Booze News: Special Canuck Edition

Canadian distillers and brew masters have created a slew of sensational sippers, sure to add class to any glass. Here are the latest ones that have us in a celebratory mood:

• The BATTLE OF THE GLEN is a special edition, Glen Breton 15-year-old single malt whiskey from the Glenora Inn & Distillery, based on Cape Breton Island, NS. The name alludes to the seven-year legal fight over the use of the trademark “Glen Breton.” To pay homage to the remarkable victory over Scotland’s Scotch Whisky Association (the group that opposed the Nova Scotia company adopting the term), Glenora introduced this velvety single malt with apple and maple notes. Cheers to that! www.novascotia.com

Toronto‘s Mill Street Brewery has added Lemon Tea Beer to its roster. Infused with a blend of earl grey and orange pekoe teas, it tingles on the tongue and makes a refreshing, light beverage well worth sipping on the dock at the cottage and backyard barbecues. www.ontariotravel.net

• Like movies and indie bands, breweries can develop cult-like followings, too; case in point, Winnipeg, MB‘s Half Pints Brewing Company. Devotees of its creations line up to be among the first to take home the newest release. Coming Oct. 30, a fresh batch for Punk N’ Fest, a party featuring beer and bands — an early Halloween treat for grownups. www.travelmanitoba.com

• Yellowhead Brewing Co. is the latest addition to Edmonton, AB‘s microbrew scene. It opened in May in the historic H.V. Shaw building (circa 1914), once a cigar factory. Its inaugural brew is a robust, premium lager created by Munich-trained brewmaster Scott Harris, a former dancer with the Alberta Ballet. 10229 105th Street, 780-423-3333. www.travelalberta.com

• A toast of welcome to the Living Sky Winery Saskatchewan‘s second winery, located in Perdue (west of Saskatoon), has just bottled in first batch of fruit wines, after patiently waiting five years for its orchards to mature and bear fruit. Owners Sue Echlin and Vance Lester are pleased to welcome three table wines (rhubarb, raspberry and strawberry rhubarb), a raspberry dessert wine and a port-style cherry dessert wine. www.sasktourism.com

video:
Aging Canadian Whiskey: Crown Royal in Gimli
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fecENBpA1WM

Cypress Hills Vineyard and Winery
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Cs8ZedOqKE

Article courtesy of the Canadian Tourism Commission.

Photo ©Glenora Inn & Distillery