New local whisky back online

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 24/06/2023 (1076 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Patent 5 is getting set to release its second limited-run whisky online and in person. After some online difficulties last year during its first release, they’re hoping the process is as smooth as the stuff inside the bottle.

In November 2022, the Winnipeg distillery launched its first whisky, a 300-bottle run aged in used sherry casks for over three years. The whisky, which retailed for just under $80, sold out within 90 minutes despite a website crash that frustrated co-owner Brock Coutts (and many whisky lovers looking to snag a bottle).

The online gremlins have seemingly been exorcised. Coutts and crew will release their second whisky in person at their facility, located at 108 Alexander Ave., and online at patent5.ca on Tuesday at 5 p.m.

Unlike the first whisky release, which was aged in sherry casks, the new release was aged for 38 months in gently used American oak barrels, and features a blend of corn, wheat and malted barley (versus the prior release, which was corn-dominant).

“The first one had a nutty, sweet finish; this one’s more wheat-forward,” says Coutts. “I think if you’re going to produce a whisky in Manitoba, you need a pretty strong wheat presence.

“We have some red fife we found that we’re going to work with down the road, just to see what whisky would have tasted like in 1880.”

Noting the current release is akin to a “heavily wheated bourbon,” Coutts figures Patent 5’s new whisky will stand out from many others made in Canada, particularly those made by the bigger players.

“With the barrels we’re using, you tend to extract a lot more interesting flavours that differentiate Canadian craft from Canadian commercial distillers — it’s a different style,” he says, adding an Ontario-based consultant they work with is quite excited about the finished product.

“The feedback we’ve been getting is that there’s some really special stuff. He said he would be thrilled to release it.”

The second edition of Patent 5’s whisky will retail for $82.95 for a 750 ml bottle, with the slight price bump as a result of inflation and the cost of materials. This 300-bottle run will see 100 bottles available online, another 100 at the distillery, and dozens more available through a lottery system via the company’s social media pages or by signing up (which you can do now) on their website.

And while this version of the whisky is sure to sell out quickly as well, Coutts says there’s more to come, with a third edition landing in November that will be a wheat and malted barley whisky (i.e. without corn). After that, Coutts says many more whiskies currently aging in barrels will be ready for bottling in February 2024. He expects multiple releases at that time.

Patent 5 is also doing some final tweaks before bottling a molasses-based rum, its first attempt at the spirit, which they’ll release in July.

“There was a way bigger learning curve here,” he says. “All of our gin and vodka spirits are wheat-based. Molasses was a completely different beast.”

Over the summer, Patent 5 will also be finishing up some more barrel-aged gins, as well a pre-mixed version of a negroni, also currently aging in barrels. All the while they’ll be popping up at farmers markets throughout the province.

Back in the on-site cocktail bar, a new carnival-themed menu rolled out on June 15 with fresh, summery drinks based on the distillery’s range of spirits and all named after carnival rides, games and the like.

Included on the menu this time around is the alcohol percentage of each drink, as some cocktails have a way of sneaking up on those enjoying them.

“The feedback on the new menu over the weekend was fantastic,” says Coutts. “It’s been a lot of work — you can imagine how much work it takes to create a menu from scratch.”

Drinks of the week

Wooden Gate Red Boyne

(Pilot Mound — $5.39/355ml bottle, cidery and farmers markets)

A blend of apples and raspberries, this cider is made in southern Manitoba by Wooden Gate, which only sells its product from its Pilot Mound facility, through its website and at farmers markets. (Thanks to co-worker Eva Wasney, for bringing me back a bottle from the facility.)

It’s bright red in colour and clear, offering fresh and intense tart raspberry and green apple aromas.

There’s just a hint of sweetness on the light-bodied palate, with plenty of zippy acidity to balance things out as it brings vibrant, juicy raspberry and crunchy apple flavours before the modest finish (it’s 5.4 per cent alcohol). Very good stuff. 4/5

Low Life 2022 Pearl

(Winnipeg — $26/750ml bottle, winery, Liquor Marts and beyond)

The organic Petite Pearl and Chambourcin grapes in this locally made red blend were brought in from Ontario and fermented with minimal intervention at Low Life’s Daly Street facility. It’s vibrant purple in colour.

Aromatically, it offers loads of cranberry, tart raspberry and blackberry aromas as well as subtle doughy/bubblegum notes from partial carbonic maceration of grapes. It’s dry, light-plus bodied and juicy, delivering tart cranberry, cherry and raspberry flavours with hints of bread dough and grape bubblegum, all of which come with a healthy dollop of acidity, very modest tannins and, at 12 per cent alcohol, a crisp, short finish.

Chill this for 15 minutes and you can sip this red all summer. Watch for more on Low Life’s progress after one year of operations in a future Uncorked. 4/5

Patent 5 Release 2 Whisky

(Winnipeg — $82.95/750 ml bottle, distillery as of June 27)

Made from a 57-27-16 blend of corn, wheat and malted barley, this second whisky release from Patent 5 is medium copper in colour, and brings herbal notes on the nose along with caramel, vanilla, corn and brown sugar.

There’s just modest sweetness on the light-plus bodied palate, with wheat and malt notes showing well with the corn flavours; the oak influence comes via the vanilla and spice flavours, while underlying herbal and peppery notes provide some zip. And while there’s nice warmth on the finish, at 43 per cent alcohol it never gets overpowering.

Delicious on its own, or try it in an old-fashioned, a Manhattan or in one of the carnival-themed drinks at Patent 5’s cocktail bar. Available June 27 at 5 p.m. at the distillery or via their website. 4/5

uncorked@mts.net

Twitter: @bensigurdson