I sit down with the lovely duo from Odd Society Spirits in Vancouver and chat about the beginnings of Odd Society, whisky and how they have gain loyal followers to their brand.
Tofino Distillery Jalapeno Vodka
An authentically well-balanced mixture of heat and fresh Jalapeño flavour sets this Vodka infusion apart from any others in its category.
Alcohol - 40% / 80 Proof
Color - Light green to clear
Nose - Strong green pepper / capsicum on the nose
Taste - Begins with clean spirit base, then real pepper flavour and then finishes with the spice. Beautiful balance between aromatic pepper and spice heat.
Finish - Spice lingers but not extremely, finishes with aromatic pepper
Best Enjoyed - Would love to see this paired with some sweet ginger and pineapple juice
Review #35 - Gins Part 5
Part five of gins still hasn't even scratched the surface but slowly but surely I am making my way through them. This week we cover Sheringham Seaside, Spinnaker's Breakwater, Noteworthy, Tofino Distillery & Shelter Point Botanical Gin.
MoonShine Spirits Orange Vodka
Alcohol - 40% / 80 Proof
Color - Vibrant orange with gold edges
Nose - Dried orange peel, slightly musty
Taste - Rich fresh orange flesh through to bitter almost curacao style bitter orange peel
Finish - Bright orange with dried orange depth that lingers
Best Enjoyed - Go Old School, sub in for regular vodka in a Cosmopolitan
Stillhead Distillery Wild Blackberry Vodka
Wild blackberries picked by members of our Cowichan Tribes at the peak of their ripeness, then steeped in our premium vodka
Alcohol - 35% / 70 Proof
Color - Deep Purple to clear
Nose - Hints of blackberry with warm base spirit
Taste - Fresh, tart blackberries, hints of vanilla and the backbone of the Stillhead Vodka
Finish - Semisweet fruit and vanilla
Best Enjoyed - On the rocks or with tonic
Taynton Bay Spirits Raspberry Vodka
Flavoured and coloured with purely raspberries, there is nothing artificial about this amazing spirit.
Alcohol - 40% / 80 Proof
Color - Bright red with pink edges
Nose - Bright, fresh raspberries
Taste - Fresh raspberry flesh and a hint of green seeds, showing a quality beyond macro brands.
Finish - Clean, slightly sweet raspberry with a definite vodka hit
Best Enjoyed - With Fevertree Sicilian Lemon
Arbutus Espresso Vodka
Alcohol - 35% / 70 proof
Color - Dark brown with deep copper edges
Nose - Funky coffee and vegetal tone
Taste - Sweet cold brew coffee, light caramel with only a hint of bitter chocolate backed with the distinct vanillin mouthfeel of the Coven Vodka
Finish - Not cloying, distinct cold brew finish
Best Enjoyed - Ice cold over ice cream
Roots and Wings Double Vice Espresso Vodka
Double Vice treats you to a fresh coffee flavour finish with a touch of spice. A subtle coffee aroma is accompanied with hints of chocolate and caramel
Alcohol - 40% / 80 Proof
Color - Light brown with copper edges
Nose - Classic coffee, hints of caramel and chickory
Taste - Heavily roasted coffee, bitter chocolate and caramel with texture of the Vidal Vodka
Finish - Bitter chocolate with hints of sweet caramel
Best Enjoyed - Classic Espresso Martini
One Foot Crow Mineral Infused Vodka
Vodka infused with humic and fulvic acids the major components of organic matter found throughout nature
Alcohol - 50% / 100 Proof
Color - Black
Nose - Wet bitumen with dehydrated blackberries
Taste - Obvious rich minerality follows through to wet limestone, dehydrated blackberries and a hint of soft vanilla
Finish - Clean but complex
Best Enjoyed - Going to be working on a cocktail for this one, it’s complexity needs to be tamed. Stay tuned.
Episode #6 - WhiskyFest Edition, Jacob Wiebe of Shelter Point
Another great episode during Victoria WhiskyFest, this time sitting down with Canadian Whisky Awards multiple award winners, Jacob Wiebe from Shelter Point in Campbell River. One of my favourite distilleries in the province with exceptional whiskies.
Review #34 - Flavored Vodka
While my disdain for this category is well known, the flavored vodka market in the province is diverse, out of the box and innovative. Check out these from One Foot Crow, Roots and Wings, Arbutus Distillery, Taynton Bay Spirits, Stillhead Distillery, Moonshine Spirits and Tofino Distilling.
Episode #5 - WhiskyFest Edition, Grant Stevely from Dubh Glas and Noteworthy Gin
Victoria Whiskyfest brought a number of amazing producers and distillers to the city, we took the time to sit down and get to know their stories. Stevely is a ridiculously talented distiller out of Oliver and his passion for whisky innovation is amazing.
Review #33 - Gins Part 4
Can never get enough of the gin life here in British Columbia. Great tasting with Merridale Cowichan Gin, Salt Spring Shine Sting Gin, Taynton Bay Spirits Gin, the OG Victoria Gin, Jones Distilling Revelstoke gin and the Roots and Wings Jackknife Gin.
