Small Talk

We're branching out a little today, with a look at a BC craft single malt. It's not a rye, but playing a little fast and loose with the rules has long been the Canadian way to make whisky, and it might as well apply to this blog as well. Rye or not, this is one of the now many Canadian single malts forging a new tradition for an original whisky style.

Phillips Brewing, on Vancouver Island, joined the British Columbian distilling boom that came about after the province slashed red tape and taxes for craft distillers. Their distillery side operates under the cheeky name 'Fermentorium.' Unsurprisingly, BC now has the most distilleries of any province by far. Using local barley, Phillips' skill in brewing translates to some neat practices in whisky making. For one thing, they malt their barley in house. This entails heating to induce germination, and then arresting that process. The barley then becomes 'malted' and can provide the enzymes to convert starch to sugar in mashing. Most single malt distilleries in Scotland and elsewhere abandoned onsite malting decades ago, so it's refreshing to see a craft producer imparting some more control and customisation into their recipe.

The first whisky release from Fermentorium is Small Talk. It come in at 41% in an attractive bottle.

The artistic label design doesn't contain too much about the aging process but this whisky features a blend from Pinot Noir casks and ex-Bourbon casks that were briefly 'soaked' with Phillips' beer, presumably their cask aged Imperial Stout. The whisky spent five years in these casks according to a description on their website.

In terms of the bottle itself, the whisky comes only as 375mL. This can actually be a good thing as these small batch craft whiskies tend to be expensive. Indeed, the half size bottle is half the price (though a pricing mixup on The Strath's website led me to believe I had obtained a 750mL bottle for under $50 - that would really have been a steal). One thing I've noted is the cork seems to be quite high quality and is snug in the bottle, providing a satisfying pop as it's removed from the neck. 

This small batch release isn't available everywhere, and in fact can only be found on Vancouver Island and in the Lower Mainland. If you're in BC or (like me) you carefully cultivate friendships in provinces with better alcohol retail regimes than Ontario, this is a bottle that will stand out on your bar. It's a conversation piece for whisky lovers and a fine dram indeed, one that can compare favourably to any midrange single malt. 

Fermentorium Small Talk

41% alc./vol.

~$40 at The Strath bottle shop in Victoria

The nose is compelling, with pronounced sweetness in the form of apricot, fig, and honey. There's also an interesting briney smokiness I associate with Laphroaig 10 and describe as permanent marker. There's bourbon-y sweet oakiness and vanilla, but without the cloying corn sweetness that sometimes accompanies bourbon. A sweet grain note that to me recalls Cheerios takes over after a couple minutes in the Glencairn alongside dill. 

To taste, the youthfulness of this whisky is on display, though not to the detriment of the dram. It's very warming and in this regard is more like a rye than many single malts. The classic Canadian feel continues with caramel and butterscotch sweetness, and more honey, though there are intriguingly bitter citrus, caraway, and aniseeed notes that grow prominent on the palate. Sweet orange is also there in good measure as is some cinnamon heat. The mouthfeel is viscous and oily without much ethanol burn.

On the long finish, a number of flavours burst forward in an orderly procession. First up is a hot spice that gives way to more anise bitterness and a pronounced caraway flavour. This whisky departs very much like an akvavit! Dill and yeasty, malty notes come up alongside some very sweet orange and butterscotch. The Pinot cask now exerts its influence with a distinctive wine note. Finally the whisky leaves a lovely tongue-coating dryness that lingers for ages, just asking for another sip. Wow, this finish is one of the most intriguing and complex I've tried in a long time. It evolves continually, a beneficiary not only of its slightly higher bottling strength but of some thoughtful cask finishing. 

This is a lovely single malt. It gently suggests Speyside but has some of the smokiness of Islay, along with a spicy liveliness that reflects its origin in the land of rye. This whisky pairs well with the mild climate of the Pacific coast but for those of us outside BC who can get some, it is a bottle you'll want to show off. 

I'm excited to see what else Fermentorium will turn out in the future. Hopefully there will be lots more Small Talk in years to come, and some to share with the rest of the country. It's a real winner of a malt and one I definitely recommend!

Heatseeker Score: 86

Category Score: 82

Characteristic: Grain-forward

Bearface One Eleven Series: Oaxaca

The 9.09% rule; perhaps the most misunderstood and controversial element of Canadian whisky regulations. Some whisky drinkers in Scotland and the US (and far too many Canadians) slag off the whole style with mistruths surrounding what has also been called Canadian whisky's superpower. It also isn't used nearly enough, perhaps for fear of reprisal, but as Canadian whisky continues its elevation to premium status, this is perhaps the most exciting area for creativity and innovation. 

