Imagine it's the night before Christmas and you are searching for the perfect cocktail to watch Santa tip through the night sky. You reach for a bottle of Glen Saanich Single Malt Whiskey and crack the cap. You are greeted with bright citrus, sea air and ripe pears. Your brain starts to kick into high gear as you think of the endless possibilities. I chose to go with subtle spice from the cardamaro and reinforcing the sea air with imperative vermouth that delicately touches your senses. Let this be your one gift to yourself this holiday season. Cheers.
Read moreWhisky Advent Calendar - Day 24 - deVine Glen Saanich Batch #7
This is their Glen Saanich, batch #7. I’m one of those lucky folks who have got to taste along right from the beginning. Each batch has its own je nais se qu and reasons to love it. This batch blew me out of the water at first sip. Something magical has happened with this one and a new golden era has begun. It’s gentle, but spicy, while balanced and sweet. Vanilla combined with cinnamon brings warmth to the palate. Notes of pears baked with oats in a crumble. The finish lingers, giving away the proximity to the Ocean where the barrels have been aged.
Read moreShinobu Lightly Peated Cocktail: Snowfall in Niigata
Growing up in Edmonton, the first snowfall always came too early. Living in Victoria, the snow doesn’t stay around long enough. In Niigata, Japan, the terroir is known for its snowfall, which was the inspiration for this frosty highball. e light peat in the whisky is complimented by subtle citrus, sweetness, and effervescence.
Read moreWhisky Advent Calendar - Day 23 - Shinobu Lightly Peated
As we are nearing the end of our advent adventure, I present a really fun whisky from Japan. Shinou Distillery, located in the seaside region of Niigata in Japan famous for the “Three White Treasures”: snow, rice and sake, also as of recently makes delicious whisky. In 2017, Mr. Usami obtained the first whisky license for Niigata after being a favorite local beer brewer for many years. His plan is to mix and match Japanese flavours with the world, and our dram today was born with this belief in his heart.
Read moreGrainHenge Elevator Row Cocktail: That’s Amaro
Thinking back to my early Christmas memories my mind is flooded with the smell of stale cigarette smoke and flats of Kokanee beer slowly emptying throughout the night. Christmas dinner itself was always a lush array of goose, turkey, kasha, Brussels sprouts and various other Christmas accoutrements. Now as an adult I’m making my own traditions and those most definitely include a nice cocktail or two. This cocktail is centred around universal Christmas flavours, the bracing spice and dried fruit of the single malt, the warm and subtle amaro, both complemented by the aromatic elements in the syrup. Everyone’s holiday experience is different but one thing we can all agree on is good or bad it never hurts to have a good cocktail in hand.
Read moreWhisky Advent Calendar - Day 22 - GrainHenge Elevator Row
Why on Earth am I beginning today’s dram with a nursery rhyme? Well, in this case, this little piggy is named Francis and he escaped the abattoir and ran amuck around the grain elevators for over six months! The piggy became infamous, even having school children write into the abattoir begging them to keep the piggy safe when he was found. This was in the Summer of 1990 and the piggy's fate is still a source of inspiration. Troubled Monk, which is the brewery that began GrainHenge whisky, made a beer and dedicated it to this little piggy, naming it Pesky Pig Pale Ale. It then became one of their top selling beers! When creating this whisky, the mash bill of the beer was again the source of inspiration, chalk full of 2-row & dark munich malt, lending big notes of raisins and dried fruits.
Read moreBenromach 10 yo Cocktail: Death & Rebirth
During the solstice, the sun experiences a period of the longest night and shortest day. During this time we come together to rejoice and bring light to the darker times, to brighten our spirits until the days grow longer. Midwinter is a time to light fires and celebrate and reflect on what the year has provided, and what we will reap the following year.
Read moreWhisky Advent Calendar - Day 21 - Benromach 10 Year Old
10 Year Old
Benromach
43%
Mash bill: 100% Peated malted barley
Barrels used: First fill ex-bourbon & sherry casks
This Speyside distillery believes in being hands on in every aspect of their whisky. The name comes from the water source just up the road from the distillery from the Chapleton Spring in the Romach Hills. Ben being one of the Gaelic words for hill, it all comes together as Benromach.
