Vancouver is not short on food and drink events. And one of the newest to cause a stir is FEAST! As taken from their website, FEAST! Is “An unparalleled culinary festival featuring a roster of top Canadian chefs in support of the BC Cancer Foundation.”
In their inaugural year they are already hosting a week’s worth of events that includes educational seminars by some of the hottest chefs in the Vancouver food scene, as well as workshops that offer an up close and personal look at many of the fine spirits that grace many top Vancouver restaurants and bars.
Today we were indulging in the latter at their FEAST! Spirit Salon, a look at some of the top boutique importers of small batch and lesser-known whiskies and spirits, exclusively for British Columbia’s hospitality industry to sample. This was an intimate event where we had the opportunity to hear the stories as we explored spirits we might not otherwise would have heard of.
The following is a collection of what we tried, as we visited 9 tables hosting 4 unique bottles to sample each. We would try them all and not let a single drop go to waste. Therefore, be warned that my note taking did suffer the more we moved along.
At the TS Global table we sampled Japanese artisan gin and whiskey, each bottle featuring ingredients and characteristics distinctive to Japan.
Like their Masahiro Okinawa Gin that proudly advertised the inclusion of bitter melon and guava leaves in their recipe. And their Kanomori Craft Gin that utilizes over 20 different botanicals, which they brought as a visual story. I found pine the most prominent flavour here with Szechuan pepper on the nose.
I was already familiar with the Japanese Shinobu Whiskey and how it uses a specific tree local to Japan to flavour their spirit. Although it does prove challenging as its bark is gnarled and not ideal for construction, so the result is a barrel with gaps that allows a portion of the spirit it is trying to flavour, to go to waste. But on the same token this is the epitome of Japanese culture, where the beauty of it comes from the necessity of such labour.
And the table’s last bottle, the Kujira Ryukyu Whisky Inari was described as if sake and bourbon had a love child.
At the Truth Malters table we were getting a formal introduction to Taiwan’s most renowned makers of whisky, Ka Van Lan with over 20 years in the industry and 10 expressions in their portfolio. They are fanatics in making quality whisky and pride themselves in being the world leader of whiskey winners with 700 awards where they only count gold and platinum designations.
An interesting fact about Ka Van Lan’s whiskeys is that considering Taiwan’s extreme hot and cold fluctuating weather, the climate affects the aging process. Where they find that their whiskies age quicker, and therefore they are unable to speak to age statements, but instead focus on the method of aging and using a variety of casks in their production.
Their most notable wine is the Vinho Barrique, a whisky aged in cask strength wine with one of the highest ABVs at 58.6%. For Ka Van Lan’s efforts this was named the World Whisky award winner of 2015. I found it delivers caramel on the nose, fruits and spices going in, and that the spirit evolves as it grows on you.
The other 3 bottles they brought out to showcase today included the Concertmaster Sherry that is aged in a sherry barrel that has been shaved, toasted and re-charred for a bold and complex flavour. The result is a whiskey that is easy on the nose with light buttery butterscotch and finishes oaky.
Next, we moved on to table number 3 with Sovereign Canada and their selection of spirits advertised as a collection for those who like to mix cocktails. Each I found original on its own.
The Aylesbury Duck was a smooth vodka that I would and could drink as is, which as you may know, is not common for most vodka brands. This did not taste or smell like nail polish and had a great viscosity to it.
Barsol is a pisco that originates from Peru, which we learned should be the case with all true piscos. This one in particular was good for individual, creative infusions with its own flavour of cooked fruits and melon.
Rum Bar Silver is a 100% pot still rum, and the last estate run rum production in Jamaica. It was memorable with its unique funkiness that would make for a great daiquiri. I got flavours of cooked plantain and bananas with hits of raisin sweetness.
Ono is an ancestral Mexican spirit. Not tequila or mezcal, this one is not even agave based, but is derived from a plant that is more similar to asparagus. We found it had a nice smokiness to it, and like all the other spirits in this collection designed for mixing, but enjoyable on its own.
At the Reservas Tequila table we sampled 4 South American spirits.
La Gritona Reposado is proudly an all-female operation with an eye-catching bottle that was designed for literal bootlegging. The way the bottle is shaped allows one to comfortably strap it on to their ankle/leg for easy carrying.
Grand Mayan Ultra has the familiar look of Mexican tequila with its decorative pottery/container. It is aged for 3-5 years in French cognac barrels and at $170 a bottle is a great value for an ultra-aged tequila.
Estancia Raicilla was described to us as a gin-like agave spirit. I found it had the taste of green peppercorn, giving it a fiery kick.
Bozal Ensamble Mezcal is their everyday Mexican spirit offering with a light, yet earthy smokiness to it.
At Lionheart Spirits we started with the Legbiter Navy Strength Gin, made by the same folks who created the Isle of Harris and Empress gin. Where hydroelectricity powers their distillery and they harvest their own forest botanicals on their own estate.
They also had an Orange and coffee liquor that delivered on both with a pleasant easy drinking coffee flavour.
I have tried Two Stacks light grain, double malt, pot stilled whiskey on the go before with their dram in a can; so got to revisited it today as a bottle pour.
Boulder’s American Single Malt was another familiar bottle. Pot stilled, this is a marriage of unpeated and peated single malt in a sherry cask finish. The result is a whisper of light smoke.
Drinkwell Imports was on site promoting Isle of Harris Gin and Kyro Whiskey. Isle of Harris is a gin made with 9 botanicals, sugar kelp being the main one. They are Scotland’s favourite gin 3 years running and is a gold winner in Toyko and San Fransico. It is recommended to enjoy neat or as the feature in a more refined gin cocktail.
Kyro came with its own gin and a couple of whiskies including their straight single malt whiskey and a malt rye whisky with a barrel smokey finish. Worth mentioning is that their gin isunique on to themselves given the addition of rye spice.
At the Beverage Collection table with their 4 samples things started getting fuzzy and I missed taking notes on Espiña Negra Espadin.
We started with Peddlers Craft Gin, as the only gin to come out of Shanghai. As a homage to its country of origin it had a Szechuan peppery spice to it, making it an acquired taste.
The La Higuera Leiophyllum Sotol was a spirit with darker notes and a leathery and peppery finish.
Sunday’s Whisky was described to us as being a whisky made for those in the hospitality in industry. One of the oldest whiskies in Japan at 250 years old. I found it an easy drinking and light spirit that would be nice to wind down with, hence the name and description above.
At the next table we tried Black Bull, a 12 years old malt whiskies that are matured for 12 years in oak casks, as well as a collection of Silkie’s Irish whiskies that gave me a lasting impression of rich caramel forward blends that were strong.
And our last booth was hosted by Authentic Wines & Spirits with familiar brands Shelter Point whiskies and Mitchter’s Bourbon.
An overall great showcase where I learned a lot and drank enough to forget some of it.
For more on FEAST! Vancouver and all their events to come and how you can attend, visit the link below.
https://www.feastvancouver.com/
