Bareface Release Triple Oak Whisky in the UK
Earlier this year, Bearface released its Triple Oak whisky for the first time in the UK. The Bearface Triple Oak whisky is distilled from 100% corn and matured in American oak barrels previously used for Bourbon whiskey.
During distillation, three variants are available: medium toast, spicy medium toast, and heavy toast – a result of a seven-year aging process. The spirit is then finished for 3-6 months in French oak casks and 60-90 days in air-dried virgin Hungarian oak barrels.
Notably, it is the goal of the distillery to awaken more interest in Canadian whisky. Although the whisky business in Canada has existed since the 1830s, it has not yet achieved the level of popularity it enjoys in its own country overseas.
The Making of Bearface Triple Oak Whisky
As part of its Wilderness series, it released the world’s first Matsutake whisky last year. The umami finish on that whisky is stellar, as you would expect. However, this expression is only available in Canada.
In his presentation, Master Distiller Andres Faustinelli explained how Bearface distills this whisky in slightly unconventional ways.
“The whisky industry is trying to always predict what is coming out of its casks,” Faustinelli says, while taking us on a taste tour of the different stages of the whisky’s maturation.
“They rotate the cask in the warehouses and they know exactly the blend between the casks in the top floor versus the bottom floor. They ensure there is some predictability.
“I don’t do that. I am jumping into shipping containers with this whisky and the seasons in Canada are not predictable. Bearface is a blend that is a combination of different seasons.”
Due to North Canada’s extreme weather, Bearface can do something unique with its whisky making. It calls this Elemental Aging, a process that changes the whisky’s taste based on the extreme elements.