Day 6 – Six Geese-a-laying Eau-de-Vie
In 1953, while visiting the Niagara region, Otto E. Rieder nearly laid an egg when he discovered that no one had thought to turn the region’s abundant fruit into spirits. That egg finally hatched in 1972 when Rieder inaugurated his distillery with fruit eau-de-vie that trickled off the still.
The image of microdistillers today is that they begin with vodka and gin followed by small-batch whisky. Yet, most of Canada’s first microdistilleries actually began by distilling local farm windfall into eau-de-vie and brandy. So, if you’re looking for the Canadian goose that laid the golden egg, look no further, it’s fruit brandy. These six Eau-de-vies and brandies will look just fine nestled under a decorated tree.
Iron Works Apple Brandy (42%)
Pierre Guevremont and Lynne MacKay have been making brandy using the same process since 2009. They mash, ferment and distil local Nova Scotia apples, then age the result in 100-litre medium toasted Hungarian Oak barrels.
Flavour variations fluctuate from batch to batch depending on factors such as weather and the sugar content of the crop. That makes Iron Work’s apple brandy excitingly nuanced from year to year. No matter the changing growing season, this flavourful brandy is consistently rich with a range of apple flavours complemented by shades of spiced vanilla, maple, new lumber and toasted oak.
375ml $34.90
Winegarden Estates Johnny Ziegler Framboise (38%)
The name Johnny Ziegler on a bottle of their Framboise fits like a warm pair of mittens. In Germany, Johnny Ziegler was a carpenter who found his holy spirit in his fruit orchards. In 1860, the Grand Duke of the Province of Baden granted him the right to operate a distillery. These distilling rights passed down through the generations to great-grandson Werner Rosswog and his wife Roswitha. They immigrated to Canada in 1983, and opened New Brunswick’s first microdistillery in 1991.
This easy-sipping Framboise eau-de-vie is perfumed and floral, punctuated by fresh raspberry. On the palate, the fruit’s tart nuances accent its soft raspberry sweetness, with delicate spices on the finish. Authentic and well made.
375 ml $17.00
Tawse Winery and Distillery La Pressatura – Gewürztraminer (45%)
When Tawse Winery first opened their distillery, three Italian style Grappa spirits premiered on shelves. For their Gewürztraminer spirit, they harvested organic and biodynamic grapes from their Quarry Road Vineyard. Then they fermented just the skins for two weeks before double distilling the result in their copper pot still.
The intensely perfumed nose is rich with earthy herbal notes, exotic fruits, fleeting ginger spice and grapes. This complex and minerally spirit unfolds into a unified bounty of dried grapes stripped of their sugar with a finish that walks a line between velvety and peppery – a fine and exciting spirit.
375ml $30.15
Maple Leaf Spirits Canadian Kirsch (40%)
Maple Leaf sources tree-ripened cherries from local orchards to distil their traditional Kirsch. Fresh tart cherry notes accompany loads of dry heat on the nose. This is a niche spirit with heaps of character. The spirit’s gigantic cherry notes taste like every drop of flavour was percolated from the fruit. A drop of water pulls back the reigns on the Kirsch’s inherit heat without losing any of the direct cherry flavours that drift into the pleasant finish.
375 ml bottle $35.99
Domaine LaFrance Pure Legende (42%)
Eight apple varieties are mashed, fermented and distilled to make this beautiful apple eau-de-vie. Sumptuous apples and pears flood the nose along with tangy lemon drops. Baked apples and apple cider entice the palate, starting clean then building to spice flares that continue into the finish. Pure Legende is a beautiful spirit that showcases Quebec’s coveted orchards.
500ml $39.75
Gagetown Distilling Apple Brandy (40%)
Come fall, this New Brunswick distillery is busy tending to their apple orchards. Apple brandy is one of the fruits of their labours. After mashing and fermenting the apples, they age them for nine months in ex-bourbon barrels, creating a brandy that is rich with juicy ripe apples and bready with a smattering of young oak. This is a countryside brandy that puts New Brunswick apples in the spotlight.
www.gagetowndistillingcidery.ca
375ml $28.99
Join us tomorrow for Day 7: Liqueur suggestions. Or, if you’d rather figure it out on your own, there are many more spirits to be found in our book The Definitive Guide to Canadian Distilleries – a gift suggestion in itself and one that’s worth its weight in five gold rings.