In the Speyside region there is a history of topping up fires with cuts of peat when the coal ran low. In keeping that tradition alive, their locally grown barley is malted with a small amount of peat smoke. When fermenting they use both a brewer’s & distiller’s yeast. An average fermentation stage is anywhere between 2-3 days, but Benromach lets theirs go 3-5 days. All of these specific steps add to the finished flavour profile. Another interesting choice of theirs is using only first fill ex-bourbon & sherry casks. This makes a huge impact on the flavour.
Tasting notes: Creaminess and smokiness weave together on the nose and palate. Peaches and pears on the nose, relaxing into vanilla, toffee, and caramel on the palate. The peat is very gentle but still the star of the show. The cereal notes help calm the peat as well.
Happy Solstice everyone!
What do you think?
Glenlivet 14 yo Cognac Cask Cocktail: Santa's Buttered Sazerac
The Glenlivet 14 Year Cognac cask immediately screamed 'sazerac' to me. I played around with a few different syrups, but was hesitant to use any overpowering flavours and lose the whisky spirit among them. I tend to over-complicate my recipes, so I wanted to keep it simple. One of my new-found loves is Lustau Nono Oloroso sherry and I knew I had to use that in some way. I wanted the drink to be somewhat festive, but I didn't want to go the standard route of peppermint or chocolate, so instead I butter-washed the Lustau to make the nuttiness a bit creamier and combined it with Hennessey for the cognac part of the drink. Mixed with a rich demerara syrup and cherry bitters instead of peychauds, I'd be stoked if I got this buttery sazerac from Santa's sack on Christmas!
Read moreWhisky Advent Calendar - Day 20 - The Glenlivet 14 yo Cognac Cask
Today’s dram is the newest in The Glenlivet’s line up and is a delicious addition! The Glenlivet is one of those Scottish distilleries that has its roots in hiding out from the law in its early days then going legit once the legislation came into place. However, unlike the rest, George Smith, original founder of The Glenlivet, was the first person in all of Scotland to take out a distilling license back in 1824. Not surprisingly, this did not sit well with his neighbors who were still distilling illegally. George infamously carried around a pair of pistols with him at all times in the interest of safety and some assertion of dominance. Over the next few years more and more distilleries gained licenses and eventually the ones that refused to do so, died out.
Read moreKnob Creek 9 yo Cocktail: Cherry Sour Squared
So glad to have had Melissa’s help in thinking up this take on a whisky sour, which is my favourite way to enjoy whiskey. I used ingredients that were available to me and accessible to most, creating a drink that chills your fingers but warms you inside. Wonderful for the holiday season!
Read moreWhisky Advent Calendar - Day 19 - Knob Creek 9 Year Old
When Knob Creek was first introduced to the market back in 1992 it was being distilled under the direction of master distiller Booker Noe, the grandson of Jim Beam. It now has Fred Noe, Booker’s son at the helm. Talk about a lineage! Our dram today is made pre-Prohibition-style and comes in soft, sweet, yet bold.
Read moreMoon Distillery Antifogmatic Bliss Cocktail: Violet Beauregard
Do you ever go back and watch the childrens movies you used to revel over as a kid? Well I would say one of my favorites will always be Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. 🍫 And as you can probably guess, I love my berries 🫐
To me indulgence is warming and cozy around the holiday season and that is just what my cocktail embodies. The bright acidity and fruit backbone of Antifogmatic Bliss make this cocktail sing as it hits your lips. Baked goods have a certain comfort level for me so I was going for a berry pie of sorts with a hint of baked spice from the cinnamon. The homemade blueberry liqueur accentuates this beautiful Vancouver Island Whiskey and makes for a piece of art in your glass.
Read moreWhisky Advent Calendar - Day 18 - Moon Distillery Antifogmatic Bliss
What does Antifogmatic mean? An alcoholic drink taken in the morning to brace oneself before going out into bad weather. I feel you there!
Read moreArmorik Classic Cocktail: Partridge et un Poirier
I wanted to create a simple and approachable cocktail for the calendar. A bobby burns (a single malt Manhattan) has been one of my favorite cocktails for a long time, in its honor I created this single malt Manhattan variation. Much like Armorik classic, my mom is French, and we always celebrated French Christmas traditions, like Réveillon, and Christmas pears! It pairs incredibly well with molasses, but pairs even better with family and laughter.
