Bearface Triple Oak

This is a new Canadian whisky. I only found out about it because I got an email from their sales rep/marketing person/brand ambassador. Maybe my blog isn't so invisible after all. That said, they didn't send me a free bottle so I'm not at a Davin de Kergommeaux or Dave Broom level just yet. Apologies if this write-up is longer than usual, but I believe this is the first review of this whisky on Connosr, so I thought I'd lay some groundwork and save you some Googling.

From their press release, I found out that the makers of Bearface sourced "exceptional 7-year-old Canadian whisky from the shores of Lake Huron" and then "Mission Hill Family Estate Winery allowed Master Blender Andres Faustinelli to experiment with countless barrel and wood combinations with the objective of developing an expertly hand-finished process that would give BEARFACE a unique character, distinct from traditional Canadian Whisky."

From the Lake Huron write-up, I'm guessing this was distilled at Canadian Mist/Collingwood distillery.

More from the official write-up:

This single grain whisky starts life aging in ex-bourbon charred American Oak barrels for a minimum of seven years...It is then placed in tight-grained French Oak ex-wine barrels with over seven years of use for high end, rich Bordeaux-style wines that Mission Hill are noted for...The final finish...is with 3-year-old, air-dried virgin Hungarian Oak

Tasting Notes

• Nose (undiluted): I'm reminded of Wayne Gretzky No.99 Red Cask right away. Fruity, with a strong corn whisky (sweet, soft caramels) presence. Maple notes, rose petals, and a few solvent/spirit notes at first. But the acetone notes dissipate within 5-10 minutes and some oak notes appear along side some icing sugar and vanilla.
• Palate (undiluted): much richer than I expected from 42.5 % abv, and a bit darker in flavour too. Amber maple syrup, a hint of oak and spice (cloves mostly), red grapes, vanilla, roses, icing sugar. Very creamy, silky and SMOOTH mouthfeel.
• Finish: medium length, silly as it may sound I’m reminded of Cap’N Crunch's Crunchberries with milk, and with the creamy vanilla and fruity notes lingering.

This whisky gets a bit less interesting with water, as the fruity and floral notes all but disappear, and the vanilla and caramel dominate. At 93 proof, there's no need to add water. This one is much better neat. I have no idea if there will be a Bearface distillery or not, but I've emailed the marketing rep for more information.

This is a very interesting whisky, but I don't think it will change the "sweet and friendly" image of Canadian whisky. There's no bite, no bold punch. Despite the "fearless" marketing and the bear claw marks on the bottle (which is actually pretty cool looking), this whisky is more teddy bear than grizzly bear. That's not to say it's uninteresting; it's very sweet and creamy, like a dessert. It is much richer than I expected it to be, and dangerously easy to drink. This could easily become a staple for casual sipping. At $35-$40 here in Ontario, it's definitely worth your time. I'm 90% certain I'll purchase another bottle.