% and was limited to an out-turn of 336 bottles.

Nose: Port finished whisky and I have a rocky history. Like wheat whisky, there can sometimes be this paint thinner note that can be difficult to shake. Thankfully, I’m not getting that here. There was a bit of a nose-tingling ethanol note when this first made its way into my glass, but that’s dissipated now.

This is dried red berries, toasted walnuts and dark chocolate straight away. Then the spices from the French oak really start to kick in. Allspice, clove and toasted cinnamon in pretty much equal proportions. Over time, this becomes faintly floral as well. The dark chocolate evolves into fudge of a similar hue, rolled in rich cocoa powder. Before I take my first sip, this is teetering into the dark edges of a fresh baked Christmas cake. Finally (I promise!), it’s a bit ashy.

Don’t get me wrong, I love this nose. However, the cask maturation is such that I would have a hard time guessing this is Hansen’s rye (or even rye, to be honest). I had a similar opinion with the Killowen/Belgrove rye review I published a while back. I did have a glass of Hansen’s five year rye for comparison. I was wanting those tobacco and grassy notes and they were nowhere to be found.

Palate: Right from the first sip, the distillate/cask balance I was looking for is making a little comeback, but it takes a while to evolve. Orange vanilla cream and toffee starts things off on the entry. This is followed by tart dried strawberries and a wave of dark chocolate. By mid-palate, this has become tannic, drying and spicy. Earthy nutmeg and cracked black pepper have entered the mix, overtaking the spices I got on the nose. It’s not till this whisky makes its way to the back of my tongue that I get that classic Hansen signature that I have been looking for. The tobacco and leather are clearly present. Mixed with the cask maturations, there’s a very strong fruit leather vibe going on as well.

Finish: That balance is in full swing now, and it’s a winning combination. That tobacco note continues all the way to the finish. It’s slightly ashy and quite tart as well. I love it!

With water added

In terms of balance, the nose is on a much more even footing now. The tobacco note that I’m getting is actually stronger than their regular releases. The casking is really helping to accentuate that. The rest of this is all Christmas cake. Spices, candied fruit, raisins and nuts. My quibbles sipping this neat are gone. The rye notes are shining through the oak. It’s spicy, sweet, citrusy, and slightly herbal. Even toasted rye bread makes an appearance at the end of the development. There’s still plenty of dried red fruit, the aforementioned cake, and bitter dark chocolate from the French oak and Port cask influence. The only thing I would have to say is that this is now a tad youthful.

Conclusion

This one definitely had a lot of character and the balance righted itself as the experience progressed. I’m actually glad that this release was proofed down to 47% because, if this was at cask strength, the distillate would probably have been completely swamped out. I think this was in the $80-90 CAD range, which is a reasonable price given what this was matured in. I’ve got three more special releases of theirs to review. On deck is the French Oak x Sherry Cask.

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Being a reviewer as well as a mega spirits fan, it’s interesting to experience a distillery’s journey from its first release to the present day. Hansen Distillery, located in the west end of Edmonton, Alberta has been releasing their 100% rye whisky for a few years now as a 3 year, single barrel expression. Reviewed previously, it had all the notes of a very young rye, which I liked, but lacked some of the spice that I craved.

Now the whisky is being bottled with a five year age statement and a higher proof. Just looking at the colour, I can tell that the barrel has done its work. Speaking of barrels, Hansen has decided to let the wildly fluctuating Alberta weather do its thing when maturing their whisky. After a few months of sitting in the distillery, the casks are transported off-site and stored in a warehouse without any climate control. Given our dry climate, the “angel’s share” is probably pretty substantial, but the warm summers really help the whisky to expand into the wood, soaking up all those glorious flavours.

Over the next five Saturdays, I’m going to be taking a look at all of Hansen’s latest releases, many of which were pretty limited and are now long gone. However, this five year Hansen Northern Eyes 100% rye is available anytime you want it. Released over a year ago now, it has joined their three year in the core range. Like the three year, it’s made from 100% Alberta rye and has been aged in new American oak barrels treated with a #3 char. Finally, it’s bottled at 50% ABV.

Nose: The extra two years has been very kind to this whisky. Although the cask influence has definitely taken hold, the signature of the distillate has not been drowned out. The toast on the rye bread that I got on the three year is much darker now and it still has plenty of those grassy, herbal notes. Best of all, that tobacco leaf signature is still detectable, something that really endeared me to their original release. Where this differs, among other things, is this note akin to Tart n’ Tiny’s candy from my youth. It’s not super strong, but it is interesting, that’s for sure! This is not a fruity rye (possibly due to short fermentation times?), but I am finally getting some barrel spices. Toasted cinnamon, clove and even coriander. And then there’s the toffee. Lots of toffee.