A Bitters by any Other Name
Amaro, Amer or Bitters are the seasonings of the bar world; whether potable or non-potable, any cocktail bar worth it’s smoked Himalayan sea salt will have a number of both lined up in the bar. Classic Amari from Europe has become a hot commodity in British Columbia in the last few years; from the dry, religious handshake of Fernet Branca to the sweet and alluring bitterness of Amaro Montenegro. Each has its place in the cocktail kingdom and of course, with the creativeness of local distilleries, it wasn’t going to take long before our own interpretations of Amari started hitting the market.
Amaro is a relatively easy liquor to describe; using a relatively neutral spirit base, you infuse with a variety of herbs and spices. Each amaro from Europe is usually very specific to the region it is from, pairing with the food and their eating and drinking habits. Each brand has its formula of ingredients (usually heavily guarded) and slight variances in production but the end results are bitter forward.
First on the market was the Wood’s Amaro, this was created due to the Campari shortage that befell British Columbia a few years ago, heavy on rhubarb and grapefruit, this amaro is created using a rotovap or vacuum distillation; this ensures the bright flavours in the ingredients are still vivid in the final product. Mia Amata from Odd Society was the next addition to the mix, from the creators of the Bittersweet Vermouth giving it a sibling that shows that master distiller Gordon Glanz isn’t done with recreating old recipes found in dusty books. Thick, viscous with a balanced bite of bitterness and herbal tones; it is remarkably different from the Wood’s Amaro. Lastly, Naramaro will be making an appearance very shortly after printing; the last endeavour from Doug & Dawn of Legend’s Distilling. Naramaro is set to recreate Amer Picon, a very rare, classic orange heavy amaro from France that is the necessary ingredient for the Brooklyn.
These three set the tone for the market to expanded rapidly and changed the amari and bitters selection behind many of British Columbia’s bars. Bitterhouse from Goodridge and Williams brought us their bitter aperitif line of DaMan, LaDame and Rubato, showcasing grapefruit and pomelo, bitter orange and rhubarb respectively. Focusing heavily on the balance bitter and sweet of classic Italian aperitif bitters over the deeper amaro style, Bitterhouse is made for mixing. The drier styles of amari that arrived were deep, complex and with little to no residual sugar; Long Table’s Linnaeus and Arbutus Distillery Amaro, both are great subs for your fernet style amari that give the Toronto its kick. The Linnaeus is developed in with Cole Benoit of Apothecary Bitters and Long Table, very dry, complex woodiness that lingers long after you finished. The Arbutus Amaro takes it up a notch (as Michael, the distiller loves to do), ageing their locally sourced botanical amaro in used bourbon barrels for a full year. This mellows all the earthy botanicals and gives the final product a unique and distinct Arbutus flavour profile.
The scene in British Columbia is expanding so rapidly, continuing to push the boundaries beyond the vodka and gins that defined it during its infancy. Get bitter for all the right reasons.
Episode #4 - Shawn Dalton of Marrow Vermouth
Another slight throwback to when I got to sit down with Shawn Dalton from Marrow Vermouth and chat about vermouth, his inspiration behind Marrow and more. Really great episode.
Review #32 - Barrel Finished Whiskies
Welcome back to the first episode post Dry January! And what better way to kick it off but with a tasting of barrel finished whiskies featuring Legend Distilling latest Wyatt release, a couple of doozeys from Dubh Glas Distillery, the Lohin McKinnon Tequila Finish and Cocoa Finish.
Canadian Artisan Spirit Competition - BC Awards
Canadian Artisan Spirit of the Year
Sheringham Distillery – Kazuki Gin
Gold Medal • Best in Class, Gin – Contemporary • Distinction • Excellence in Terroir
Selected Judges' Notes
Gorgeously floral nose, with dialled back but present juniper and a note of earthy savouriness. Intriguing roasted/savoury, almost umami flavour note with very bright intense citrus (yuzu or lime peel/oil) and a palate-freshening, almost mentholated quality to the juniper.
The nose on this gin is bright, delicate, complex and lively. There are some gorgeous floral notes with some peppery herbal spices.
Mild gin nose. Light herb. Palate is quite soft and mild, too, although clean, with citrus and other gin flavours that are typical, as well as nice floral notes.
Aromas of green tea, white blossoms, juniper, sweet resin and tree bark. Soft green tea flavours with a mild sweetness and firm bite from the alcohol.
BC Spirits #3 - Peter Hunt of Victoria Distillers and Empress 1908
Had a great chat with Peter Hunt from Victoria Distillers, from humble beginnings to a huge success where last year, the Empress 1908 beat out Hendrick’s in case sales.
Review #31 - Syrups and Shrubs with Frostbite Syrup Co. and Mixers & Elixirs
The end of Dry January is coming to the end for a lot of you, I wanted to get a one last episode down focusing on the amazing non alcoholic ingredients we have in the province, this week we focus on the unique line up from Frost Bite Syrup Co. and the eclectic shrubs from Mixers and Elixirs.
