Canadian Distilleries News

Stalk & Barrel

Three Barrel Whisky

It’s been a decade since lineups snaked through the parking lot at Still Waters distillery. Ontario’s first modern-age microdistillery was releasing its inaugural single malt whisky.

Rye soon followed, then their carefully crafted Blue- and Red-labelled blends. Now, distillers Barry Bernstein and Barry Stein have added Stalk & Barrel Three Barrel Whisky to the line-up.

Three Barrel blends Still Waters’ rye and single malt with traditional corn whisky, each aged separately in ex-bourbon casks.

“The single malt adds complexity and robustness to our blends,” says Bernstein, “and we can now afford to use more of it, given our increased inventory. “We thought there was more room to play at this end of the range with bumping up the rye and malt components.”

Three Barrels is blended in batches of less than 1,000 litres at a time. The whisky’s age has polished those familiar young grassy rye notes into chest-warming spices and cloves while the barley malt shines with creamy vanillas, barley sugar, chocolate covered almonds, cocoa and a splash of citrus.

As Still Waters enters its second decade, Three Barrel Whisky ushers in a new age for the distillery, as it builds on an already well respected portfolio of whiskies.

 

The Forager

Forty Creek Botanical Whisky

 

Innovation does not always mean new – by tradition, most whisky once had herbs and spices added. But innovation does mean going against the grain, and today adding such things to your whisky is a pretty bold move. But then, Forty Creek Master Blender, Bill Ashburn is no shrinking violet.

A new Forty Creek whisky, labelled The Forager, and without the Forty Creek logo, reveals a surging twister of whisky and botanical flavours. It seems Ashburn has infused gentle portions of sweet fern, spruce tips, juniper and Labrador tea into Forty Creek whisky.

Their subtle flavours contrast with the distillery’s trademark fruit, underscoring hints of citrus, medicinal pine resin and a refreshing, slightly bitter, herbaceous top dressing.

It is great whisky, for sure, and like all innovations, The Forager, challenges the status quo.

Whisky Book Club with

Odd Society Spirits

Tour Canada’s distilleries with us each Saturday, as we make a virtual stop at one of 15 Canadian distilleries. The tour begins Saturday, June 13 with Odd Society Spirits in Vancouver. Hosted by Dolph Shaw of the Whisky Book Club and Alberta Scotch Society. Catch us each week at 7:00 Mountain time – that’s 9:00 Eastern. Or view at your leisure afterwards on YouTube.

Join us here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LxqS8FLGZM for the main event

and here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhRN-yId-aE for a more casual After Dram.

This Father’s Day treat Dad to an Armchair Distillery Tour

While travel vacations are on hold, with a copy of The Definitive Guide to Canadian Distilleries, your dad can still enjoy a coast-to-coast virtual tour of Canada’s distilleries. Between the richly illustrated pages, he’ll meet the people, learn the stories, read the tasting notes and make the cocktails from over 200 Canadian distilleries. Custom drawn maps will help him plot the getaway that is sure to follow as covid travel restrictions ease.

THANK YOU!

If you are one of the lovely people who posted a picture of your copy of our book on social media, thank you. Here is a selection of some of your shots. Want to be included in our next newsletter? Simply post a picture of our book with your favourite Canadian distillery or spirit and tag us @davindek .

A Sip of Knowledge with Marty, Lew & Liz

It’s new and kind of cool. Billing themselves as “The Good, The Bad and The Brainy,” Former Diageo Master of Whisky and North American Glencairn representative, Marty Duffy, whisky author extraordinaire, Lew Bryson, and whisky scientist Liz Rhoades host a fun weekly podcast packed with real whisky learning . Join us on June 16 at 1pm Eastern time.

https://www.crowdcast.io/e/a-sip-of-knowledge-davin

Where to buy The Definitive Guide to Canadian Distilleries

The Definitive Guide to Canadian Distilleries is available in in traditional paper and e-book too. Huge thanks to Amazon and Chapters for supporting this.

Here too is a list of independent bookstores in Canada that offer delivery:

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/canadian-independent-bookstores-delivery

Video: A quick armchair tour of distilleries ending with a drink:

https://www.instagram.com/tv/B-iItl9htNG/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet