From artisanal gins to rare whiskies, these standout spirits, as chosen by senior editor Tod Stewart, exemplify the innovation, diversity, and artistry defining the modern spirits landscape
Though my writing career started (and still is) in wine – and I love a good beer now and again – I’ve found the spirits category to be the most consistently dynamic and creative. Over the past few years it has become even more so, with every sector exploding with new flavours, new expressions, and new ways to entice consumers.
Going into my second year as a judge for the Canadian Artisan Spirits Competition (CASC) I’m also excited to report that the distilling landscape in Canada has never been more diverse and evolving, with the range of premium spirits expanding exponentially across the board.
Read Also: Buyer’s Guide: 18 world whiskies to try
Plenty of great material from around the spirits world characterized 2024. There were many exceptional offerings spanning all categories – often ushered to market with some pretty impressive activation events (Patrón El Cielo, I’m talkin’ to you). Trying to nail down a “Top 10” was no easy task (insert line about how it’s a tough job, etc.), but I persevered. And so, without further blahblahblah, here they are:
Gin
Berry Bros. & Rudd No.3 London Dry Gin
Occasionally you can judge a book by its cover. The eye-catching bottle of No.3 London Dry Gin leads you into a captivating, classy and classic-styled gin from London’s legendary Berry Bros. & Rudd (BB&R) wine and spirits purveyor. Distilled in a 100-year-old copper pot still, this gin has it all going on.
While many modern gins lean towards the slightly exotic when it comes to botanicals, No.3 sticks with Italian juniper, Bulgarian coriander, Polish angelica root, cardamom from Guatemala, grapefruit peel from Uruguay, and Spanish orange peel. The idea here was to keep the juniper – the essence of the London Dry style in the forefront. The base alcohol, incidentally, is sourced from the Netherlands and uses French winter wheat exclusively which, combined with the specific distillation process, results in maximum purity. The actual final recipe took 12 attempts over 730 days of experimentation to nail.
Fresh, crisp citrus, coriander, and (of course) juniper, it will pump your G&T to the next level. Or take the words of Lizzy Rudd (Chair of BB&R): “It’s designed for a martini.” Subtle, sublime, and sensual. And so good.
Rum
El Dorado Diamond High Ester (DHE) / La Bonne Intention (LBI) Rum
This never-before-released blend incorporates rums from two distinctly unique stills and is bottled at cask strength (57% AVB) having been aged for 11 years. Rum geeks (yes, they exist) refer to “high ester” rums as “funk bombs.” These are rums that are made the old way: a long, slow fermentation of molasses (months rather than hours); an extended distillation process – typically in copper pot stills; patient aging, blending, and finally bottling (more often than not at cask strength, with no colouring or sweetening agents added). The result are rums that effectively “go to 11.”
The final blend here is explosively aromatic, with notes of dried fig, clove, cinnamon, vanilla, and undertones of toffee, buckwheat honey, banana and a (pleasant) whiff of acetate and polished old wood. On the palate you can expect to find flavours of fruitcake, toasted nuts, dark chocolate, caramel and a hint of leather all wrapped into a big, punchy package. Not for the timid.
Tequila
Gran Cofradia Tequila Reposado
Tequila is (mostly) no longer “te-kill-ya.” It has successfully entered the realm of “high-end” spirits. To wit, Gran Cofradia Reposado. With just enough oak aging to add additional complexity, this award-winning, premium sipping tequila delivers what tequila aficionados expect: forward aromas of slightly smoky cooked agave, mint, menthol, and a subtle, earthiness. With its interweaving of mineral, smoke, and stewed agave flavours, all wrapped around an ultra-smooth core, Gran Cofradía Reposado offers flavours as stunning and intricate as its bottle suggests (a bottle which, as it turns out, is actually hand-made in Mexico; La Cofradia has its own ceramic factory, “Arte en feugo;” many other ceramic tequila bottles are made in China).
