Distiller: Bear Face Product: Elementally Aged Bottle: Triple Oak Category: Canadian Aged: 7 years in ex-bourbon American oak barrels, then finished in French oak red wine casks and air-dried virgin Hungarian oak. Nose: Thick with caramel, butterscotch, and call me crazy but is that maple syrup? Body: Buttery creme brulee with candied walnuts and pecans. Traces of campfire smoke and rum-like molasses. Finish: Faint pine nuts and a mild biscuit. Activation: Unnecessary. Notes: For a long time I’ve considered the cheap Canadian whisky market to be good for fighting off the bitterly cold north winds and not a whole lot more. Couple that with a scammy sounding “Elementally Aged!” proclamation and suffice it to say that my expectations weren’t high for Bear Face Triple Oak. But let me immediately say this is a damn good whisky. It’s rich, full bodied, and complex. Seven years is a fair amount of time, and their silly name just means that it has been living in a metal shipping container in Canada and therefore exposed to extreme temperature swings, which serve to speed up the aging process. Factor in the low price and this is a fantastic hidden gem.