Editor’s Observe: This evaluation was initially printed in 2023. It was up to date and republished in June 2025. Watch this house for the opposite two Bearface opinions.
Bearface whisky is one thing of a pan-Canadian product. Though the mash invoice leans closely on corn (99.5% corn to 0.5% malted barley, to be exact) and eschews the rye generally related to Canadian whisky, it travels throughout a lot of the nation. The core spirit is distilled in Ontario earlier than being transported to a B.C. vineyard, the place it’s ready to bear a singular maturation course of that Grasp Blender Andreas Faustinelli has termed “elemental growing old.”
This may be considered one thing like backcountry Jefferson’s Ocean— casks are saved in repurposed transport containers that go away the maturing whisky considerably uncovered to the weather of the distant Canadian North. Of explicit curiosity is the extreme seasonal fluctuation of temperatures on this a part of the world which introduces each variables of utmost chilly and excessive warmth to the interplay between wooden and alcohol.
I tasted three of Bearface’s choices– their flagship and two particular bottlings. Bearface’s flagship bottle is the Triple Oak, aged in a mixture of American ex-bourbon barrels, French former pink wine casks, and virgin Hungarian oak. I additionally tasted the Oaxaca version of their One Eleven Collection, which takes benefit of the flexibleness out there to the Canadian whisky class by mixing in a single half mezcal to 10 elements of Bearface’s whisky. Inter-liquor mixing of this type is disqualifying for a lot of main whiskey classes, however it’s truthful recreation for Canadian whisky, which grants a large latitude for experimentation.
Tasting Notes: Bearface Triple Oak
Important Stats: Aged 7 years. 85 proof. Priced at round $40.
Look: Pale gold shade and medium-to-thin physique.
Nostril: Chocolatey-toasty notes vaguely paying homage to the beer-brewing aromas of mashing in darker malts, however with a bizarre dry-erase marker off-note that sort of spoils the enjoyable. I initially thought I’d gone overboard with the dish cleaning soap the final time I washed my glencairn however after I’d poured new tasters into a pair completely different glasses I used to be compelled to conclude that this word belonged to the whisky…
Palate: They’re not kidding in regards to the oak. Toasty wooden, baking spice, and assertive tannins dominate the palate, punctuated by faint apple notes and a return of the darkish malt flavors of the nostril which settle someplace between chocolate and low bitterness.
Ultimate Ideas: Attention-grabbing and distinctive. There’s some promising stuff right here, however to my thoughts it wants some tremendous tuning to deliver some extra stability to the palate and to repair no matter is happening with the nostril. I’m not likely a fan of what I tasted, however I see how I might turn into one.
Rating: 6/10
Learn the total article at Whisky Evaluate: Bearface Triple Oak Elementally Aged Canadian Whisky 7 12 months Outdated