Vodka
Dillon’s Small Batch Distillers Quill Vodka
I’ll come clean: I am not a “vodka person.” I like my tipples with both aroma and flavour, so obviously ones that are designed specifically to lack either of these characteristics hold little appeal (except when served ultra-cold with caviar…so, in other words, I don’t drink much vodka). That being said, I know a good one when I taste one; and this is a good one. I’ve sung the praises of Dillon’s Small Batch Distillers’ Quill Gin, and like Quill Gin, Quill Vodka is made exclusively for – and available exclusively at – Toronto’s Fairmont Royal York hotel’s Library Bar.
Similar to Quill Gin, Quill Vodka is bottled at an ABV of 50%, and like the gin, the vodka is almost impossibly smooth, with no alcohol “bite” whatsoever. A bit diabolical, if you ask me. Rather than being entirely neutral, Quill Vodka shows some aromatics, including citrus, vanilla, and evergreen that coast into an ultra-silky, viscous palate, with very subtle almond notes. Finishes clean, with a hint of pepper on the tail end. Pass the fish eggs.
Whisky
Alberta Distillers Rare Batch Issue No.1 “Limited Edition” 23 Years Aged
Bigger, bolder, and, well, better has been the new(ish) Canadian whisky theme. Bottled at 50% ABV, this is a weighty, powerful, complex whisky. A few drops of water coaxes out aromas suggesting ginger, citrus, wet slate, and ripe pear. Surprisingly smooth and “bite-free” for such a high-octane number, it weaves a tapestry of flavours ranging from crème brûlée and mineral through to baking spices, dark chocolate, sultana, and sweet caramel.
Alberta Distillers Ltd. is one of the “big boys” that continue to move from strictly commercial whiskies into limited edition, small batch expressions. Also keep your eyes open for the Alberta Premium “Batch 10” Legacy Reserve, Reifel Rye, and the Alberta Premium “Cask Strength” Rye. Alberta Distillers Ltd. is a “high rye” specialist, so expect some of that spicy rye character throughout its range.
Bowmore Sherry Oak Cask 15 Years Old Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky
It’s no real secret to anyone who knows me that I have a soft spot for Bowmore. One of the (sadly) very few Scottish distilleries I’ve had the pleasure of visiting, I vividly remember inhaling the briny air outside the No.1 Vaults as the North Atlantic pounded the shoreline just a few meters away. I just as vividly recall tasting barrel samples drawn from aging stock nestled in the same warehouse. No matter what the expression (and Bowmore has plenty), there’s always a certain “something” that identifies Bowmore as Bowmore. Easily pegged as an Islay dram, the Bowmore “house style” leans more towards complexity rather than the raw aggressiveness found in some other Islay malts.
This 15-year-old is part of the Sherry Oak Cask Collection that also includes the 12, 18, and 21-year-old expressions. Each is given a unique sherry cask finish (the 15 gets the first-fill oloroso treatment). I’m not going to say that Bowmore can do no wrong, it’s just that if it has, I haven’t been exposed to it. This is an amazing dram. There’s that Bowmore “thing,” nuanced by sultana, dark chocolate, and fruitcake. Perfectly balanced and complex, with smoke, dried fruit, baking spice, and an earthy, licorice root undertone that leads into a long, mildly smoky finish. And, yes, I’m still in love with Bowmore.
Glenfarclas 40-Year-Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky
It’s an ongoing debate among whisky aficionados: does older mean better? Arguments persist as to whether an older spirit is actually a better spirit, or is the whole age thing just a clever marketing ploy dreamed up at a time where warehouses were full to bursting and you couldn’t give brown spirits away? Things have certainly changed, with the diminishing supply of age-statement scotch being augmented (if not replaced) by non-age statement (NAS) bottlings.
To experience a 40-year-old from a top-notch distiller is a rare treat. Marshmallow, baked apple, milk chocolate, and cinnamon were but a few of the discernible aromatics nestled among a potpourri of complex nuances. Rich and oily in the mouth, I could detect traces of maple, ginger, mocha, fudge, toasted oak, and oloroso sherry that trailed off forever. Glorious stuff.
