The Liberty Distillery Barrel Aged Old Tom

Endeavour Old Tom Gin begins with our 100% organic BC triple-distilled wheat spirit. (10) traditional botanicals are slowly infused during re-distillation in our single copper pot still. The gin is then further macerated with a blend of five additional local and traditional botanicals before resting in 220-litre French Oak barrels for several months, to slowly gain character, complexity and colour.

Alcohol - 45% / 90 proof

Color - Deeper orange brown with copper edges

Nose - Sweet cut grass with hints of grapefruity juniper

Taste - Complex sweet wood with the grapefruit notes of juniper following on the palate, with hints of dried spices like cardamon, cubeb and the like on the back

Finish - complex sweet oak with juniper and botanicals on the breath out

Best Enjoyed - Give this a go in a classic Martinez with Esquimalt Rosso

BC Spirits "Spirit a Day" #20 - Lohin McKinnon

Happy Easter to all, wanted to do a chocolate themed episode and couldn't feel like a better candidate than the Lohin McKinnon Cocoa Aged Single Malt. Classic Lohin McKinnon single malt notes of bright citrus and twangy hops mixed with complex chocolate tones of bitter, spicy and sweet. A perfect whisky for Easter.

Alcohol - 43% / 86 proof

Color - Dark brown with copper edges

Nose - Deep chocolate notes with hints of both bitter and spicy on the nose, the Lohin McKinnon signature citrus and hops are in the background

Taste - The backbone of the Lohin McKinnon Single Malt is through with bright notes of citrus and hops but then that Thomas Haas chocolate starts flowing, spicy, bitter, sweet cocoa given the whisky an overall deep note.

Finish - Like whisky filled chocolates you would have gotten as a child but reverse

Best Enjoyed - Neat but if you want to be adventurous, you could try this in an old fashion or sour

BC Spirits "Spirit a Day" #19 - Arbutus Distillery

Arbutus Distillery in Nanaimo have an amazing lineup of underrated liqueurs that I don't think get enough attention which I will be fixing over the next few weeks. The lavender liqueur is like walking through a lavender field, the leaf and flowers come through beautifully, with a hint of bright lemon peel. Got to try this in an Aviation variation.

Alcohol - 20% / 40 proof

Color - Gorgeous blue green

Nose - Lavender flower and leaf with hints of lemon and honeysuckle

Taste - Like walking through a lavender field, a blend of leaf and flower, bright lemon peel and honey

Finish - Clean, not cloyingly sweet, left with lemon acidity and lavender floral notes

Best Enjoyed - Sub in a aviation for violette

BC Spirits "Spirit a Day" #17 - Deep Cove Distillers Barrel Aged Akvavit

A bit of a unicorn from Deep Cove Distillers, their barrel aged akvavit is only released every few years and in limited quantities which usually never make any liquor stores. Hugely flavorful, big and round mouthfeel full of tropical fruit, subtle Scandinavian spice and rich oak.

Alcohol - 42% / 84 proof

Color - Deep copper with golden edges

Nose - Tropical fruit, subtle but dense oak, hints of caraway

Taste - Rich oak but not woody, crazy banana and tropical fruit tones with underlying complex herbal tones of the dill and caraway

Finish - Toasty oak, tropical fruit and subtle herbal notes

Best Enjoyed - Neat with a Deep Cove IPA

BC Spirits "Spirit a Day" #16 - Moon Distillery Green Shiso Vodka

You may recall I did the Red Shiso Vodka from The Moon Distillery back at “Spirit a Day” #4. It’s sister spirit is completely different, it leans heavily into the green Asian spices that Shiso is known for. Drying, complex spice with a solid smacking of “green”.

Alcohol - 40% / 80 proof

Color - Light but vibrant green

Nose - Musty crushed green leaf, subtle Asian spices

Taste - Straight away punches of Asian spice, reminding me of Singaporean hawker markets, fresh green leaf and hints of citrus

Finish - Leave the mouth full of shiso leaf punch, clean and dry

Best Enjoyed - Love to see this in more cocktails, great cocktail ingredient

BC Spirits "Spirit a Day" #15 - Spirit of Tea Earl Grey Black Tea Gin

Spirit of Tea is a collaboration with Anderson Distillery in Coquitlam and it's a damn tasty infused gin. The gin is pointed and herbaceous while the earl grey tea is floral, aromatic and just the right amount of tannins which are easy to over extract when infusing.

Alcohol - 40% / 80 proof

Color - Light gold

Nose - Subtle vanilla, earl grey tea spice and gentle botanicals

Taste - The gin botanicals (juniper and angelica root) are prancing with the bergamot and earl grey, you can tell it’s a gin first and the infusion second.

Finish - Spicy bergamot and earl grey with clean gin finish

Best Enjoyed - Earl Grey Martini, lemon juice, simple syrup and egg whites.

BC Spirits "Spirit a Day" #14 - Odd Society Salal Gin

Created to mimic the classic sloe gin of the UK, Odd Society uses local indigenous salal berries to impart a gorgeous terroir driven flavor of eating the fresh berries in a West Coast rainforest. This is super seasonal but you have to try it in a BC Chaplin with Maple leaf Spirits Apricot liqueur and lime...equal parts.

