September Spirits

BY TOM FIRTH AND LINDA GARSON

Does it seem like the warmer months have slipped by in a heartbeat? We often mutter (quite loudly) that it wasn’t a great summer, or there was too much rain, or it was too hot, or that the bugs were bad this year, but at the same time we know plenty of people that got “out” every chance they had – went for a walk or a hike, soaked their toes in cool

CÎROC Limited-Edition Honey Melon France

Made with French vodka, and infused with honey and melon, this might have arrived too late on shelves to “define” one’s summer, but there is still time to get started. Fresh and light with clean melon and a hint of that honey sweetness, this will work neat over ice, but it’s really about those cocktail options. Drinks like a melon fizz, a French 75, or the rest of the pantheon of umbrella or crushed iced drinks may benefit here – the hotter out the better!

CSPC 883172 $56

Baron D. Gin, France

From Charente in France, home of Cognac just northeast of Bordeaux, comes this striking gin in a striking blue diamond bottle. The complex, sweet and fruity nose will have you trying to identify the botanicals –they’re all there: six fruits (pear is dominant, smoothing the heat of the alcohol) and three aromatic plants, plus… macadamia nuts, which gives the gin a creamy mouthfeel. I like to sip it neat, but I’ll accede that a splash of tonic’s good too.

CSPC 871120 $57-59

Galliano l’Aperitivo, Holland

Wow, just smell the latest l’Aperitvo from Galliano! This viscous amaro is designed to be the base of an aperitivo, served over ice with twice the amount of prosecco or tonic, and a squeeze of lime or orange – and you’ll crave it while the weather’s still warm (and also when it’s cooler!). There’s a bittersweetness from the citrus zests (bergamot too), and a delicious black pepperiness, along with eight or nine flavourful herbs, macerated and rested two weeks or more.

CSPC 822893 375 mL $19 water, or sat out and got back in the groove of enjoying company.

This month, we are a little all over the place, some might still be looking for that outdoor tipple on the patio, while others are prepping for those colder days about to arrive. However your September is going, we hope you have a moment to smell the roses – for a little longer.

Kujira Ryukyu Whisky Inari, Japan

Some of the most interesting whiskies popping up these days are coming from Japan. A completely rice-based mash with a unique koji (fermentation agent) found only in Okinawa, this whisky is lighter weight on the nose with distinctly rice distillate characters and rich, complexly layered spices and fruit with a clean, nutty, almost fig-like palate. Best of all, it has this mouthfeel that is perfectly ephemeral and silky at the same time.

CSPC 885622 $74-77

Rhino Single Malt Scotch Whisky Scotland

With a commitment to giving back, five percent of Rhino sales go towards the rehabilitation and rewilding of orphaned rhinos - it’s a good reason to give Rhino a try. A Speyside single malt, and matured in rum casks, the nose and palate evoke sweetness and leather with a fine balance of rum and toffee too before a lengthy finish. Bottled at 43 percent, it’s a fireside sipper, but even a teeny splash of water opens it up nicely.

CSPC 837850 $84-86

Red Bank Whisky, Canada

New to Canada and even newer to our province, Red Bank Whisky is a small batch blend of rye, corn, and wheat whiskies from Nova Scotia - and by master distiller Michel Marcil, who created the spiced Canadian rye, Spicebox Whisky. It’s smooth and sensuous, and eminently sippable, just on its own or with a splash of water if you insist - and oh, by the way, Red Bank is the brainchild of Canadian celebrity and actor, Kiefer Sutherland who patently knows his whiskies!

CSPC 891154 $50-58