Glenfiddich Small Batch 18 Single Malt Scotch Whisky
With roots extending back to 1886, Glenfiddich is one of the oldest family-owned Scotch whisky distilleries – as well as the most innovative and successful. The first spirit flowed from the stills on Christmas day 1887. Since then, Glenfiddich has risen to become the world’s most popular single malt whisky. Its success has to do with more than just creating consistently complex whiskies, but also through ongoing innovation, clever marketing, and taking chances (like increasing production during the U.S. prohibition when other distilleries were cutting back or closing altogether.
Rich, forward aromas redolent of peach pit, candied citrus, vanilla, and cherry jam. Full-flavoured, with sultana, dates, plum, and baked apple that give way to a long, vanilla and white pepper finish. A textbook Speyside malt, it deftly combines finesse and complexity, with no rough edges and all components in perfect harmony.
The Balvenie “The Sweet Toast of American Oak” Aged 12 Years Single Malt Scotch Whisky
The Balvenie “house style” is kind of the liquid equivalent of a big, plush, cozy leather armchair pulled close to a comforting fireplace on a cold winter night. In other words, decadent and luxurious, but also refined. Given its status in the single malt world, the distillery could probably just sit on what it’s got and relax (in a big, plush, cozy…). But that’s not how it rolls. Continuously experimenting, The Balvenie doesn’t shy from taking chances. Like handing the reigns to 25-year-old Apprentice Malt Master Kelsey McKechnie, who envisioned something new. “The idea was to pull out as much of the flavour of the wood as possible,” she explains.
Charred Kentucky virgin oak barrels were re-charred again at the Balvenie Cooperage and used to “finish” the already ex-bourbon casked spirit. The result is a whisky with a penetrating, vanilla-laced caramelized fruit nose, with a touch of marzipan and polished wood. These aromas segue into a rich, enveloping, and perfectly balanced palate sporting layers of sweet dried citrus, honey, and candied nuts that trail off onto a long, mildly spicy finish. The weather outside might be frightful, so stay inside with this delightful dram.
Nikka “From The Barrel” Japanese Whisky
Japanese whiskies sort of went from, “Japan makes whisky?” to “sold out everywhere” in a relatively short span of time. And Nikka continues to distil some of the country’s most coveted drams, while ceaselessly experimenting and pushing the edge of what can be done.
“From The Barrel” aptly demonstrates Nikka’s adeptness in this arena. A whisky blended from over 100 malt and grain whiskies (some of which may not be Japanese) bottled “from the barrel” (though not quite at cask strength). Expect a nose redolent of orange marmalade, treacle, toasted nuts, nougat, and cocoa powder. This is a big, powerful, warm whisky that sports flavour notes of toffee, buttered nuts, dark chocolate, and spice cake. In spite of the power and complexity, it retains Nikka’s “house style” that emphasizes impeccable balance over brute power.
Honourable mentions
- Alberta Premium “Batch 10” Legacy Reserve Canadian whisky
- Canadian Club Classic “Invitation Series” 18-Year-Old High Proof Canadian whisky
- Flor de Caña Eco-15 rum
- Gibson’s Finest “Venerable” Aged 18 Years Canadian whisky
- Hennessy XO Cognac
- Mitchter’s Sour Mash whiskey
- Patrón El Cielo tequila
- Roku Gin
- Seventh Heaven Classic London Dry Gin
- Writer’s Tears Inniskillin Ice Wine Cask Irish whiskey
Tod Stewart has more than 40 years of professional writing experience. An award-winning journalist and published author, he has worked as a consultant, trainer and educator to the hospitality industry, the Ontario wine industry, and the beverage alcohol trade. He holds numerous professional certifications in wine, spirits and sake; is a Whisky Ambassador and has acted as a judge for the Toronto International Sake Challenge. He currently is a judge for the Canadian Artisan Spirits Competition.
