There might be a brewery popping up on every street corner in the city but our craft spirit industry is only getting started. Toronto is home to just three distilleries and the newest to launch is Nickel 9.

Located in the Stockyards district, the distillery’s first offering hit shelves earlier this year and it’s a uniquely Canadian spirit. Northern Temple is a vodka distilled from 100 per cent Ontario apples. Juice from Algoma Orchards in Newcastle (just east of Oshawa) is mixed with champagne yeast and sugar and fermented for a week before it’s distilled. This creates a spirit that is smoother than average with a subtle sweetness. Gluten-sensitive drinkers will also appreciate that Northern Temple is free of the wheaty substance (and it’s GMO-free too).

Try Northern Temple with soda and a slice of citrus or a splash of grapefruit juice.

$39.95, nickel9distillery.com