Read moreWhisky Advent Calendar - Day 17 - Armorik Classic
France’s oldest modern whisky distillery is Warenghem, in central Brittany and has been in operation for over a century. 1998 saw our dram of the day released, which is now one of France’s best selling whiskies. Just as with their wine, there are many regions of whisky production in France. In Brittany, Warengham connected with the region's sole cooper to make casks of Breton oak, and are also aging some of its whisky in casks that formerly held chouchen, a local mead. What a joy to learn about distilleries around the world trying such localized experiments!
Read moreLarceny Kentucky Straight Cocktail: Finders Keepers
Method: Add all ingredients, Stir until perfect chill and dilution, Strain into frozen absinthe rinsed glass.
Read moreWhisky Advent Calendar - Day 16 - Larceny Kentucky Straight
Kentucky Straight
Larceny
USA
46%
Mash bill: 68% corn, 20% wheat, & 12% malted barley
Barrels used: New charred American Oak
Let’s first look into the brand lineage before digging into our dram. Heaven Hill owns Old Fitzpatrick, and they wanted to extend the line with a premium brand, so in taking notes from Old Fitzgerald himself, Larceny was born in 2012. The name “Larceny” and key pictured on the bottle is derived from the story of John Fitzgerald, who was believed to be a Treasury agent who used his copied keys to the warehouses to “borrow” bourbon from the finest barrels, which were referred to as “Fitzgerald barrels” and is generally accepted they were of the highest quality. This bourbon today is distilled at the Heaven Hill Bernheim distillery in Louisville, the second largest, only to the Jack Daniel’s distillery in Tennessee, in the entire country.
This is our second wheated bourbon. I enjoy getting to know different mash bills so as to find new flavours in old favourites. I love a high rye bourbon for the complexity it adds, sharing notes of richness and spice combined with the gentle nature of the corn. With wheated bourbons I love the end result being a smoother & rounder dram with more honeyed notes present. Both varieties fitting for different moods, cocktails, and moments in our lives. Next time you grab a bottle of bourbon, do a quick search to find out the mash bill so you can start to build an awareness around what you’re tasting while building your preferences and knowledge.
Tasting notes: The sweetness of corn on the nose mixed with some green apple. It has a very light feel to it, with each sip feeling both refreshing and fleeting. The caramel & butterscotch on the palate is a delight. The finish has smoky hints but is not heavy.
What do you think?
Sons of Vancouver Small Batch Cocktail: Guilt Flip
So, you’ve 10 days left til’ christmas, you’re craving egg nog but don’t want to tell your friends. You’ve tried to save your calories for the big day but you’re ready to give into gluttony. Not too worry, this single serve nog can be made behind their backs in secrecy, with no guilt, and tastes better than any nog you’ve every had. Enjoy 1 or 4, you can bet that I will.
Read moreWhisky Advent Calendar - Day 15 - Sons of Vancouver Small Batch
Small Batch
Sons of Vancouver
Canada
61.4%
Mash bill: 100% BC rye
Barrels used: American virgin oak, ex-bourbon, & an unnamed toasted barrel
People who know about Sons of Vanvouver, KNOW about them. Let me share some things with you about them. They are 100% geniuses, they care about creating imaginative spirits that make your head shake, and they are an urban BC craft distillery located in North Vancouver.
Every time I go to visit my Grandpa in North Vancouver, I try to hop over to visit the crew at SOV. Not only are they incredibly kind, genuine, nerdy, & creative, I always learn so much! They have a bitchin’ cocktail bar that features all kinds of the weird and wonderful spirits they make there! They then turn them into mouth watering cocktails! They even made a craft version of blue curacao, like how do you even do that? They know. Their flagship product that I have personally created a small cult following of is their Amaretto, delicious straight up or in cocktails. As part of their bar they’ve got a tasting room too. They’ve only released a few whiskies, but they pretty much became infamous as soon as they were released. They’ve got lots aging right now so definitely go check them out and keep them on your whisky radar.
For the dram today, it doesn’t exist… Just yet… But it is a 100% local BC rye. Pot still distillation, then aged for four years, finished in a once-used toasted barrel, then blended 50/50 with another one of their rye’s aged in an ex-bourbon barrel. For our cocktail later today, of course you won’t be able to go purchase a bottle, but watch SOV for future releases and you just might find this one… Otherwise any cask strength spicy rye will do, it just won’t be the exact representation of this dram.
Tasting notes: Big spice & menthol to start, cut lumber and green herbs on the palate. Cloves & warm banana bread at the end. I find some leather throughout, after adding water it calms down a bit from those spices & banana bread to come through strongly!
What do you think?