Kir Royale Off - Okanagan Spirits Blackcurrant Liqueur

With an excellent full fruit nose and the perfect balance of sweet and tart, our 100% BC blackcurrants create an award-winning Creme de Cassis liqueur that will have you puckering for more.

Alcohol - 24% / 48 proof

Color - Deep black with purple edges

Nose - Rich blackcurrant, direct and too the point

Taste -Like taking a mouthful of fresh blackcurrants, rich, hints of tannic skin and seeds along with tangy long lasting acidity

Finish - Dry, fresh blackcurrants

Best Enjoyed - Let me think, Kir Royale

BC Spirits "Spirit a Day" #47 - Arbutus Distillery Birch Liqueur

We already know my love for the Arbutus Distillery liqueur line and this one is no different. A Birch Liqueur, rich and bold with a kick of nuttiness and caramel along with hints of oak. This is made to pair with whisky, slide a little into your sour or old fashioned.

Alcohol - 25% / 50 proof

Color - Deep orange

Nose - Burnt sugar, hints of vanilla and oak

Taste - Such a rich whisky tone, burnt sugar, oak, vanilla and caramel; like a liqueur that has been made to imitate whisky notes.

Finish - Caramel, vanilla, hints of oak and just a smidge of cloying sweetness

Best Enjoyed - Add 1/2 -3/4 oz to your whisky sour or old fashioned

Kir Royale Off - Rathjen Cellars Creme de Cassis

Inspired by the classic liqueur of Burgundy, our Crème de Cassis is a fortified fruit wine crafted from blackcurrants grown on the Saanich Peninsula. Sweetened to balance the tart, earthy flavours of the “cassis” berries, enjoy this liqueur as an apéritif in a Kir cocktail or after dinner as a digestif.

Alcohol - 20% / 40 proof

Color - Dark purple, almost black

Nose - Gorgeous black currents, fragrant and deep

Taste - The taste is different to macerate liqueurs, it’s complex from the making of the black currant wine then being fortified. Giving a broader flavor of black currant with hints of green and great acidity.

Finish - Almost zero residual sugar, bright acidity and left with gorgeous black currant in the finish

Best Enjoyed - Kir Royale

BC Spirits "Spirit a Day" #46 - Victoria Distillers Cacao

Victoria Distilers are more famous for their Empress 1908 Gin, they also make some fantastic little oddities like this Cacao using Sirene Chocolate. Very multidimensional with bitter, dry cacao notes and sweetness from the husks. If you use this in a cocktail, you may need some sugar as it’s not overly sweet.

Alcohol - 25% / 50 proof

Color - Deep chocolate brown

Nose - Cocoa powder and high cacao chocolate

Taste - Like a 65% cacao chocolate bar. Rich, but not overly sweet chocolate with bitter dry cacao notes

Finish - Dry and dusty cacao powder with hints of chocolate

Best Enjoyed - Grasshopper with a smidge of simple syrup

Kir Royale Off - Elephant Island Cassis

Distinguished flavor ... the Pavlovian desire to drool after you get the first taste ... not quite so elegant! Embrace it and be rewarded the black currant bomb of nuclear proportions

Alcohol - 26% / 52 proof

Color - Deep dark purple almost black

Nose - Fruity cassis, floral notes and hints of green leaves

Taste - Rich and complex cassis, being a fortified blackcurrant wine, it have a broader flavor profile from fermentation

Finish - A little funky, dry blackcurrant and green leaf

Best Enjoyed - Kir Royale obviously

BC Spirits "Spirit a Day" #45 - Roots and Wings Sidekick

I felt bad for missing this one in the whisky liqueur episode a few weeks ago but this is a win win as they get a dedicated episode. The Roots and Wings Sidekick is their cinnamon corn whisky and while I don't love cinnamon, this is great warm, real cinnamon, almost autumn spice with hints of honeycomb.