Palate: The entry is a little slow to evolve, but it’s all uphill from there. Light vanilla and honey progresses through to toasted rye bread and a decent hit of cocoa powder and dark chocolate (quite light on the latter though). The char-grilled orange and dark sponge toffee is giving this a toasted sweet and sour experience. Towards the end, the toasted bread is teetering on the edge of burnt, but the toffee and citrus keep it in check. From the middle to the end of the development, the rye spice really starts to kick in. It’s very cinnamon-rich with black pepper and and a pinch of nutmeg thrown in for good measure.

Finish: Like the three year, the tobacco notes shine brightest here, but there’s much more toffee sweetness, which helps with the balance. The dark chocolate and sour citrus note really sticks around.

With water added

Leather, tobacco, and toffee. Together at last. There’s just a hint of dark chocolate and slightly charred raisins. There’s a decent amount of vanilla on the nose too. The honey from the entry progresses much further into the development on the palate. The cocoa powder and dark chocolate are much lighter now, but the spice remains. The finish is much drier, allowing those tobacco notes to come through, once again.

Conclusion

This Northern Eyes rye has really come of age now. With that extra barrel aging, the unique distillate is balanced out by the cask maturation, which helps to accentuate the notes of the three year, giving this a darker, richer tone. Keeping this whisky in mind, it’s going to be very interesting to see what founder and distiller Kris Sustrik has done with this as a base for his special releases. The next four weeks of reviews will be fun. Looking forward to it!

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What makes a distillery truly innovative and unique compared to the competition? Whole marketing departments exist at the bigger brands whose sole mandate is to convince you that it is all about the water they use, their use of the finest casks, or spin a mythical yarn that may not be grounded in any real history. The result is a lack of transparency, guarded secrets about the actual casks they use, and lack of access to the people who are actually making the whisky. It should be noted that even newer distilleries fall into this category and that’s a real shame.

Anohka Distillery is so far removed from this category that I’m having trouble mentioning it so close to the previous paragraph. If you’ve ever had the pleasure of making your way out to their location, just outside of Spruce Grove, Alberta, Anohka’s owner and founder, Gurpreet Ranu, usually has time to show you around. The distillery is his playground and he has spared no expense ensuring that their gin and whisky (still maturing) is like nothing else in Canada.

So, what of innovation? The secret to Anohka’s early success is their ability to keep all options open while mixing together traditional and modern techniques that build upon each other. 

Let’s take their still house, for instance. The pure copper pot stills, hand-beaten in Portugal, look old and new at the same time.  But it’s what’s underneath the stills that has everyone excited. Like only a small handful of distilleries, such as the famous Springbank of Campbeltown, Anohka’s stills are direct-fired, rather than heated via steam coils. For anybody who has had anything from Springbank, there are more than a few deeply toasted notes that come from distilling whisky using direct-fire. Dave Scott, distillery manager at Anohka, likens it to the difference between bread (steam heating) and toast (direct fired). Nobody in Canada is distilling whisky this way.

(As an aside, Springbank does not heat their stills by direct fire alone, as many have stated. Because of the volume of their stills, there is no way to heat a still of that size efficiently by exclusively heating it from below. To aid in the faster heating of the still, they do in fact have steam coils in their stills. That being said, there are still Maillard reactions occurring at the bottom of the still, where the direct-firing is taking place. With some tinkering, helped along by their much smaller stills, Anohka can get away with exclusivity direct-firing their stills.)

Since they are using well water, drawn from beneath the distillery, its usage must be as efficient as possible. Using very little water, their state of the art mash filter extracts every drop of liquid from the mash as it is transferred from the mash tun to the fermentation tank. This process requires 30% less water and energy.

Rather than playing around with fancy cask finishes and new American oak barrels, Anohka has instead decided, at least initially, on using mainly ex-Bourbon casks. This staple of the Scotch maturation world has a long history of complementing single malt distillate’s characteristics in a way that doesn’t quickly swamp its initial flavour profile. In time, they plan to branch out, but for now, tradition is best.

All that said, what the local whisky community is really buying into is Gurpreet and Dave’s open-source style, sharing information about their processes and even putting details on the back of their bottles that many other distilleries would shy away from.Anohka has a few meanings in Sanskrit including “uncommon, extraordinary, wonderful, rare or strange”. That really sums up their philosophy perfectly. As for when the time will be right for them to release their whisky, they don’t have a three year countdown clock (minimum time a spirit has to be rested in barrels in Canada to be called whisky) on their wall. It may be ready in three or five or six. For now, their award winning gin is helping to pay the bills, which I’ll cover in a future review!