In short, the rule allows for up to 9.09% of a rye to include other spirits aged at least two years, or wine. The origins of this admittedly actually lie in American tax regulations; Canadian distillers used to be able to get a break on American duties if they blended in some American whiskey to their exported bottles. Aside from a tax break, though, it also gave distillers leverage to do unique things with other spirits as part of their blends. It doesn't mean blenders can just add anything to their whisky, though, in spite of what many uneducated commentators might sneer.

There are rules; only aged (2+ years) spirits or wine can be blended in and the whisky must still possess the flavour characteristics of Canadian whisky. So, despite what bourbon and  Scotch snobs might suggest, no one is blending in vodka or orange juice or anything like that. 

There are some great examples of the 9.09 rule being used well; Alberta Premium's beloved (but sadly discontinued) Dark Horse used Old Grand Dad bourbon and sherry while Wiser's Union 52 added 52-year old Scotch!  In practice today, if this rule is employed it tends to be done so sparingly, rarely with more than a percentage or two of added liquid. 

Finally, though, this quirk is getting it's due as the blender's superpower thanks to a truly innovative bottling from buzzy whisky house Bearface. With the smart title 'One Eleven Series,' which corresponds to 9.09% as a fraction, they are proudly and conspicuously taking advantage of this rule.

For their first One Eleven release, Bearface teamed up with mezcalero Pedro Hernandez to add two-year old Mezcal. Tequila's trendy, smoky cousin is rarely aged this long as the smoky flavours can take over the subtleties of the agave base. In this case, though, the smokiness makes for a truly unique sipper. Not everyone will enjoy this - it's definitely not your run of the mill "smooth" blend, but for the explorer, this is the next frontier.

Not a tonne is shared about the base of this whisky. The irony isn't lost coming from a brand whose motto is "hide nothing, fear nothing" but I digress. We are fairly certain it's distilled in Collingwood at Canadian Mist and that the casks are transported to B.C.'s Mission Hill winery for finishing. The bottle claims to be single grain, and we can assume, based on cost and origin, that means corn. 

The barrel aging regime is, as with Bearface's flagship 7 year old, thoughtful. With their winery background, the Bearface team gravitated toward rich, fruity, spicy French oak casks. Two different toast levels give both rich spicy notes and a sweeter profile. These are blended with the Mezcal, which spends it's two years in vanilla forward ex-bourbon barrels. The result leaves the base whisky earthy and floral, but the smoky mezcal makes this whisky truly unlike any other.

Bearface One Eleven Series: Oaxaca

45% alc./vol.

$50 in Ontario, Alberta, BC

The nose starts off fruity, as might be expected of aged corn whisky. Dark fruit becomes more floral than anything, with hints of allspice and clove. 

It's the first sip, though, where things get delightfully weird. It becomes immediately clear that this doesn't taste like any whisky you've tried before; dry oak starts but quickly gives way to strong black and chili pepper, cumin, and an oily character. The French casks impart lots of drying tannins, but vanilla from the American oak is also detected. The earthy, smokiness is what takes over, though. 

The Mezcal also brings loads of acidity and pungent earthy flavours. I'd compare it quite strongly with Mexican adobo sauce. The cask tannins and Mezcal acidity lend some bite, not unlike the white heat you find in some rye forward whisky.

On the finish, more of the same. Earthiness, smoke, and a return to dry oak. There's so much going on here, and it's so unlike any other whisky, I find myself a bit confused as to flavour descriptors. I even find it very difficult to score, it simply doesn't taste like any other whisky. There's no point of comparison in the category and I'm not even sure this blend accomplishes what it set out to do, whatever that may be. You could argue the Mezcal comes in way too hot and fast and that everything else is thrown off kilter. But you could also argue that this is the kind of devil-may-care approach needed to smash down everyone's preconceptions. One thing is absolutely certain though, this is not a subtle dram by any stretch. 

This is a crashing, acidic, smoky bonfire of a whisky that is a radical departure from everything next to it on the shelf. Many will find it unpalatable but it could also steal many a cocktail show. For the adventurous, sipping this is a must. What an ideal gift this would make for the whisky drinker, or fans of agave spirits. It's a conversation piece in and of itself. Not everyone will want a bottle but absolutely everyone should try a sip. There is truly nothing like it out there but that won't last; no other whisky style has the ability to create something like this. It's inevitable that the Canadian category will make legions of new fans as it dives headfirst into a newfound embrace of the 9.09 - or better yet the 1/11 - rule. 

This is a category defining whisky that not everyone will love, or even understand, but everyone should try. If we one day look back on the present renaissance of Canadian whisky, the moment Bearface released this bottle will undoubtedly be one of the highlights. 

Heatseeker Score: 85

Category Score: 85

Characteristic: Smoky

*Please take these scores with a grain of salt. This whisky is in a flavour category entirely on its own; it's all but impossible to score it in relation to any other bottle presently on the market. The only thing is to try it and decide for yourself!