Eau Claire Batch 004 Single Malt Whisky

Each September, David Farran scans the western sky for autumn storms that might threaten his crop. He doesn’t rely on Doppler Radar, satellites or modern meteorological technologies, and why would he? When it’s time to harvest his grain, he avoids the modern, 90-horsepower tractor too. His antique farm equipment runs on real horsepower, the kind that would love to snack on his treasured barley.

Farran’s horse farming practices revive traditions that disappeared thanks to Franz Ferdinand's failure to dodge a bullet. Ferdinand’s assassination led to the First World War, which caused growing demands for food and an employee shortage when farmhands enlisted. Gasoline tractors, new at the time, were necessary to keep up and over the course of a generation, workhorses were retired to the stable.

Not by Farran, though. His passion for tradition brought him together with other like-minded farmers who work the land using horse-drawn equipment. But what to do with all that grain? Farran answered that question by opening Eau Claire Distillery – taking the farm-to-glass concept to a literal level. Eau Claire distils Farran’s grain into whisky, including its new Batch 004 Single Malt.

Connecting the Land to Whisky

Eau Claire's old-fashioned approach to making whisky begins with fitting the latest fall fashions in horseshoes. Then vintage farm equipment is harnessed to a team of draft horses that walk in tandem like equestrian models on a grain runway. This horse-driven machinery cuts the barley, bundles it into sheaves, then kicks it back onto the field. Volunteers following behind stack the sheaves in stooks to dry. A week later, workers return with pitchforks tossing the dry sheaves into an antique thresher that strips the grain from the stalk.

“Horse farming for our distillery is satisfying for so many reasons,” explains Farran on their website. “We are connected to the land in the ultimate ‘farm to glass’ experience – to our knowledge, the only distillery doing so in North America and maybe the world. We are preserving knowledge of farming that has been lost to a new generation and, more so, we are able to work with some of the most beautiful and majestic animals on the planet – the gentle giant workhorses bred to work the fields.”

Farran harvests about 1,800 bushels of grain each year and sends it to the distillery to be mashed, fermented, distilled then tucked away in barrels. For Batch 004, the whisky aged in a combination of ex-bourbon barrels and new European oak barrels. "Batch #004 has the same types of barrels as Batch #003 with slightly different proportions,” says master distiller Caitlin Quinn. “With every batch of single malt, we try all the barrels available for that release and pick the best, which then dictates what we have available to work with for the blend.”

The Batch 004 Single Malt Whisky Signature

How does this rustic approach to production affect the whisky’s flavour? A vibrant, aromatic nose settles into a groove of dark fruit and creamy caramels with hints of kiwi, wildflowers, raw grain, vanilla and rose. Spicy heat on the palate slowly turns to a warm honey glow with clean blue-ribbon malts bundled together with hints of roasted wood, as that heat fades softly into a pleasing peppery tingle.

“Eau Claire Distillery’s Batch 001, 002 and 003 single malt whiskies were so different in taste from each other," says Quinn. "But I think with Batch 004, we're settling into a signature flavour profile, really showcasing Alberta barley and what Alberta single malt has to offer the world of whisky. Batch 004 is a true expression of the Alberta terroir.” A terroir-driven by horsepower and the homegrown grains that feed the distillery. You might find another distillery making a whisky like Eau Claire’s Batch 004, but you’ll need a time machine – preferably a 1911 horse-drawn model, so David Farran can take you for a spin.