Very few Canadian distilleries are selling their new make spirit and even fewer release it at still strength. Anohka is one of those few and best of all, you don’t need to hunt down any information about the new make. It’s right on the back of the label! This review covers their “This is Not Whiskey” Peated Single Malt Spirit. It comes straight from the still at 63.5% ABV. This batch contains 100% Laureate barley that was malted and smoked at Simpsons Malt in the UK. They were wanting a phenol count of about 100 ppm, but instead got 75 ppm. It was firmented for just under five days and then twice distilled in their copper pot stills. Let’s dive in!

Nose: Seeing as this is 63.5% of the way to becoming pure ethanol, there is a pretty shocking absence of any bite on the nose. Although it’s a very bad practice to stick your whole honker into the glass when nosing spirits, as long as you smell gently, you can actually do that with this one.  The first thing I’m getting is this deeply toasted bread character. In a previous new make spirit review, I mentioned a bread dough note. This spirit is nothing of the sort (although, to be fair, the other one was an Irish-style Poítin). This is much heavier on the smoke than the peat. It’s not campfire smoke. Instead, it’s like lifting the lid on a recently lit BBQ, but before you scrape away the charred bits that are stuck to the grill. I know that sounds oddly specific, but I am reviewing this in summer. 

The phenols are at 75 ppm, but it’s not really overpowering the senses, to be honest. It’s not briny. It doesn’t have a medicinal smell like the inside of a recently vacated ER room.  It’s not like huffing Lemon Pledge (ed note: don’t do that).

There’s a charred sweet and sour thing going on here as well. Usually, I liken it to a grilled lemon, which retains the sourness, but introduces a sweetness from the caramelized sugars. 

I know this is long, but I have never taken notes on peated new make and I’m trying to take you through this as I discover it in real time, iPhone in hand, taking notes as I feel my way forward. 

Palate: For those of you that are tolerant (and patient) enough to endure my wordy reviews, you’ve probably noticed that I never comment on the color of the spirit or the legs that form as the liquid descends from the sides of the glass. I’m noting the legs here as they take a really long time to move down the inside of my Glencairn. This denotes a big time oily spirit. And this one is oily AF.

That oily consistency coats your mouth right from the entry. For those of you who are used to drinking high-proof spirits, this is shockingly easy to drink. Not that it lacks any depth. This one is all about depth. New make spirit is quite dry, yet there is a sweetness to this on the entry that took me by surprise. It’s almost confectionery. As the experience progresses into the development, that dark toast really starts to build along with a progressively building, but not overpowering heat. Although the peat is masking it a bit, the tropical fruit notes that result from that long fermentation are singing loud and clear by mid-development. The peated malt gives all of those fruits a grilled character.

Finish: This just doesn’t stop. The toasted bread and grilled fruits remain in perfect balance the whole way.

With water added

I wasn’t shy on the water here. A full teaspoon was added to my final 1 1/4 oz. Even with all of that added, the aromas are just as potent. The burnt toast is still very much in the foreground and the grilled lemon is sitting by its side. That sweet BBQ smoke is not quite as pronounced. On the palate, this still packs a huge punch. The grilled tropical fruit is outpacing the toast and there’s almost a creamy, smoky milk chocolate on the back end of the development into the finish. The milk chocolate progresses to dark chocolate as the finish progresses.

Conclusion

In 2023, BC’s DEVINE Distillery Ancient Grains whisky spirit finished second in the World Whiskies Awards “Best Canadian New Make & Young Spirit” category. This one finished first. There is so much going on and the character is so bold that this will easily be able to withstand its lifespan (however long that will be) in oak. Along with DEVINE, Bridgeland, Mad Lab and a few others, Anohka is not afraid to show their hand by releasing new make or young whisky spirit with pride. And at around $35-40 CAD for a half bottle, you can’t go wrong!

Like many people who get into the craft distilling business, Kevin Titcomb, master distiller at DEVINE distillery since late 2020, uses skills from his previous job to serve him well in his new career. The story of individuals, couples, and even whole families changing careers to open a distillery is almost chiché at this point. Yet each endeavour’s story is unique, important, and always worthy of being told.

Kevin’s wife, Kirsten, was already managing the distillery’s finances from Vancouver and was wanting to make the move to Vancouver Island and to Saanichton (just north of Victoria), DEVINE Distillery’s home. Kirsten’s parents, John and Catherine Windsor, who had established DEVINE first as a winery in 2007 and then a distillery in 2014, started stepping away from the business, and Ken Winchester, their first master distiller (who I’ll cover in a future review), was starting to eye retirement. 

