Stand-out bottles for the holidays

Glen Breton Rare 14 Year Old Canadian Single Malt
Nova Scotia
$135
North America’s oldest craft distillery is in full stride these days with an extensive portfolio of uniformly impressive whiskies. This is its best-seller, with stone fruit and vanilla on the nose, caramel with hints of coconut on the palate. Sure to please even the most finicky single malt whisky aficionado.
glenbretonwhisky.com

Lot No. 40 Dark Oak Canadian Whisky
Ontario
$63
While Canadians remain fond of calling all our whiskies “rye” very few contain significant proportions of the grain. Not so this dark beauty, made from 100-percent rye and finished in heavily charred oak barrels for a punchy, spicy aroma and flavour, well suited to a Manhattan or for simply sipping straight.
jpwisers.com

Distillerie Mariana Morbleu Spiced Rum
Quebec
$36
Key to the success of this spiced rum, recently crowned world’s best at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, is its unique combinations of botanicals ranging from conventional vanilla to Quebec-grown rosemary and Comptonia peregrina, aka sweetfern. The not-too-sweet result is the ideal blend of balance and restraint. distilleriemariana.com

Shelter Point Single Malt Whisky
British Columbia
$82
Patience lies at the heart of Shelter Point’s success – in the two-and-a-half years they took to build the distillery; in aging their first whisky for five years prior to its release; and in slowly, almost glacially, expanding their market across the country. It has all paid off, with this, their flagship whisky, now ranking among the country’s very best. Expect an aroma of fresh grain with hints of chocolate and seaside, soft fruit and brown spice on the palate, and a lightly spicy, supremely satisfying finish.
shelterpoint.ca

The Woods Spirit Co. Pacific Northwest Amaro
British Columbia
$42
Fabio Martini’s goal of making something that’s “not like Campari but can be used in [its] place” is admirably achieved with this distinctive aperitivo. At first lightly sweet, then herbal and bittersweet, and finally herbaceous and a bit piney, it’s the flavours of British Columbia in a bottle.
thewoodsspiritco.com

Ironworks Distillery Marc
Nova Scotia
$40/375 ml
Marc – pronounced “mahr” – is the French equivalent of grappa. This Maritime version, made from the seeds and skins of Nova Scotia grapes, emerges from its stainless steel maturation with a floral, fruity body and slightly spicy finish, making it equally wonderful as aperitif or digestif.
ironworksdistillery.com

Spirit of York Aquavit
Ontario
$50
A Nordic spirit traditionally accented by caraway, aquavit is given a bit of a modern makeover here, with a rounder, slightly citrusy and more floral character than you might find in Scandinavia. Splendid for creative mixology or for serving chilled between courses at a dinner party.
spiritofyork.com

— Stephan Beaumont

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