There’s a lot more to North America than Bourbon!
When: 8th August 2025
Where: The Yard, Ely
Host: Elliott Drinks Whisky
I like to try and choose themes that feel distinct from recent previous events and line-ups so that repeat attendees feel like they’re exploring a range of whiskies, and so that people who may not have connected with an earlier theme might be encouraged to try a different event. My other visits to Ely have seen me present a broad introduction to the spirit, and a Scotch-focused line-up (though I did slip in an English blend).
It still feels like my visits to The Yard are the beginning of the journey, so choosing North America felt like a good theme which could offer a foundational look at a few styles of whisky and the considerations around them. As I mentioned in the event advert, we only covered Canada and the USA, which is a great shame because the Mexican Sierra Norte heritage corn whiskies are delicious; just, sourcing them for this event was tricky. Nevertheless, the range of corn, rye and malt whiskies readily available from those 2 powerhouses of the industry meant there was no trouble picking an engaging line-up; even replete with peat!
One fun thing about this theme is how it lets you confront how bonkers the Canadian legislature is surrounding the Geographical Indicator (GI). I’d always read and accepted that definition was insane, but I did want to see the evidence for myself. It proved harder than I was expecting, even though (or maybe because) there was somewhat of an overhaul of the documentation last year. For perspective, it was less than a minute to dig out the newly ratified (December 2024) definition of American Single Malt Whisky, a similar time to pull up the Scotch Whisky Association’s direction to the UK government’s records of the definitions of Scotch, and only a little longer to find the proposals for the English Whisky GI. It took me over half an hour to track down the documents for Canadian whisky. The important thing is, I proved to myself that it does absolutely imply Canadian Rye Whisky doesn’t need to contain any Rye (cereal, spirit or otherwise), but could pretty much contain any flavouring you like. It doesn’t mean that Canadian whisky should be demonised – not at all – it just means you need to try and know what you’re buying.
The Whisky
(Click on the images to buy a bottle)
Bearface – Triple Oak
Canadian Whisky – 42.5%
Justification: Transparent Canadian grain
Available in the UK since 2024, but being bottled and sold in Canada from 2018, Bearface whiskies are a wonderful example of how to tread that wild Canadian whisky line. It is an independent bottling of an unknown distillery’s output, but the buyers of the spirit finish it in a host of ways. The bottle we tried, which is the lone expression available in the UK at the moment, is unusual, but uncontroversial. Other offerings they have available over the pond include tequila blended bottles and mushroom infusions.
The elementally aged, triple oak, starts off as a high-corn corn whisky; I couldn’t find definitive agreement online, but 99.5% to 100% is much of a range (the other 0.5% in the lower case was attributed to malted barley). It’s distilled and initially aged for 7 years in Ontario, before Bearface buy it and ships it to British Columbia. The three woods used to finish this expression are American ex-bourbon, French ex-red wine and Hungarian virgin oak, although the exact timings and marriage of the three isn’t fully explained online. We do know that they earn the ‘elementally aged’ label by spending their finishing period out in the wilderness in a modified shipping container. Exposed to fluctuating temperatures between -10°C and 40°C, as pores expand and contract, forcing the spirit through the wood, they have plenty of time to interact and exchange flavours and profiles in even just a few months.
Notes: Floral, citrus/pink grapefruit, brandy, ginger, a bit rubbery, some popcorn.
SirDavis
American Rye Whisky – 44%
Justification: Unusual rye style
Unusually for me, this a whisky that I have had and enjoyed before I chose to present it because, as I’ve just said, it’s really lovely, but also because of the story associated with it. Amongst the whisky community, when it launched last year with a full fanfare, there has been a mixed reaction. Again, that was in part due to what is inside the bottle, but also because of how it comes to be.
To cut to the chase, this is Beyoncé’s whisky, named after he great-grandfather, who was a prolific prohibition-era moonshiner. She approached LVMH (Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton), current owners of Ardbeg and Glenmorangie distilleries, amongst many other luxury brands and products, with her passion for whisky and knowing her families history. She spent time with one of the great minds/noses currently marshalling Ardbeg and Glenmorangie, and they shared and sampled countless whiskies from around the world so that he could get a feeling for what she liked.
Ultimately, armed with that information, and with the company seeing an opportunity to launch their first fully American brand, they opted for a rye whisky.
Notes: Marmelade, rye toast, cognac, dates, pineapple gin, sugared almonds, peanuts.
Knob Creek – Small Batch 9yo
American Straight Bourbon Whiskey – 50%
Justification: Good bourbon
While it’s a blended Scotch brand that tends to sit atop the worldwide whisky sales leaderboards every year (not accounting for things labelled whisky which don’t conform to the standards most countries enforce), there are 2 bourbon brands following closely behind. It would have been wrong to host a North American-themed whisky tasting without featuring a bourbon.