With Kevin and Kirsten’s move to Vancouver Island in 2017,  Kevin started gaining valuable hands-on experience with Ken, who was already a legend in the wine and spirits business. Kevin’s nearly 20 year career as an independent contractor in the construction industry came in handy straight away. Distilling is all about project management and timing. Tasks like tending to their still (nicknamed Brünhilde), timing their mash and fermentations, and ensuring that all the materials and grains are well stocked all play well to his strengths. 

With his distance education at Britain’s Institute of Brewing & Distilling complementing Ken’s mentorship, the transition from Ken to Kevin has been seamless. Although many of DEVINE’s releases are the brainchild of Ken Winchester, Kevin has already been making his mark in ways that complement Ken’s work, while adding his own personal touch. Examples include a three year release of the spirit under review today, a cask strength version of their now famous Glen Saanich Single Malt, new cask finishes, and a stronger focus on cocktail-friendly spirits.

DEVINE Distillery has been through a lot since its inception. The challenges of opening the winery, the establishment of their distillery, the handing of the business from one generation to the next, the pandemic, which caused the closure of their winery, and Kevin assuming the role as master distiller. Any one of these could have created overwhelming challenges for any business. Yet DEVINE has weathered all of this and has gotten stronger despite all of the challenges thrown their way.

In DEVINE Distillery’s own words, this Ancient Grains is a ‘Young Whisky’. Although technically not a whisky as it is only one year old (although they have recently released a three year old expression, which is), this spirit began as an experiment. It proved so successful that they decided to make it part of their regular releases moving forward. Building upon the instant success of their Glen Saanich Single Malt, this is something completely different!

This Ancient Grains is a single grain-style spirit with a mash containing malted barley, spelt, emmer, khorosan, and einkorn, all grown in BC. With the exception of barley, the inclusion of the other four grains in any new world spirit is extremely rare. To put a modern twist on this spirit, it is rested for one year in new, charred American oak quarter casks, which help to speed up the maturation process due to greater contact of the spirit with the wood. It’s bottled at 45% ABV.

Before I start in with the tasting notes, I would like to plug a fantastic resource for those that are interested in what Vancouver Island has been up to in terms of spirits. “The Distilleries of Vancouver Island: A Guided Tour of West Coast Craft and Artisan Spirits”, by Marianne Scott, is well worth seeking out at your local bookstore or online. Many of the topics covered in this introduction were inspired from her excellent section on DEVINE Distillery.

Nose: This does nose a bit on the young side, as it should! What I love about this is the fruity and rich biscuit character that I get straight away. This is what stellar new make spirit is supposed to smell like. This is freshly baked multigrain bread, sliced, popped in the toaster and smeared with orange marmalade. That citrus note speaks to a fermentation period that was not rushed, allowing those fruity esters to come into play. Dried strawberries and dark chocolate are coming up now. The former stronger than the latter. It varies between dark chocolate and cocoa powder, actually. The spicing isn’t all that strong, which is not all that surprising seeing as it’s only been in a cask for a year. I’m getting cinnamon and maybe a little bit of green cardamom. A light floral note is evident along with vanilla. There is some ethanol sharpness here and there. It will be interesting to see if water takes care of that.

This is still a youthful spirit at heart, but there are actual whiskies that don’t nose like this. Again, this is due to the care that went into fermenting and distilling the spirit prior to casking.

Palate: The experience is a little slow to evolve, but the oiliness of this spirit is pretty insane. It coats your whole mouth and doesn’t let go. The entry is light orange-infused honey, which gradually transitions into strawberries smothered in dark chocolate. It just builds and builds throughout the entire development. As I take more sips, the citrus takes over, transitioning the experience more towards a Terry’s dark chocolate orange. Near the end there is a bit of black pepper heat and it’s not shy on the cinnamon either. After quite a few sips, there’s a slight hint of high-quality black liquorice. There are fleeting glimpses of a youthful, floral bite, but the rest of the notes more than make up for it.

This spirit is a massive contrast when set against young whisky spirits that have very short fermentation times and are column distilled. You simply do not get the mouth coating sensation and citrus notes if you go down that path. This spirit is Millstone-level quality. And if you know that brand, you know what I’m taking about.

Finish: The dark chocolate transitions to cocoa powder and the liquorice fades pretty quickly. The pepper spice lasts till the very end.

With water added

The ethanol sharpness is still there,  but it has been reduced slightly. The biscuit note is much stronger now. It’s waffling between a digestive and oat biscuit. The strawberry that I got without water is definitely blackberry now. Big time. At times, it’s almost like blackberry and apple pie filling, fresh from cooking down on the stove. There’s cocoa powder and cinnamon in the background. What a difference water has made to the entry. This is chocolate, laced with blackberries and a sprinkle of dried chili flakes almost straight away. After a couple of sips, that settles down and a slight floral character comes through again. The mouth coating sensation is still there and is more creamy than oily.

