Barrel-aged gin coming to Patent 5

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 08/06/2019 (2643 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Exchange District distillery Patent 5 (108 Alexander Ave.) is getting set to release its newest spirit in a couple of weeks, which will be available in its vintage-styled tasting room.

The limited-release barrel-aged gin spent two months mellowing out in a 38-litre barrel, and will be available later this month in the taproom, either to sample on-site or for purchase by the bottle. Because it’s in very limited quantity, this release won’t make it to Liquor Mart shelves.

Patent 5’s tasting room features reclaimed wood from the old Oak Room at the St. Regis Hotel. In addition to the barrel-aged gin, Patent 5 has its regular gin and vodka for sale, at the taproom and Liquor Marts, and both products are featured throughout its established cocktail list.

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On May 31, Manitoba’s top palates were crowned at the Winehouse (1600 Kenaston Blvd.) at the live final of the Manitoba Wine Tasting Challenge.

The final brought together the top tasters from the preliminary rounds of the challenge for a live taste-off to see whose palate reigned supreme. A record 119 tasters of all stripes — sommeliers, customers and, ahem, wine writers — took part in the preliminaries, where they blind-tasted five wines and made notes, earning points for correct deductions (or guesses) on the grape variety, country, region and vintage. Sixteen of those tasters then made the final.

Of the preliminary round’s tasters, sommelier Domer Rafael of the Manitoba Club took the top score, earning a spot for his name on the challenge’s trophy. The winner of the live final, who won a trip for two to Niagara’s Cave Spring Winery, was Sheldon Funk, who managed to out-taste the other finalists in just two rounds to take the top prize. Funk will head to Ontario in August.

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What do you get the dad who has everything? Well, if Pops likes whisky, a bottle of classic Canadian whisky might be a good place to start.

Crown Royal, which boasts a massive facility in Gimli where much of its product is aged and distilled, is offering anyone who buys a 750-millilitre bottle or larger of one of eight different whiskies it produces the chance to get one of the company’s classic purple bags personalized. But take note: the deadline to get your Crown Royal bag personalized is today.

For details on which products are being featured in the promotion and for more info, visit wfp.to/crownroyal.

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A fair number of readers have been asking where they can grab a bottle of the Dona Dominga Shiraz, which got a 4½ out of five review a couple weeks back, and which only costs about $12.

As mentioned in the May 25 column, the wine is at private wine stores only, but not every private store’s selection is the same. For the purposes of the column, the wine was obtained at De Luca Fine Wines, but the Dona Dominga Syrah should be available at any of the six stand-alone private wine stores (the others being Kenaston Wine Market, the Winehouse, Banville & Jones, La Boutique Del Vino and Ellement Wine and Spirits).

If you’re not sure, call ahead.

uncorked@mts.net

Twitter: @bensigurdson

 

Drinks of the week

Saturday, June 8, has been dubbed National Rosé Day for 2019… so here’s a trio of different pink (or pink-ish) drinks that bring big flavours ideal for sipping on warm, sunny days.

Dead Horse Cider Co. Cherry On (Winkler — $6.99/500ml bottle, select Liquor Marts, beer vendors and private wine stores)

Made from apple cider, cherry juice, hibiscus and more, the sophomore release from Winkler’s Dead Horse Cider Co. is pale pink in colour, and aromatically brings an attractive nose of herbs, cherry skins, tart apple and modest spice. It’s crisp, fresh and off-dry, with a healthy dollop of acidity to balance the sweetness and keep the intense tart cherry and apple flavours focused and fun. Enjoy the Cherry On on a hot day, or track down Dead Horse’s Life is Rosé, another new (and limited-run) cider coming from Winkler. ★★★★

Spectrum Brewing Co. Hot Pink Lemonade Sour (Vancouver — $2.75/355ml can, select beer vendors)

The packaging on this sour beer is far brighter pink in colour than the actual product, which is pale gold and brings only the most modest hints of pink visually. While the “pink lemonade” moniker might imply sweet, sugary fake citrus notes, aromatically this brings fresh, tart lemon notes with some slightly floral/soapy aromas. On the light-bodied palate, meanwhile, it’s intensely, almost eye-wateringly sour, with bracing lemon and lime flavours leading the charge, dominating the secondary yeasty and malty notes. If you like mouth-watering tart citrus notes in your food or drink, this is the brew for you. ★★★½

Jacob’s Creek 2018 Dry & Crisp Rosé (Australia — $14.99, Liquor Marts and beyond)

A blend of Pinot Noir, Grenache and Mataro (also known as Mourvèdre), this Aussie rosé is pale pink in colour, offering hints of effervescence visually while bringing sweet-cherry, cotton-candy, bruised-peach and marmalade aromas. The “dry & crisp” in the name is fairly accurate; the sweeter aromatics are decidedly drier on the palate, with tart peach and strawberry flavours most prominent and modest acidity that provides focus. It’s simpler and fruitier than a paler Provence rosé, but more restrained and than the deeper, fruit-forward pink wines out there. ★★★