Single malts are a complex, flavourful style of whisky that can be difficult to produce. But one local distiller – Still Waters Distillery – has taken on the challenge by producing Ontario’s first-ever single malt whisky.
Stalk & Barrel Single Malt Whisky is made from two-row barley that’s grown and malted in Alberta. The grain is then mashed, fermented and distilled in a copper still in Stalk & Barrel’s Vaughan, Ontario production facility just north of Toronto.
After that follows an aging process – four to five years spent in bourbon barrels to help develop its flavours. And unlike traditional whisky makers that age barrels in climate-controlled rooms, Stalk & Barrel subjects theirs to daily swings in temperature and humidity.
“There’s a lot of interaction between the wood of the barrel and the spirit,” explains Stalk & Barrel co-founder Barry Bernstein. “The result is more maturation in less time. But the downside is a significant ‘angel’s share’ – the amount of lost spirit to evaporation.”
What remains is worthwhile: vanilla and fruit notes on the nose with a bit of ginger and cinnamon spiciness on the tongue and a lingering fruity finish. Each cask is bottled individually and hand-numbered as such, adding to the whisky’s artisan feel.
$69.95 for 750mL; LCBO
