TORONTO- October 11, 2018 – Canada’s Mark Anthony Brands announces the launch of a new Canadian whisky brand: BEARFACE and its signature release BEARFACE Triple Oak.  Through this and future small batch, limited releases, BEARFACE is crafted to transform how consumers perceive and experience Canadian Whisky.

The mandate and approach for BEARFACE was deliberately different, starting out by sourcing exceptional 7-year-old Canadian whisky from the shores of Lake Huron, before shipping it 4,000 kilometres across Canada to British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley, a pristine, one of a kind, glacier fed wine region. There, the awarded showcase Mission Hill Family Estate Winery allowed Master Blender Andres Faustinelli to experiment with countless barrel and wood combinations with the objective of developing an expertly hand-finished process that would give BEARFACE a unique character, distinct from traditional Canadian Whisky.

Bearface Triple Oak is the result of this exhaustive experimentation. A Canadian whisky with a bold finish derived from three different oaks, each selected for the distinct flavour they impart. This single grain whisky starts life aging in ex-bourbon charred American Oak barrels for a minimum of seven years, imparting warm smooth vanilla notes. It is then placed in tight-grained French Oak ex-wine barrels with over seven years of use for high end, rich Bordeaux-style wines that Mission Hill are noted for, adding luscious dry fruit notes and a deep ruby colour. The final finish, a first in Canadian whisky, is with 3-year-old, air-dried virgin Hungarian Oak, adding rye-like notes and a distinctive rich texture. The combined result: an unapologetically next generation Canadian whisky.

Commenting on the launch, Mark Anthony Founder and Chairman Anthony von Mandl said ‘Most whisky categories are tied to stringent rules & regulation, reducing flexibility to innovate or modernise as consumer palates change. Canadian whisky regulations provide an ideal platform for this category to lead whisky innovation globally. In creating ‘BEARFACE Triple Oak’ we have focused on developing an exceptional whisky by challenging norms, being obsessive in our initial barrel selection and finishing it in unique and interesting ways.’

Anthony added ‘We wanted to share with Andres and his team our 40 years of learnings from working with dozens of barrel makers and oaks from a wide variety of forests with know-how in high-end winemaking to enable them to create truly unique blends of scarce Canadian Whisky.  What’s more exciting than re-inventing a traditional category and bringing it to life!’

Andres Faustinelli, Master Blender commented: “At BEARFACE, our collective aim is to showcase how Canadian whisky can lead the whisky world through innovation and flavour.  Our Triple Oak signature release is the start of what promises to be an exciting new chapter in Canadian whisky.”

Retailing at $39.95, BEARFACE Triple Oak Canadian Whisky is bottled at 42.5% alc/vol and will be on sale across Canada starting this month, with international markets to follow.