Exploring BC Vermouth
Vermouth has begun to expand in the province, as the craft spirits culture has matured and the diversity of spirits, liqueurs and products has grown. Selections of vermouth for most bars has long been confined to the classics, Noilly Prat, Cinzano and Martini; in recent years, imported vermouth have been making inroads into BC and has shown that the market is there for experimentation and different styles. British Columbia’s vermouth revolution started a couple of years ago with the release of Odd Society’s Bittersweet vermouth and in recent months, multiple styles coming from Esquimalt Wine Co., Marrow and Beaufort Wines have set the tone for the category in the future.
Odd Society Bittersweet
One of the first in Canada, if not the very first; the Bittersweet is based on based on an old Italian sweet vermouth recipe found in an antique notebook, this reimagination combines 25 botanicals including orange, arbutus bark, cherry bark and wormwood infused into fine BC wine fortified with their malted barley spirit. The balance in the vermouth is a perfect mixing ingredient, bold enough to partner with brown spirits but fragrant enough to blend with gin. With Odd Society also producing the Wallflower Gin along with their amaro, Mia Amata; combining all three makes a fantastic deep Negroni variation.
DEVINE Spirits
DEVINE Spirits is a small distillery located on a beautiful property on the Saanich Peninsula, the farm to bottle mentality along with Ken Winchester’s constant researching allows them to create an amazing array of spirits using a variety of raw materials. Their two vermouths, the Bianca and Moderna are French and Italian styles respectively; the Bianca utilises island grapes and is fortified with their honey spirits, it is elegant with bright apricot, chamomile and jasmine with a nice aromatic spice underneath, perfect for classic Vesper styles. The Moderna style harks to Turin styles like your heavily aromatized with over 30 botanicals that gives you orange, clove, cardamom, rose and juniper with the medium bitterness of wormwood.
Ampersand Vermouth
Ampersands Imperative was the first classic styled, dry vermouth in the province; a partnership between Ampersand and Rathjen winery, it uses Ortega & Auxerrois grapes and is fortified with their wheat-based vodka, Per Se. The botanicals include wormwood grown on Ampersand’s farm, and roasted dandelion root, chamomile, marjoram, and orange peel leading to a bright, flavourful dry vermouth that is perfect for using as a substitute for the classic styles. The Imperative was released in early 2018 and has since been popular throughout the province, becoming a house dry vermouth for many local farm to table restaurants and bars everywhere.
Marrow Vermouth
Shawn Dalton’s passion for natural wine started years ago on the plains of Saskatchewan years ago, while figuring out how to create his own vermouth while managing a bar in Regina led him to explore aromatised wine and vermouth further. That spark fuelled the trips to Spain and discovering that vermouth represents a place, that drinking vermouth over ice in the Spanish sun is a experience unto itself. After exploring the styles, he arrived in the Okanagan and realised that it was the place to build on his wine and vermouth knowledge and create his very own. Marrow Vermouth launched in early 2019 combining wine from Sage Hills and 26 botanicals to create a classic Spanish inspired drinking vermouth; since then he has released a couple more vermouths and an amaro, a small brand making big moves in BC.
Esquimalt Wine Co.
From the duo that brought you Rootside Sodas in 2015, started developing their own vermouth after attending a vermouthcentric event at Odd Society in 2017. This sparked the creative couple to begin the exploration into aperitif wines and vermouths, they spent the next two and a half years researching botanicals, recipe development and wine making that lead to the creation and release of their Rosso in mid-2019. Their traditional style Italian rosso vermouth has a distinct Vancouver Island character, it blends clover blossom mead with schönburger from Venturi-Schulze Vineyards and spirit from Stillhead Distillery along with 32 different herbs and spices. The rosso has been hugely successful since it’s release with more styles coming this year.
Beaufort Wine
Katie Phelan spent years in Italy enjoying vermouth on the rocks, she set out to recreate that style of aperitif here on Vancouver Island. It starts with 11 botanicals each individually extracted in Sheringham Vodka and then combined with a base wine which is a single varietal, Vancouver Island grown Madeleine Sylvaner from their winemaker at Beaufort, Freya Timmermans. The full list of botanicals is a secret, but the recipe includes wormwood, rosemary from Beaufort, juniper, lemon, real vanilla beans and then balanced to off-dry with cane sugar. This amazing Vancouver Island interpretation of a bianco vermouth showcases what can be created with international knowledge and local know how.
The rise of craft spirits that has led to the expansion and diversity of products available in the province, something that wasn’t expected five years ago. Having the products to be able to recreate provincially inspired classics such as the Negroni, the Manhattan and Martini was never envisioned. Now, British Columbia has matured to a point that you can now open a venue focussing strictly on local spirits and be able to build a considerable cocktail menu. Explore BC vermouth as soon as possible.