Alcohol - 40% / 80 proof

Color - Deep copper orange, burnt sugar

Nose - Woody cinnamon, corn whisky, hints of caramelised honey

Taste - Earthy, real cinnamon, great corn whisky backbone and hints of honey but no sweetness

Finish - Autumn spice, cinnamon, honeycomb and spice

Best Enjoyed - Play around with this in an old fashioned with bourbon 50/50

BC Spirits "Spirit a Day" #44 - Sons of Vancouver No. 82 Amaretto Barrel Aged in Westland Peated Single Malt Casks

This little crazy number from the minds at Sons of Vancouver is one of the only examples I know in the world. Who barrel ages amaretto. The peated whisky from Westland Whisky is a strong backbone to the natural sweetness of the amaretto. To me it’s liquid s’mores.

Alcohol - 26% / 52 proof

Color - Deeper translucent brown with copper edges

Nose - Rich almond with a hint of smoky wood

Taste -S’Mores all the way, rich amaretto, campfire smoke, marshmallow and dark honey

Finish - Lingering smoke and oak with complex spices and almond

Best Enjoyed - Double down on a Morgenthaler Amaretto Sour on this one

Review #45 - Kir Royale Off

With special guest this week, my lovely wife Jillian; we tackle Kir Royales. After a comment on a post earlier this week, I decided it was a good time to do a cassis Kir Royale off featuring Odd Society Spirits, Rathjen Cellars, Okanagan Spirits and Elephant Island. Between us, we both liked completely different ends to the spectrum.

BC Spirits "Spirit a Day" #43 - Long Table Distillery Marc du Soleil

I don’t think we make enough grappas and marcs in BC with such a rich wine culture. The Long table Distillery Clos du Soleil collaboration gives an amazing example of aged Marc. Funky and fruity, tastes like you are drinking a delicious cheese board.

Alcohol - 43% / 86 proof

Color - Light wheat gold

Nose - Dried fruit, quince, pear, apricots, hints of warm oak and funky cheese notes

Taste - Like a liquid cheese board, subtle vanilla backing with dried fruit, quince, hints of funky cheese.

Finish - Soft oak, slight fruit and funk

Best enjoyed - A perfect pairing for the above

Elder Bros. Farms Apple Strudel Schnapps

Alcohol - 30% / 60 proof

Color - Cloudy light yellow

Nose - Stewed apples and spice

Taste - Truly is like apple strudel, stewed apple, cinnamon and spice with hints pastry.

Finish - Stewed apple with spice but clean, no residual sugar

Best Enjoyed - Warm apple cider

BC Spirits "Spirit a Day" #42 - Merridale Distillery Cowichan Rhumb

I have gone into depth about BC “Rum” before but wanted to dive in with the Merridale Distillery Cowichan Rhumb. Rich with stone fruit, spicy vanilla and hints of smoky oak. Want to throw this is with classic rums in a blind tasting to see if people can pick it out.

Alcohol - 43% / 86 proof

Color - Light copper with golden edges

Nose - Stone fruit, spiced vanilla and toasty oak

Taste - Stone fruit, smoky vanilla, toasted caramel, hints of oak and spice

Finish - Round vanillas and spicy oak, just a subtle smoke undertone

Best Enjoyed - Neat or in a cocktail calling for calvados

Elder Bros. Farms Elderberry Schnapps

Alcohol - 30% / 60 proof

Color - Deep red

Nose - Medicinal, herbal black berry

Taste - Unique, an amalgamation of all black berries including cherry, herbal almost subtle amaro tones with hints of green leaf and floral notes

Finish - Clean and dry but full of herbal notes, black berries and hint of floral notes

Best Enjoyed - Chilled and sipped after dinner

BC Spirits "Spirit a Day" #41 - Gillespie's Raspberry Gin

It’s gorgeous and sunny outside so I thought let’s do a spring time tasting with Gillespie's Fine Spirits Raspberry Gin. Balanced between the gin and real raspberry flavors. Try in a classic Clover Club or on its own topped with Fever-Tree Sicilian Lemon.

Alcohol - 28% / 56 proof

Color - Medium rose pink

Nose - Fresh and underripe raspberries, a hint of green pits, floral notes

Taste - Floral raspberries, fresh and juicy, the gin and flavor is balanced without either taking over. Gin is classic citrusy London Dry style.

