LIQUOR
Whisky Advent Calendar operates on many levels
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by Mike Usinger
ons of Vancouver Distillery’s first-ever whisky advent calendar was inspired by one of the great traditions of Christmas, but take a close look at the box that houses 24 miniature bottles and you’ll also find no shortage of Easter eggs. Remember how, earlier this year, SOV’s small-batch distillers James Lester and Richard Kraus made a seamless first foray into the whisky world with their awardwinning Cigarettes on a Leather Jacket? Not to spoil one of the surprises found in the lovingly illustrated, hand-assembled box, but look on the left side-panel and you’ll see a retro-cool biker in a black motorcycle jacket puffing away on a smoke. “There are so many inside jokes on the box,” Lester acknowledges in an interview with the Straight. “In 2020 and 2021 we were producing hand sanitizers along with every other distillery, so there’s a picture of our bartender sitting on a pile of hand sanitizer roasting marshmallows over a campfire.” The Easter eggs there? One would be that Sons of Vancouver’s next whisky release will be dubbed Marshmallows Over a Campfire. Another is that said the distillery’s bartender
We wanted something that people would really want to have. – James Lester
Sons of Vancouver’s first Whiskey Advent Calendar comes with 12 bottles of blended whisky, 12 whisky liqueurs, and no shortage of Easter eggs for those who’ve followed the distillery’s story.
is dressed like a man who loves, in no particular order, beachfront luaus in Kauai, Elvis Presley in Blue Hawaii, and everything ever recorded by Don Ho. “He always wear a Hawaiian shirt, which is his whole thing,” Lester says with
a laugh. “There’s the ghost of Elvis in one of the windows, and the distillery casks are featured as well—they’ve kind of become celebrities at the shop here. Basically we wanted to do call-outs to as many things as we could.”
And then of course there’s the whiskies. Sons of Vancouver was immediately embraced after opening in 2015 for its wildly popular and award-winning Amaretto, and Tiki Nation takes on Coconut Liqueur and Blue Curaçao. Earlier this year Cigarettes on a Leather Jacket immediately established the distillery as a multiple threat—despite being new to the whisky game, SOV took home gold at the Canadian Artisan Spirits Competition with the release. Beyond the fact that it’s a fun way to jump into the Christmas season, Lester
NOVEMBER 25 – DECEMBER 2 / 2021
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