Innovative new Canadian whisky brand: BEARFACE Triple Oak stood bravely against the best in the country, and won ‘Best New Whisky‘, as well as a Gold Medal for Excellence at the recent Canadian Whisky Awards in Victoria, B.C.
The prestigious ‘Best New Whisky’ award was decided following a blind taste test of more than 100 Canadian whiskies by a panel of 10 independent judges. Just 5 months since its launch, the award is a strong endorsement of the brand’s stated intent of challenging the traditional perceptions and tastes in Canadian whisky.
Bearface Triple Oak is the result of exhaustive experimentation. A Canadian whisky with a bold finish derived from three different oaks, each selected for the distinct flavour they impart. This exceptional single grain whisky starts life aging in ex-bourbon charred American Oak barrels for a minimum of 7 years, imparting warm smooth vanilla notes. It is then placed in tight-grained French Oak ex-wine barrels with over 7 years of use for high end, rich Bordeaux-style wines from Mission Hill Family Estate Winery, adding luscious dry fruit notes and a deep ruby colour. The final finish – a first in Canadian whisky – is with 3-year-old, air-dried, virgin Hungarian Oak, adding rye-like notes and a distinctive rich texture. The combined result: an unapologetically next generation Canadian whisky.
Commenting on the award Mark Anthony Founder and Chairman Anthony von Mandl said, “I am delighted that BEARFACE was awarded best new whisky at the Canadian Whisky Awards. To gain industry recognition at the awards against such an impressive array of incredible brands is a wonderful endorsement of our vision for BEARFACE, our Master Blender Andres Faustinelli and his team of collaborators. We created BEARFACE to challenge perceptions and elevate the craft of Canadian whisky. Recognition such as this is a great endorsement of this vision.”
BEARFACE Master Blender Andres Faustinelli added “We had an audacious goal, to show the world how Canadian Whisky could lead the whisky world through innovation and flavour. With BEARFACE Triple Oak we have developed an exceptional whisky by challenging norms, being obsessive in our barrel selection and finishing it in unique and interesting ways. The response from consumers has been overwhelmingly positive and we are thrilled that the judges at the Canadian Whisky Awards agree!”
The mandate and approach for BEARFACE was deliberately different, starting out by sourcing exceptional 7-year-old Canadian whisky, before shipping it 4,000km across Canada to British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley, a pristine, one of a kind, glacier fed wine region. There, the much-awarded showcase Mission Hill Family Estate Winery allowed Faustinelli to experiment with countless barrel and wood combinations with the objective of developing an expertly hand-finished process that would give BEARFACE a unique character, distinct from traditional Canadian Whisky.