Conclusion

This is up there with the most tasting notes I have ever written on this blog, but it was for good reason. Look, I don’t want to over-sell the experience here because, at the end of the day, this is still just a one year old whisky spirit. What made this a delightful experience was how good this was, given its age. I’m sounding like a broken record at this point, but young spirits can be amazing when distilleries respect every detail that goes into making good whisky, without cutting corners.

This just became available in Alberta as of June 2023 and I would encourage you to seek this one out. Given its age, some hesitancy is understandable, but I assure you that you will be pretty shocked about just how rich this is, given that it hasn’t been in a barrel long. Hopefully you’ll be as surprised as I was!

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As I start branching out into non-whisky spirit reviews, this week’s review highlights a trend that I am dying to see more of. As new distilleries get up and running at what seems like the rate of one a week, whisk(e)y nerds are champing at the bit to try their new make spirit. What is this exactly?

In a nut shell, new make spirit (some call it white dog and in Ireland it’s called Poítin) comes directly from the still after distillation has taken place. It is the starting place for all spirits. Before it is transferred to barrels for maturation, new make spirit which will eventually become whisky, bears a flavour profile unique to every distillery. Having the opportunity to try it is one of the highlights of any distillery tour, if they offer it at all. 

If a new make spirit isn’t of the highest quality, if it is mass produced or if there are impurities, there is nothing that it can hide behind. Not to put too fine a point on it, many a whisky barrel has helped to mask out the impurities of bad new make. But what about distillers, particularly at new distilleries, who love their new make so much that they want to share it with as many people as they can? 

This can be a great marketing tool to drum up interest in the distillery before their whisky comes of age, but it is still a niche market. That being said, if distillers can get bottles of new make into the right people’s hands, they can help put their whisky on the map before the first cask is emptied.

On tap this week is the St. Paddy’s 3X Pot Distilled Grain Spirit from Bridgeland Distillery. This new make spirit is created in the Irish Pot Still-style. The spirit is distilled three times instead of twice and is made from a mash of 58% malted barley, 30% un-malted barley, and 12% oats. (Aside, there’s a lot of history behind this Irish-style mash bill that I’ll be sure to cover in a future review). All of the grains come from Hamill Farms and Red Shed Malting in Penhold, Alberta. Before bottling, water is added to the spirit to bring it down to 42% ABV.

Nose: My experience with new make spirit is shockingly low and I have no experience with Irish Poítin. In short, I’m feeling my way forward here! I can only describe the nose as being akin to walking into a bakery when they are preparing bread early in the morning. It’s not baked bread, but freshly mixed dough left to rise. Next to that are fresh, crisp apples and maybe a pear or two. These notes make sense to me as they’re part of what I love about Irish single pot still-style whiskey. They’re singing to me loud and clear minus the toffee, caramel, cinnamon and vanilla, which come from its cask maturation. It’s a lovely fresh, clean character.

Palate: Because of its proof, the entry is a tad thin, but that doesn’t last long. A strong, slightly sweet apple character greets you at the beginning of the development. This transitions to a lightly grilled orange mixed with the crust of a freshly baked bread loaf. I honestly didn’t want this development to stop. The oats really kick in during the development as well. Very strong oatmeal vibes coming through. The oats are also adding to the creamy mouthfeel big time. There is a sweetness to this for sure, but it isn’t a toffee/caramel sweetness. Those come from the cask, which this hasn’t touched. Instead, it’s a fruity sweetness. The sweet/tart balance it pretty near perfect. The longer you hold this on your mouth, the dryer it becomes. 

Finish: Those grilled citrus notes carry all the way through the finish, which is way longer than I was expecting, given its proof.

With water added

That bread dough note is still there on the nose, but the crisp apple is even stronger than without water added. It kind of noses like porridge with a handful of Granny Smith apples mixed in. I’m also getting much more pear as well. The stronger pear note continues on the palate as well. The apple porridge is there, but the overall experience is much drier and slightly spicier. 

Conclusion

As Barney Gumble once said in The Simpsons, “Just connect it to my veins!” I cannot wait to try this after it has seen a year or two in the cask, just to see where these initial new make notes go. For now, I can tell you that my last half bottle of this isn’t going to last long.

I’m really happy that local distilleries, such as Bridgeland, as well as Anohka distillery outside of Spruce Grove, are proudly bottling their new make spirit for people to try. Let’s hope we see more new make on our shelves in the near future!

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Pop quiz. Which Alberta-grown grain accounts for half of Canadian and one third of North American production? The instant answer would probably be rye, but that is not the case. Saskatchewan, on average, is Canada’s largest rye producer. Believe it or not, the correct answer is barley and Alberta’s relationship with the grain goes back many generations.