Alcohol - 30% / 60 proof

Color - Deep purple almost black

Nose - Unripe blackberries, green leaf and hints of spice

Taste - So terroir driven, it takes you to the rainforest picking the berries. Concentrated blackberry, green seeds and hints of spice

Finish - The berries are in the front palate and the back palate is all classic floral Wallflower Gin

Best Enjoyed - Charlie Chaplin, equal parts Salal Gin, Maple Leaf Spirits Apricot and Lime Juice. Shaken and served up

BC Spirits "Spirit a Day" #13 - Okanagan Spirits Applejack IPA Whisky

A brand new release that I don't think has even gone public yet but it's tasty. Okanagan Spirits takes a citra hopped IPA mash and distill it, then distill an apple eau de vie. They combine 90% of the IPA whisky and 10% of the apple eau de vie and distill once more, then age for 5 years in American Oak. A balancing act of whisky, apple and hops with an amazing subtle vanilla oak backbone.

Alcohol - 42% / 84 proof

Color - Light copper orange with golden edges

Nose - Apple and vanilla hit you first. then hops and whisky

Taste - The whisky is the backbone to this, strong and spicy with the apple, hops and oak all connected and balanced

Finish - Spiciness of the whisky, sweet apple and the punch of grapefruity hops

Best Enjoyed - Neat, but would love to try it in a sour

BC Spirits 'Spirit a Day" #12 - Long Table Distillery and Deep Cove Craft Pairs of Pears

I am going to be showing off some rarities in the coming weeks and this one is no exception. The super rare Long Table Distillery and Deep Cove Brewers + Distillers collaboration. Oregon Bartlett pears aged in Pinot Noir barrels for 5 years. Perfectly balanced between fruit and barrel, an exceptional drop.

Alcohol - 45% / 90 proof

Color - Deep copper with light orange edges

Nose - Light toasted with rich, complex pear from rich baked pear and bright fresh fruit

Taste - First hit is all pear, a mixture of fresh, baked and caramelized then it flows to the sweetness and toastiness of the Pinot Noir barrel

Finish - Sweet, toasty oak followed by pear skin and hint of vanilla

Best Enjoyed - Neat

BC Spirits "Spirit a Day" #11 - Sheringham Distillery Pacific Blackberry Liqueur

Today we taste another brand new release, Sheringham Distillery Pacific BlackBerry Liqueur. Made from local trailing blackberries, this is what blackberry liqueurs should taste like, concentrated berry, bright acidity and rich texture without heavy cloying on the palate.

Alcohol - 23% / 46 proof

Color - Translucent red with pink edges

Nose - Under ripe blackberry on the nose with a hint of alcohol

Taste - Bright and acidic berry flavors with hints of green along with a definite alcohol kick

Finish - Dry with acidity and alcohol removing any cloying sugar, gorgeous blackberries in the length

Best Enjoyed - Kazuki Gin, Blackberry liqueur and lemon juice; splash of simple

BC Spirits "Spirit a Day" #10 - Honeycomb Cream

I originally wanted to add this into the Whisky Liqueur episode but it came a day or two late. But never fear, Spirit a Day is here. There aren't too many cream liqueurs in the province so this was a great treat, the base is aged whisky with organic botanicals, BC cream and sweetened with honey. It's not overly rich and cloying like most macro made bream liqueurs, it's the perfect balance of cream, honey and the spices they use just take it up a notch. Perfect to add to your coffee in the morning.

Alcohol - 20% / 40 proof

Color - Light chocolate brown cream

Nose - Fresh honeycomb, subtle woody whisky, hints of Christmas spice

Taste - Whisky on the front palate with great spice and subtle almond, honey is predominant but not sweet, nice cream but not overly rich

Finish - Not cloyingly sweet, raw honeycomb with sweet cream to finish

Best Enjoyed - On the rocks, in your coffee or punch up your White Russians

BC Spirits "Spirit a Day" #9 - Noteworthy Navy Strength Gin

One of only 2 Navy Strength gins that I know of in the province, the Noteworthy Navy Strength pushes the floral lavender tones of the regular expression to the back of the palate and gives rich citrus flower with, great dry botanicals and that big 57% kick. This is for cocktail makers!

Alcohol - 57% / 114 proof

Color - Clear

Nose - Bright grapefruit peel juniper, citrus blossoms, dusty botanicals

Taste - Rich mouthfeel, pomelo skin, citrus blossom and hints of lavender

Finish - Neverending, pomelo skin with hints of citrus blossom linger long after

Best Enjoyed - Negroni and G&T, this is a cocktail geeks best friend

BC Spirits "Spirit a Day" #8 - Maple Leaf Spirits Italian Prune

I love fruit brandies, the amount of stress that fruit goes through with fermentation and distillation go through to produce such luscious, aromatic distillates. Maple Leaf is one of the best brandy producers in the province if not the country, this example is fragrant, rich and complex with a clean slivovitz finish.

