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Episode #6 The Regional Whiskey Problem
Meghan Stewart
More of an Opportunity than a Problem, really...
As I sit here drinking my Whiskey Wednesday Scotch (that was definitely not made in Scotland), I reflect on my Canadian Whiskey and soda with a rock and how tasty it is, but how very unlike the Whiskies that I grew up around.
Very tasty, very enjoyable, but not really Scotch, b/c “made in Canada”. Somehow calling it Highland Whiskey just seems like an awkward compromise.
We talked a bit about the Big 5 Whiskeys in Episode #4.
What about all the rest? Not every Whiskey is made the same way they made it 400 years ago. Regional Style Whiskeys are just that, something a bit different based on local ingredients and flavours. It is the same way the Big 5 started, just a bit more modern. No one had ever heard of Corn Whiskey in Ireland or Russia, but they had lots of corn in Kentucky, so a new tradition was born.
All the Whiskey we make here at True North is technically a Canadian Whiskey.
What does that mean to anyone who doesn’t work here?
What is the flavour profile?
What style is it?
Is it Authentic?
The honest truth is that there is no clear meaning.
The closest thing that you will find to a consensus is that it is likely a Rye Whiskey.
The problem is that all whiskey should be considered regional whiskey, and only styles should be noted on the bottle so that consumers can have some idea what the taste profile will be.
In our case, BC has some very special flavours that go very well in the whiskey making process.
Douglas Fir is found only in our region, and has an acrid complexity in its leaves that makes a beautiful woodsy whiskey which brings to mind the coastal forests and cool cloudy days spent listening to the surf and skipping rocks…
Calling this local treasure “Irish Style Spirit” lacks the poetry of local rock and waves and driftwood fires. It is very much a West Coast Whiskey, and nothing else has quite the same feeling to it.
Vine Maple has a sugary sweet nose that makes you think of Autumn days and burning leaves, pumpkins and waffles and having a shot to keep warm while skating. Hot chocolate and a warm fire…. Mmmm.
Huckleberries and Saskatoons and Salmon Berries and Salal are everywhere and make lovely, earthy companions to the wood, while saving their sweets for tarts and pies.
In short:
British Columbia is a wonderland of Regional Whiskey Flavours.
Every Province in Canada has their unique combinations.
Regional Whiskies are the Way Forward for Craft Distilleries.
Old World tastes need Old World ingredients, Old World ideas and Old World palates.
New World, New Rules!
The "B" Word
A Whiskey Club (or 2) between friends...
This Just In: Things have Flavour...
a proud tradition of Pride...
West Coast Spirits
A New Home, A New View, Some New Whiskey!
There has always been some confusion (amongst non-drinkers mostly) about the difference between Whiskey, which people call the "water of life" (among other things...) and Eau de Vie, which loosely translates to English as "water of life". There is of course, a difference. Whiskey is.... defined in many places, including previous episodes of this very Blog. It comes in a variety of styles (Irish, Scotch, Canadian, American, etc.) and is mostly made from grains such as Barley, Rye and Corn. Whereas Eau de Vie ( In most English-speaking countries), refers to distilled beverages made from fruit other than grapes. (Other, similar terms may be local translations or may specify what type of fruit was used to produce it) Ripe fruit is fermented, distilled, and quickly bottled to preserve freshness and aroma. Eau de vie is typically not barrel aged, and so is usually a clear spirit in the bottle. The rarest and most prized Eau de Vie is the Pear (Poire). This is notoriously hard to make (properly…) as humidity can turn the crushed fruit rotten in a heartbeat, and it is often a race to ferment all the way before spoilage. When done successfully, the results are amazing. Delicate flavour and aroma, smooth silky mouthfeel, and of course the subtle notes of Fresh Fruit. In the Caribbean, Eau-de-vie are made from tropical fruits such as banana, guava, mango, and pineapple. The term can also refer to maple Eau de Vie, made from maple syrup. No really. You can't make this stuff up!
One of the things that we love most in this world is the idea that local tastes (preferences/manias/traditions) can become a part of anything. Cumin in Cheddar? Blissful. Chocolate in milk? You Bet! Hemp in Whiskey took some doing. But it had to be done, and we did it. Hemp in beer is too much like hops, so it gets lost. Wine doesn’t like it much. We knew that there had to be a liquor that it worked with. A liquor that Hemp could love. And would love Hemp back. This is the Left Coast after all. There is someone for everyone. Our signature Irish Whiskey Style Spirit is grown, malted and mashed, distilled and aged to perfection, and then infused with a “soupçon” of fresh BC Green (properly Decarboxylated, of course). Hence the name. And the label. All in good fun. When people taste it for the first time, they are often struck by how smooth, how luscious and how elegant the green hint is. Because we didn’t make it to get stoned, we made it to taste good. We wanted friends to sit down, have a drink, and be comfortable in their own skins. To talk and not need to be anywhere else for a while. To stop and smell the roses as it were. During Covid, it is even more important than ever to take some “me” time. To relax and sit back and enjoy what we have. Green Hit is about comfort. Green Hit is about rainy days on the mountain. Green Hit is about the sound and the smell of the Ocean. Green Hit is very much about B.C. Green Hit is how we grew up, in the comfort of a (sub-tropical) Rainforest. Gulf Islands and ferries and goats on the roof. Skunk Cabbage, Salmon Berries, and Mushrooms. Trees and fog and dogwood. Skiing and sailing, with a warm fire and BBQ Salmon after. In an Elegant, beautiful place. Green Hit tastes how I remember it. Green Hit tastes like good memories. I am making new memories now, and they are good ones too. Long hot summer days, floating down the river with my kids. Pumpkins and bonfires, shoveling snow and watching the first blooms in spring. Good company and that familiar feeling of being where I need to be. Maybe that is what Green Hit will taste like when my kids are grown. For right now, I am just enjoying the Left Coast lifestyle. Cheers, Meg Be Safe. Be Well. Be Kind.
