Stillhead Rye Whisky – Small Cask Finish

In 2017, when Brennan Colebank founded Stillhead Distillery in Duncan BC, his goal was to make whisky, and he was pretty sure that it should be rye. Nonetheless, he covered his bases with his first distillation runs that year, distilling both single malt spirit, and spirit made from a mixed mash of 80% rye grain with 20% malted barley added for conversion. Both have turned into impressively rich flavourful whiskies, the rye being particularly remarkable. 

Play Safe, Win Big

Colebank played it safe with those early batches. He used a fairly neutral yeast to ferment grain he brought in from Dawson Creek, in BC’s Peace River District, and he raised the temperature of the mash above 30˚C to get more flavour. When he distilled the fermented mash he made the cuts extra tight to ensure the spirit he filled into once-used Jim Barrels at 62.5% abv, would be clean and sweet – the heart of the hearts. He then racked the barrels inside the distillery where the maturing whisky would benefit from wide daily temperature fluctuations. 

Still, when he sampled the spirit two years later, Colebank felt there was not as much going on with the flavours as he would have liked. His solution? Transfer the two-year-old rye spirit into smaller barrels. Some of these barrels had previously been used by another distillery to mature rye, then filled with maple syrup, while one was an ex-Port cask from a local winery. Blending these together once the whisky had fully matured, and bottling at 45% abv has produced a rich, flavourful rye whisky mature well beyond its years.

Tasting Stillhead Rye

Even before we sip, the massive nose on this expressive dram tells us that Canada is once again expanding the flavour profile of rye whisky in ever so delicious directions. Sweet mashy notes evolve into roasted grain, light rye bread and mild herbal tones. Hints of mint early on disappear in hard taffy, berries, and then strong sweet fruits, eventually settling into over-ripe verbena fruit. A third wave is even more complex with hints of a clean stable, tobacco, and mineral-laden sotolon. It all works well together with no overpowering or off notes. And that’s just the nose.

A sweet, spicy palate with a creamy mouthfeel shows over-ripe fruit, sour rye, mild pulling tannins, bold oak caramels and sweltering spices, before it resolves into a long, sweet, peppery, fruity finish. 

Available online (and highly recommended) for $85.