Alcohol - 40% / 80 proof

Color - Clear

Nose - sweet, fresh plums and musty prune

Taste - Rich, musty wooded prunes with balanced plum fruitiness in the back

Finish - Long and balanced, between musty prunes and fresh plums and pits

Best Enjoyed - Neat or in a cocktail, I think this should be used more in cocktail mixing

BC Spirits "Spirit a Day" #7 - Mad Lab Distilling Ulker Raki

My love affair for anisette is as well documented as it should be. I love French anisette, Greek Ouzo, Absinthe and the unusual and rare Raki from Turkey. This is one of the only examples in Canada and it doesn't disappoint. Sweet licorice and dusty anise, like an old timey licorice candy store.

Alcohol - 45% / 90 proof

Color - Clear

Nose - Sweet licorice and earthy anise

Taste - Earthy anise followed by sweet licorice even when mixed with water

Finish - Sweet licorice store, a little dusty anise

Best Enjoyed - Mixed with water 1:2 or 1:3 ratio

BC Spirits "Spirit a Day' #6 - Esquimalt Wine Co. Dry Vermouth

Brand new from Esquimalt Wine Co. comes their partner in crime to their already amazing rosso vermouth. The dry is a perfect balanced amalgamation of mead, Germanic style wine and botanicals, sweet to start and then dry herbal spice to finish.

Alcohol - 18% / 36 proof

Color - Translucent white gold

Nose - Honeysuckle, apple and pear with a little funk in the back notes

Taste - full on metheglin mead of honeysuckle with rich peach from the wine and then a long botanical dryness

Finish - Balanced sweet and dry tones with a hint of lingering peach note

Best Enjoyed - Classic Martini, 2:1 Stillhead Gin, Esquimalt Wine Co. Dry Vermouth and a couple of dashes of Bittered Sling

BC Spirits "Spirit a Day" #5 - Sheringham Barrel Aged Akvavit

The long awaited and newly released Sheringham Akvavit Barrel Aged is everything I could have expected from Jason. Aged 8 months in their Red Fife Whisky barrels, it's a melding of two amazing Scandanavian flavors, rye bread and akvavit. Limited run, get it asap!

Alcohol - 45% / 90 proof

Color - Medium wheat gold

Nose - Dill and caraway straight away with spicy rye back notes

Taste - The explosion of the classic akvavit flavors combined with rye bread tones is amazing, complex and deep spice balanced with the botanicals

Finish - Mouth filling rye bread with the brightness of the akvavit leaving a clean finish

Best Enjoyed - Neat

BC Spirits "Spirit a Day" #4 - Moon Distillery Red Shiso Vodka

Another spirit that i have never tasted in my life, Red Shiso Vodka from Moon Distillery. Locally grown organic shiso infused in the gin basket as well as post distillation infusion. Really unique stewed berry, green leaf flavor notes.

Alcohol - 40% / 80 proof

Color - Cherry red with pink edges

Nose - Stewed berries, green leaf and herbal undertones

Taste - Green, underripe blackberries and raspberries, herbal green notes with a distinct shiso bass

Finish - Clean, Asian cuisine kick of shiso leaf and stewed berries

Best Enjoyed - Cocktails, not sure what yet but I want to play

BC Spirits "Spirit a Day' #3 - Merridale Distillery 12 year Old Cherry Brandy

What can I say about something that I have never tasted before? A 12 year old cherry kirsch aged in French oak. An unbelievable experiment from Merridale that will change the way you look at cherry brandy forever.

Alcohol - 42% / 84 proof

Color - Medium orange with golden edges

Nose - Distinct cherry kirsch on the nose with the hint of something deeper

Taste - Earthy, woody cherry bark to start with but leans into dry cherry kirsch flavors with subtle wet wood notes

Finish - A gorgeous balance of wood, fresh cherry, kirsch cleaness and subtle spice notes.

Best Enjoyed - Neat

Spirit a Day #2 - DeVine Spirits Dutch Courage

Dutch Courage from DeVine Spirits is the doing of long time employee, assistant distiller and all round distillery hand and brand ambassador. He pushed for the award winning Genever to be put into barrel and after nagging for a bit, made it happen. Gorgeous spirit, the barrel and botanicals balance out perfectly.

Alcohol - 45% / 90 proof

Color - Light golden wheat, clear edges

Nose - Distinctly genever botanicals with hints of malt on the nose backed with spicy wood notes

Taste - Rich textures of spicy wood balancing with the condensed spiciness of the genever

Finish - Long and complex spices and botanicals, wood and age all stinging the palate nicely

Best Enjoyed - Neat

Spirit a Day #1 - Alchemist Distiller Nectar Apple Liqueur

A brand new tasting everyday for British Columbia's spirits. Showcasing all the amazing product available here. First up, Alchemist Distiller in Summerland's Nectar Apple Liqueur. Rich apple pie filling with Christmas spice and nice clean apple acidity.

Alcohol - 24% / 48 proof

Color - Deep orange brown with light edges

Nose - Immediate warm baked apple pie, stewed apples and Christmas spice

Taste - Christmas spice and apple with hints of vanilla and pastry

Finish - Clean acidic apple cuts through the sweet stewed apple and leaves bright apple and spice

Best Enjoyed - On your pancakes or over icecream.