Knob Creek is a brand from Jim Beam (which is owned by the Japanese-based conglomerate of Beam Suntory), and this expression was launched in 1992 to target the higher-end bourbon buyers. Although the mashbill is the same as most standard Jim Beam bottlings (75% corn : 13% rye : 12 malted barley), it’s the aging that sets it apart: a clear 9 year age statement.
As with most massive brands, they don’t need to work too hard to sell it, so there isn’t much backstory with it. The slightly higher than average 50% abv is a nice touch, and we know, because it is a bourbon, that it spent its time aging in brand new, charred, American oak casks. There was a point in the early noughties where they were advertising warehouse shortages of barrels old enough to bottle, and for 4 years before 2020 the age statement was ultimately dropped, but it’s back now. All that being said, this was a really solid, not sickly sweet, enjoyable bourbon.
Notes: Caramel, vanilla, oak spice, orange liqueur, damp wood, tea bag, ginger beer, aniseed.
Two Brewers – Peated Release #38
Canadian Single Malt Whisky – 46%
Justification: Interesting craft distillery
Canadian Single Malt is not an officially defined term in Canada. Malt whisky is, but not the ‘single’ modifier, and as stated higher up this page, the ‘malt whisky’ definition isn’t exactly strict. So as with the Bearface, you have to seek out information on what you’re buying/drinking to ensure you get what you want. In the case of Two Brewers, reading about them makes it clear they are passionate about what they’re doing and doing it rigorously. If there was a strict legal definition of Canadian Single Malt, they would absolutely qualify.
Starting to brew in 1997, they consciously chose to first understand and perfect the depth of what was possible for them in that field before moving on to distillation in 2009. In both their beer and their whisky, they seek flavour in all stages of the production, knowing the power that the malt holds, experimenting with different yeasts, letting a variety of casks do their work as well. Each whisky release is some unique combination of those factors at play.
Researching this 38th release online shows it to be a marriage of peated and unpeated spirit and there’s general (but not complete) agreement that the peated portion is 11 years old, with the unpeated portion being slightly younger at 10. It’s mostly the peated spirit, though the exact percentage isn’t known for sure (at least to me), but is likely over, but about, 70%.
Notes: Citrus + smoke, then milk chocolate + coal clouds. Loads of dark chocolate with a bit more time. Some rosemary/bay, little peppermint. Water lifts the chocolate notes but brings out more of the savoury.
Boulder Spirits – Peated
American Single Malt Whisky – 46%
Justification: New American classification
As I wrote for the bourbon above, it would be wrong to host a North American whisky tasting without featuring a single malt. In December last year, American Single Malt Whisky became the first new whisky type to be ratified into US law in 52 years. It was a massive achievement, driven by the American Single Malt Whisky Commission. Founded in 2016, it’s an industry body (much like the Scotch Whisky Association) which has grown from its original 9 founding members to over 130 member distilleries. They formed with the goal of championing and preserving the category of whisky, and what they believed it meant to meet the classification.
Boulder Spirits, based out of Vapor Distillery in Colorado, are a member of the ASMWC, although they do make other varieties of whisky too. Originally a partnership between a Scottish migrant who wanted to make whisky and an already up-and-running gin distiller, the aim was to make whiskies that fused Scottish and American traditions. So, the barley is 100% imported, the still is a Forsyths of Scotland, and they use predominantly virgin oak casks.
They were one of the first distilleries laying down single malt whisky, back in 2015, and in 2023, they released what was the oldest bottled-in-bond (kept in a federal warehouse to age for at least 4 years, and be made of grain from a single season) American single malt. The climate of Boulder, Colorado, with its fluctuating air pressure, ensures increased spirit-cask interaction, so flavours are imparted more quickly. This expression is made from 100% Scottish peated, malted barley and was aged for at least 3 years in a virgin charred American oak cask.
Notes: Floral smoke, soft, limestone, some chicken gravy. Ginger beer, jacket potato + toffee.
The Winners
Vote Winner: Bottle #2 – SirDavis
Close Contenders: Bottles #3 – Knob Creek & #4 – Two Brewers
For the second time, I’ve attended a tasting with the SirDavis included in the line-up, and it won the vote and my vote; it is that good. It is a genuinely impressive whisky, developed by people who must care about what they’re producing. And to their credit, perhaps, looking at the bottle alone, there’s no indication that this is a celebrity whisky.
There’s not much more to add about the Knob Creek and Two Brewers. The former is a solid bourbon choice, the latter is a wonder slice of experimentation and craft talent.