Finish - Citrusy gin botanicals with juicy ripe raspberry

Best Enjoyed - In a classic Clover Club or in a highball with Fever-Tree Sicilian Lemon

Elder Bros. Farms Cherry and Honey Schnapps

Alcohol - 30% / 60 proof

Color - Light translucent dark pink

Nose - Spiced cherry, forward and in your face

Taste - Cherry pie filling, slightly spiced, hints of tannic skin, pits and green flavors. Only subtle honey comes through

Finish - Clean cherry, hints of spice and a slight burn

Best Enjoyed - Blood and Sand

BC Spirits "Spirit a Day" #40 - Stillhead Apple Brandy

For the 40th episode, I thought I would do a taste off between the two Stillhead Distillery apple brandies that I have. Amazingly similar but different. Love this product from them. The first is heavy vanilla in the finish while the second gives strong tannic apple, floral notes and spice.

#1 Apple Brandy

Alcohol - 40% / 80 proof

Color - Deep burnt orange

Nose - Stewed apple, maple syrup and oak

Taste - Stewed apples, maple syrup, subtle oak but punches of vanilla with hints of spice

Finish - Round with deep cooked apple, maple syrup and subtle oak

Best Enjoyed - Neat or in a cocktail calling for calvados

#2 Apple Brandy

Alcohol - 40% / 80 proof

Color - Medium copper orange

Nose - Burnt maple, spicy oak and complex apple

Taste - Complex apple, brighter tones than the first, more broad apple profile, skin, pulp and floral apple blossoms. The maple is subdued but the spicy rye barrel comes through moreso.

Finish - Bright complex apple flavors with spicy oak and hints of burnt maple

Best Enjoyed - Neat or in a cocktail calling for calvados

Elder Bros. Farms Elderflower and Cherry

Alcohol - 30% / 60 proof

Color - Light translucent pink

Nose - Cherry comes through first with floral elderflower after

Taste - Cherry pie filling, slightly spiced, hints of tannic skin and pits with floral notes of elderflowers

Finish - The cherry and elderflower linger on the palate with no cloying sweetness

Best Enjoyed - Try as a modifier in a cocktail

BC Spirits "Spirit a Day' #39 - Wayward Distillation House Krupnik

A traditional spiced honey liqueur from Poland. The Wayward Distillation House leans into bright orange, complex spice and that beautiful honey that they are famous for. Usually a fall / winter liqueur, I think you should embrace this for summer; add it to your daiquiris and make dark and stormys with it.

Alcohol - 40% / 80 proof

Color - Rich orange copper

Nose - Dry Christmas spice, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg with hints of caramelised honey in the background

Taste - Rich runny honey and honeycomb with those dry spices prickling the palate and then the storn round orange peel giving bright tones in the finish

Finish - Warming spice, bright acidic orange and honeycomb

Best Enjoyed - In a Daiquri or a Dark and Stormy

Elder Bros. Farms Elderflower and Honey Schnapps

Alcohol - 30% / 60 proof

Color - Light translucent yellow

Nose - Fresh elderflower pollen, hints of honeycomb

Taste - Real fresh elderflower, once you taste the real thing, it’s hard to back to the macro stuff. The honey is fresh honeycomb.

Finish - Minimal residual sweetness, floral elderflower and honeycomb

Best Enjoyed - As a base spirit in a cocktail, embrace the schnapps.

BC Spirits "Spirit a Day" Odd Society Society Prospector Rye

I don’t think I have ever had this in a tasting so it was a perfect candidate. Odd Society Spirits Prospector is 100% BC Rye aged in heavily charred American Oak barrels. It’s spicy, complex stone fruit and subtle caramels and vanilla. This is a must have for your classic rye cocktails.

Alcohol - 46% / 92 proof

Color - Light to medium wheat

Nose - Dried apricots, rye spice, hints of sweet vanilla

Taste - The intense complex rye hits you first with floral violets, fresh rye bread, stone fruit and hints of vanilla and caramel

Finish - That amazing spicy rye just lingers on the palate along with vanilla and caramel.

Best Enjoyed - Sazerac or Manhattan

Episode #16 - Lisa Simpson of Liberty Distillery

This is a great follow up from last week's episode with Tyler Dyck of Okanagan Spirits and Craft Distiller's Guild, this delves into the business and entrepreneurship of distilling and the story behind Lisa going from Corporate Finance to run a gorgeous distillery on Granville Island.