Alberta’s rich barley heritage is certainly playing a big role in Alberta’s massive craft beer boom, but there is an often overlooked intermediary (at least by consumers) that has had a huge influence in how this boom is unfolding. These are the growing number of the province’s malting firms. 

In order to get barley into beer or spirits such as whisky, it usually has to be malted first (a notable exception is Irish style pot still whiskey, which contains both malted and un-malted barley). Malting any grain consists of three main processes: steeping, germination, and kilning. 

Steeping is exactly what it sounds like. The barley is soaked in water for 24-48 hours, allowing enzymes to form and starches and proteins to be broken down. Germination is a term familiar to many gardeners. Here, little rootlets start to sprout out of the barley. To prevent clumping and rootlet tangling between individual grains, the barley is constantly turned over, either using machinery or by hand with specialized rakes. Back in the old days, when everything was done by hand, the term “monkey shoulder” was used to describe people who had a repetitive strain injury from working on the malting floors all day. But I digress…

Kilning stops the germination in its tracks by heating and drying the barley and preserves the starches needed by brewers and distillers alike. Much of the barley used in brewing and distilling takes advantage of this process by tweaking the type of barley to be malted along with the modification of steeping, germination and kilning times to create unique flavours for their brews and spirits. To add even further creativity, the malted barley can be roasted, to create dark, rich coffee and chocolate flavours.

Just as Alberta has its burgeoning and innovative craft breweries and distilleries, the province’s craft malting firms have followed a similar trend. One such malter that has gotten a lot of attention over the last few years is Red Shed Malting, based in Penhold, Alberta.

Although Red Shed, founded by the Hamill family, has only been open for less than a decade, their barley roots go back several generations. Originally immigrants from Ireland, the Hamills arrived in Alberta in the 1920’s and started growing barley shortly afterwards. The idea behind Red Shed grew out of Joe Hamill’s (fifth generation of the family in Canada) passion for home brewing. The thought was “we have the barley so why don’t we malt it for Joe’s beer as well?” Things have certainly expanded from there!

Growing the barley that they malt allows them to trace exactly where each bag of barley was grown, when it was seeded, harvested and so on. All of this is proudly displayed on each bag of their product and allows brewers and distillers to tell the story of not only what makes their beer and spirits so great, but also where it came from.

Distilleries are a fairly new thing to Alberta, but a growing number of them, such as Grain Henge (from Troubled Monk brewing) and Bridgeland Distillery in Calgary (and the subject of this review) are turning to local malt houses, such as Red Shed, in order to create malted barley that is not only local, but is created to suit their specific needs. It’s a win-win!

The more curious reader may question why I’m talking about malted barley when I’m reviewing a wheat whisky? Because there’s 20% malted barley in the mash of course! This first release in Bridgeland Distillery’s Artisan Collection is a wheat whisky comprised of 80% Red Spring Wheat and 20% malted barley from Hamill Farms and Red Shed Malting. It spent the first year of it’s life in a new American oak barrel before being transferred to a first-fill Bridgeland Distillery Moscato Brandy barrel (aside…their Brandy is delicious as well!). It’s bottled at a cask strength of 57% ABV.

Nose: After having had a few drams from this already, the number one recommendation I would impart on those who buy this is to let it sit for about 30 minutes or so. Be patient with it. Let the full influence of the secondary Brandy cask maturation to come forward. At this point, there is a lovely balance between the whisky and cask. Plenty of toffee greets the nose, which is a classic wheat whisky signature; at least for me. Also lots of dried strawberries and dark chocolate as well as well as some freshly chopped mint. Quite light on the latter though. The spicing is mostly cinnamon and allspice as well as a dusting of ginger. There is just a bit of candied pineapple lurking in the back. Even though this has sat in my glass for quite a while, there is still a bit of an alcoholic sharpness that tickles the nostrils. Not uncommon for a young, cask-strength whisky though.

Palate: This is where this whisky really shines. Dark Wurther’s candies and toffee start things off before an explosion of fruitiness and dark chocolate. Blackberries, ripe cherries and dried strawberries in equal measure. The dark chocolate just keeps on trucking throughout the whole development. It’s that high quality stuff you buy in the organic aisle. The caramel and toffee from the entry sticks around right till the end of the experience. Cinnamon gives this a fairly spicy kick, particularly at the backend of the development. 

Finish: After the heat from the cinnamon fades, lots of tart blackberries and cocoa powder remain, along with a hint of toffee.

With water added

This is very cocoa powder-forward now. The toffee remains as well as the alcoholic sharpness. I’m getting more than a hint of dark raisins and some toasted almonds. Quite the contrast compared to nosing this neat! The candied pineapple is also more prominent. As with the nose, the palate is heavier on the cocoa powder. There’s not as much toffee sweetness, resulting in a drier experience. I really like the water/no water contrast.

