Odd Society P49 Old Boy Single Malt Whisky

Odd Society Spirits Brewery Collaboration

This is the mashup of 2020. Late in the year, Odd Society Spirits bottled the first whiskies from a project that had been three years in the making. We know Odd Society best from their core whisky expressions, Commodore Single Malt Whisky and Prospector Canadian Rye. Now the East Vancouver distillery has partnered with four neighbourhood breweries to create whiskies that express each partner’s unique characteristics.

P49 Old Boy Single Malt Whisky was mashed at the Parallel 49 brewery using a recipe based on its Old Boy Classic Brown Ale. The mash was then transported to Odd Society distillery to be fermented, distilled and matured. The result is a somewhat traditional single malt, laden with those distinct flavours of toffee and chocolate that denote Parallel 49 Old Boy Classic.

Tasting Odd Society P49 Old Boy

A sweet, malty whisky with hot white pepper, dry grain, brown hay, halva, chocolate-covered cherries and cola. P49 feels lush and full on the palate and spicy hot on the sides of the tongue with citrus accents before it fades slowly into dry grain – a snapshot of the ale’s essence. Nosed after tasting, new aromas emerge, including red fruits, hints of bike tires, cow barn and a smidgen of vanilla.

Innovation at Odd Society

Based on Odd Society owner Gordon Glanz’s brewing and distilling studies at Edinburgh’s Heriot-Watt University, Odd Society Spirits combines Old World distilling traditions with New World ingredients to produce innovative whiskies and other spirits, including vodka and gin. Working together with local breweries is one of these avenues of innovation. Peated and smoked whiskies, along with port-finished ones are also in the works.

“I was a brewer before I started distilling and had been spending a lot of my time with other brewers,” says distiller Joel McNichol, explaining how the brewery collaborations came about. “My friends and I intended to create something rare and cool together that honours our crafts and our community.”

P49 Old Boy and the other brewery collaboration whiskies sold out quickly, but no need to despair. Glanz and McNichol always have something new in the pipeline with more beer collaborations in the works. These include a whisky that uses buckwheat in the mash, an IPA whisky and a corn whisky.

“The sad part,” says Glanz, “is when we find something we really like, it takes so long to replicate.” Well, Gordon, that’s a small price for whisky lovers to pay.