6 Years Old
Single Malt
Alberta, Canada
Batch distilled in the traditional way, Alberta’s first single malt continues to forge the path in this new and exciting category of “Alberta Single Malt Whisky”. Foundational to their whisky they use 100% Alberta malted barley; Milled Mashed, Distilled and Aged on site in Turner Valley, AB.
A single malt from the foothills of the Canadian Rockies.
This is not my first foray into Caitlin Quinn‘s award winning creations. Cask 047 was dynamite, Batch 005 was fruity and sweet, today I’m diving into Batch 006. This is the oldest batch release from Eau Claire Distillery to date at 6 years old. Consisting of malt whiskies aged separately in New European (Hungarian Oak), Ex-Sherry (French Oak) and Ex-Bourbon (American Oak) barrels before being expertly blended together into the expression I’m exploring today.
The Review
The Sniff
My nose is greeted with familiar scents that waft through our home – caramel, cinnamon loaf, strawberries in yogurt and at the end hint of salted toffee.
The Sip
It’s even better on the palate. I’m greeted with wonderful spices – those found in my favourite baked desserts, butterscotch caramel, green apple, finely ground black pepper.
The Finale
The finely ground black pepper yields to a sweet and spicy finish that holds on the top of my mouth and back of the throat. As it fades to cereal, it beckons me to take another sip.
The Wrap-up
You can taste the time honoured traditions and ancient techniques coupled with modern creativity that go into every small batch of whisky Eau Claire Distillery makes and Batch 006 is no different. This is a whisky that draws you in from first smell all the way to the lingering finish. I can’t wait to see what is in store for us when Batch 007 comes out.