We all know about Covid 19. We all agree that it sucks. Hand Sanitizer, Masks, face shields, Social Distancing, Bubbles of 6, Canceled Events, Lockdowns, closed schools and businesses, quarantines, Border Restrictions, shortages, Zoom and all manner of other inconveniences abound. The “New Normal” evolves daily. It is tiring, even exhausting. Everyone bakes their own bread, grows their own veggies, does their own cleaning, cuts their own hair… wow. That is alot. We at True North were quite overwhelmed at the start, like most folks. We shifted over into making Hand Sanitizer as a public service, and that seemed to go on forever. All of our plans have been on hold for 6 months. But the thing is… we do have plans. And that is where BC Whiskey comes in. We have put off the major launch until spring due to restrictions and good sense. But I want to tell you a bit about it and give you a chance to participate in our next phase. We are launching a new site, and a new idea: BCWhiskey.ca will debut, review and sell uniquely British Columbian tastes in Whiskey. We are starting to decant and blend the new products now, so if you are willing to be a victim, I mean Test Subject… Email us at tnd@bcwhiskey.ca and sign up to be an advance taster. This is absolutely free, all you have to do is taste Whiskey and give us your honest feedback. If you are interested, email us at tnd@bcwhiskey.ca and we will set you up for being a part of our story. We are starting with 3 new Whiskeys… oh wait. Top Secret until released. Damn. Um… Trust me? They are delicious. I have tried them a few times, strictly for scientific purposes. Honest. The idea is… in broad strokes, that we are not just using BC grown inputs, we are using BC Unique inputs where ever possible, as well as developing some Regional BC Flavours in co-operation with some other (top secret) producers. I talked a bit about this in Episode #6 (we call that “foreshadowing” and it is a sign of quality writing!) because we have been dying to get going on our launch. New labels, new bottles, new tastes, new people, we love it all. Sadly, added to the above list of Covid suckiness, is the fact that launching new products needs people to be available to try them, and so we have to wait. Some of you have been our “tasters” before, and you know the drill. Drink, Think, Write. Then send us the results to have a look at. It is pretty fun, actually. Cheers for now, Meg Be Safe. Be well. Be Kind.
So Whiskey Wednesday is a popular hashtag, and that is a great thing. The problem with popular things is that not everyone seems quite clear on what they are all about. Whiskey Wednesday has many meanings to as many people. A lot of people just think it is a reminder to drink Whiskey on Wednesdays. And it is of course, but only in part. There is a whole other side to this idea, and a pretty important one. Whiskey Wednesday is an attempt to break through centuries of bad attitudes, to get at the essence of a simple idea… Whiskey is for everyone. Not just old guys in leather chairs, not just in private libraries with cigars, not even in a special glass at dinner with your uncle. Whiskey is for everyone . When I say “everyone” I mean “your Whiskey = your choice”. If you do not drink whiskey, okie dokie. You do you. And I support your right to choose. The point is that you do not have to be rich, or old, (or an expert) to drink whiskey. All you have to be is thirsty. Whiskey has been an ongoing symbol of status in western culture for a very long time. What you drink and how you drink it have long been signals to others as to what your rank is in a group. Some whiskeys are expensive, some rare, some lowbrow, some exotic, and your choice has said things about you that others can judge. This has led to people “learning” to drink whiskey, (but only specific bottles) to fit in, or get a promotion, or join a club. People used to say Whiskey is an “acquired taste”, which just means that you do not need to like it, just learn to drink it in an acceptable fashion. Many of them never do learn to like it, just to drink it anyways, because it was never their choice. It was a means to an end. But the point of Whiskey Wednesday is that things are changing. As well they should. There are a thousand Whiskeys in the world, and every one of them is somebody's favourite. When I say: Whiskey is for everyone , I mean you. Also me. And them. Everyone . There is freedom in choosing for yourself. There is tasty freedom in understanding that you are right about what tastes good to you. Everyone should enjoy what they do. So lets talk about how to “do” whiskey: Step 1 : Taste your Whiskey (or other liquor) Step 2 : Repeat Step 1 until you find a taste you like Step 3 : Experiment with your mix until you find one that tastes good to you Step 4 : See Step 2 Step 5 : Experiment with blending your liquor with your mix until the balance is perfect for you Step 6 : Write it down so you can go straight to the good stuff next time Step 7 : Enjoy Responsibly