Conclusion

As I have said before, me and wheat whisky got off to a very rocky start, but since then, it’s turned into a love affair. Yes, there are some American brands who make good wheat whisky, but it is mostly thanks to Alberta distilleries that my passion for wheat whisky has grown in leaps and bounds. This Bridgeland Distillery release is no exception. They’re just getting started with their Artisan Collection and I’m excited to see what they’ll do next!

Instagram: @paul.bovis

Work-life balance. It’s a buzzword these days. Frequently bantered about at offices and businesses around the globe, work-like balance is a mantra and a motto. Something you can put up on your website for the world to see. But here’s the problem. Sometimes that’s all it is…a motto.

If you’re not careful in real life, your existence revolves around your work. It’s all you ever think of. Your next promotion, busting your butt to get that project done ahead of schedule to make your boss happy (or as happy as bosses can possibly be), equating long hours to feeling “more productive.”

But life is more than that. It’s about getting out from behind the counter or your desk and discovering that there is more to life than work.

Make no mistake, Matt Widmer and Keith Robertson, founder/owners of Wild Life Distillery in Canmore, Alberta, have had to work hard to get to their current destination. After reading through their entire blog (which is an excellent marketing tool, by the way), it’s crystal clear that, although they’re still working 50 hours a week, they have always made sure to take time away from the distillery to fish, surf, mountain bike, hike and everything in-between. Taking the time to pause, reflect, recharge, spend time with friends and loved ones, and remember why we are “here”, in the global sense.

Since 2017, when the distillery officially opened to the public, Matt and Keith have come a long way, but they have made sure to stay true to themselves by always taking time to enjoy the scenery around them and to make use of what their local land has to offer. Literally. For example, their annual Alberta Botanical Gin releases (which I am dying to try) use only locally foraged ingredients.

As much as possible, this mantra of sourcing local translates to a chapter in the distillery’s history that Keith and Matt have been looking forward to since they opened. That chapter is about whisky!

Released in November of 2022, their first whisky makes ample use of the most Canadian of grains…wheat. Their wheat whisky uses 100% locally grown grains, with a mash bill of 61% wheat, 26% malted barley, and 13% rye. As an aside, I’m very happy to see that Wild Life, like Bridgeland in Calgary, uses a high proportion of barley in their mash bill! Poured from eight barrels, all at least 3.5 years old, it’s bottled at 45.3%.

Nose: As I’ve said before, young wheat whisky runs the risk of having a paint-thinner type character. That’s nowhere to be seen here. It is a bit light, but that’s to be expected with a large percentage of wheat in the mash. Some toffee with a hint of orange initially. Barley sugar is coming up now, along with a slight whiff of milk chocolate. There is a pleasant minty note which gives a freshness to the dram. It’s ever so slightly floral as well. Cinnamon rounds this out.

Palate: Very creamy and sweet on the entry with vanilla and honey. You need to swish this around for the development to unfold. The lack of spice initially starts to slowly build late in development. Again, this being a predominantly wheat whisky, it’s to be expected. The cinnamon, toffee, and cracked black pepper culminate in a mild zing on the tongue before the finish. That creaminess on the entry transitions to milk chocolate during the first half of the development and finally to cocoa powder, which counteracts the lingering creaminess. The floral note on the nose reappears mid-way through the development but pretty subtle. If anything, it helps to balance out the sweetness.

Finish: This is on the short to medium side, but is nicely balanced. Most of the sweetness fades early in the finish, but just enough hangs on to counteract the black pepper, which sticks around the longest. I get a cooling menthol as I breathe in and out after I have swallowed the whisky.

With water added

Even with a 1/2 teaspoon of water added to my remaining 3/4 oz., the nose has really opened up. The toffee note has really increased, as has the floral character. The balance between the two is really lovely. That barley sugar is quite prominent too. I was a little worried that the palate would be quite subdued, but again, this whisky surprised me. Admittedly, it is a little thinner and slightly more floral but balances quite well with the toffee/honey sweetness. The cocoa powder is definitely still there towards the finish and sticks around much longer.

Conclusion

Although their first whisky lacked a bit of heft, from a marketing perspective, this was a pretty smart move. Wild Life has spent the better part of five years courting a faithful gin and cocktail crowd. Releasing cask-strength rye or single malt might have been a turn-off to those in their community who were excited to try something new. This approachable first release will hopefully be accessible enough to spirit drinkers from various spectrums. For the whisky geeks, it offers a glimpse into Matt and Keith’s approach to blending with a focus on subtlety and balance. With rye, single malt, and peated single malt maturing in their warehouse and a promise to release a new whisky every 8-12 months, there is plenty to get excited about!

