Toronto Distillery Co. Ontario Organic Grain Spirit Batch No. 5

I have been planning on doing an epic Canadian whisky tasting for Canada Day for months - however, this week I was able to take some time away and go to Haliburton for a vacation, and just got back yesterday. So it's Sunday afternoon around 1pm and I have some time to go through SEVEN Canadian whiskies!

Well, our first one isn't technically a whisky, but a grain spirit distilled from organic ontario wheat. The Toronto Distillery Co. opened three years ago in the Junction area of Toronto (about 10 mins from my house) and is Toronto's first new distillery since 1933. Founders Charles Benoit and Jesse Razaqpur distill only Ontario organic grains. The soft white winter wheat used here comes from a farm in Schomberg. They give you a lot of detailed information about their philosophy and craft on their website. This bottling is from Batch No. 5 and is freshly opened.

The colour is clear. Fruity on the nose, with lime and a hint of plum. Wheetabix. Very spirity, flowery and clean. Medicinal. Water makes it even more flowery, and also brings barley sugar (although there is no barley in the spirit). Nothing like whisky, really, but very similar to new make spirit.

On the palate we have chili peppers mixed in with the citrus. Black liquorice. Lemon zest. Creamy mouthfeel but estery - though not unpleasant. Surprisingly drinkable, in fact (especially with water), but not exciting.

The finish is rough and spicy, otherwise nondescript. This is very difficult to score as it really is nothing like a whisky - I'm comparing apples to oranges (actually, neither of those notes are present here, but you get my drift). The website gives you a couple of cocktails to try so that may give you the best enjoyment out of it, though like Buffalo Trace White Dog, it's not bad to drink on its own. I'm very interested to see what comes out of this unique distillery in the future.