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Seeing as the whisky under review today is the official whisky of the Calgary Stampede, I thought it might be a good idea to share some history of the Stampede for all of the non-Western Canadians out there.

The Calgary Stampede is a large annual rodeo, exhibition, and festival that takes place in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The event is held every July and attracts visitors from around the world who are interested in experiencing the Western culture and heritage of Alberta. The Calgary Stampede, which bills itself as “The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth”, has become an important part of Calgary’s identity and culture (including the name of their Canadian Football League team).

The history of the Calgary Stampede can be traced back to the late 19th century, when the region was a center for the ranching industry. Rodeos were (and still are) a popular form of entertainment in the West, and they were held in a number of towns and communities throughout Alberta. In the early 20th century, a group of ranchers and business leaders in Calgary decided to organize a large-scale rodeo and exhibition that would showcase the Western culture and heritage of the region.

The first Calgary Stampede was held in 1912, and was an immediate success. The event featured a number of rodeo events, including bull riding, bronc busting, and steer wrestling, as well as exhibitions of Western culture, such as a parade, a chuckwagon race, and a cowboy contest. Over the years, the Calgary Stampede has continued to grow and evolve into one of the largest rodeos in the world. The event has expanded to include a number of additional events and attractions, such as concerts, parades, carnivals, First Nations events, and it attracts over a million visitors each year.

In addition to its cultural significance, the Calgary Stampede is also an important economic driver for the city of Calgary. The event generates millions of dollars in revenue for the city each year, and it supports a number of local businesses and organizations. The Calgary Stampede is also a major employer in the city, and it provides employment opportunities for a large number of people.

On to the whisky itself. According to the readily available information I have on this whisky, this Eau Claire Distillery Stampede Canadian Rye Whisky actually does have rye in it. It also has malted barley from Alberta. Although not specified on the website, I’m assuming this has some corn as well. This is partially sourced from other distilleries, with a portion also coming from Eau Claire itself. Additionally, it is natural colored and non-chill filtered. It is at least three years old and is bottled at 40%.

Nose: The undisclosed corn hits me straight away, but the rye and barley help to prevent this from tipping into candied corn territory. Instead, I get a bit of a dusty grain and corn flake character. The rye is certainly there and presents itself as hay left to dry in a field. Youthful malted cereal and barley sugar candies are coming up along with a healthy dose of toffee. A light stone fruit note is there too. My guess is peaches.

Palate: The entry is a bit thin and light, yet fruity. That stone fruit on the nose is definitely coming through, drizzled with honey this time. Caramel at the beginning of the development becomes sponge toffee as the experience progresses. Surprisingly, that peach note that I got on the entry actually builds through the development into the finish and becomes a bit more tart as well. There’s enough dark baking spices from the rye during the second half of the development to keep this interesting. It’s mostly cinnamon, but also a touch of allspice and nutmeg. This dries out the palate a little heading into the finish.

Finish: This is fairly short with some freshly cracked black pepper coming into the mix. That tart peach sticks around the longest along with lingering sponge toffee. Midway through the finish, there’s an effervescent cola note, which tingles the tongue a bit.

With water added

I’m getting a surprising amount of nutmeg now on the nose. The peach note has stuck around and there’s a touch of blackberry as well. Water has really helped the palate. The entry feels creamier and more substantial. The development isn’t as fruity, but it does have more heft in the form of more of those baking spices and pepper that I got without adding water. Since this whisky will most likely be drank in a cocktail or with an ice cube, this increase in its flavour profile bodes well.

Conclusion

In order to objectively review this whisky you have to be able to push aside all of the marketing, which is laid on pretty thick in this case. It’s obvious to see where Eau Claire is going with its claim that this is “The Greatest Rye Whisky on Earth.” On the flip side, I can also understand why whisky enthusiasts might find this a giant turn-off.

That being said, along with Rupert’s Exceptional Canadian Whisky, Eau Claire’s other entry-level offering, this whisky should be compared to other whiskies in its category, rather than the best whisky you have ever tasted. If you compare this along side Alberta Premium 100% Rye, Canadian Club and Crown Royal, it’s not a bad daily sipper and cocktail mixer. In my opinion it’s a slight cut above those products.

When it comes to cost, it’s around $10-15 more expensive than comparable entry-level offerings. I can imagine that being the Stampede’s official whisky did not come cheap. However, this is also not a mass-produced item and, like all whisky from craft distilleries, it’s a moral choice as to whether you’re willing and able to support small, local businesses, instead of gigantic multi-national behemoths.

And remember, by supporting products such as these, you help craft distilleries keep the lights on so that you can enjoy the one thing many of us enthusiasts can agree is exceptional…their single malt releases!

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