Follow Us:

Blog

Day 21 - KWM 2025 This Is Still Not An Advent Calendar

Posted on December 22, 2025

by Evan

Over the past half decade or so, I have made it my mission in life to sneak a Bourbon or two into every single KWM Whisky Advent Calendar tasting set possible. I have been pretty successful in this endeavour. Even Andrew; KWM’s leading Bourbon skeptic, couldn’t manage to stop me.

Like many others here in Canada, my thirst for Bourbon has significantly diminished over the past year. I am not sure why exactly. Maybe it is a sudden surge of patriotism that was the catalyst. Perhaps it is just wanting to find Canadian made alternatives. Who can say, really?

Regardless: Bourbon will be around when I get back to wanting some. It is still being made and still being sold. For those that want to seek it out, the good news is there seem to be fewer people looking for it at the moment, so there should be more to hoard if you look hard enough. Or, you could actually just trip over the stacks of Blanton's Bourbon that have been dumped on the floor of many Alberta liquor stores, including KWM.

For others that are looking for Canadian alternatives to Bourbon: great news! There are more alternatives available now than ever before, and most come from small, local craft distilleries that are eager to share and show off what they are capable of.

I have done my best to keep an eye on this growing subcategory of Canadian Whisky, and it has been very exciting to watch. Over the past decade, many craft distilleries in Alberta and other provinces have realized that there is nothing stopping them from creating a whisky that pays homage to the style and taste of Bourbon. They can create the required mash bill of at least 51% corn. They can mature the whisky in new, heavily charred new oak casks. The only thing that they can’t do, legally, is actually call their product Bourbon.

But there is nothing stopping them from accidentally misspelling the B word. Hell, there is even a distillery on Vancouver Island marketing their Bourbon style whisky as “The B Word”, which is fantastic. Gotta love that ingenuity.

This concept of creating a Canadian Bourbon has been around for a long time. The first to kick off this modern, craft version of doing so is possibly Okanagan Spirits with their own BRBN whisky, which was first launched more than a decade ago. It is a solid Bourbon-style whisky made in BC, if you can get it. Sadly, it is not currently sold in Alberta.

But this tradition of beating America at its game goes back way further than that. We talked about the Canadian Club 41 Year Old Back on Day 4 of this year's Advent Tastings. The Canadian Club brand actually started under the name Club Whisky when it was first launched way back in 1858. The “Canadian” part was amended after American whisky producers became frustrated with how well it sold against actual American whisky, and the name change was done partially to appease them. The Canadian Club brand was incredibly popular contraband during the American Prohibition, with plenty smuggled into the USA in that era.

It is possible that more bottles of Canadian Club were snuck into the USA from Canada a century ago than bottles of Fentanyl are nowadays. I don’t have actual numbers to back that up, but do facts really matter nowadays? The big, bold statement from a loud mouth with no credibility is of far more import (poor choice of word there). Furthermore, I sadly don’t hold anywhere near enough political power to proclaim bald-faced lies which everybody else in the world will take seriously even though they could be easily shown to be falsehoods…

Where was I? Oh yes, Canadian Bourbon alternatives. That is what we will be tasting today. Say hello to this KWM Cask of Berbon from Calgary’s Bridgeland Distillery!

Bridgeland Taber Corn Berbon KWM Cask - 62.5%

We have teamed up with our friends at Bridgeland Distillery to bottle our first-ever Canadian "Bourbon Style" whisky barrel pick. The mash bill consists of at least 51% Taber Corn, plus wheat and malted barley. At five years old, it is the oldest of Bridgeland's Taber Corn Berbon bottled so far, and at barrel proof, 62.5%.

Evan's Tasting Note

Nose: Full of brown sugar, sliced peaches, cherry juice, baked apples, cinnamon and cedar planks along with corn husk, whole-grain toast, Red Rose tea, and candied ginger.

Palate: Big and rich, with plenty of heat upon first sip. Silky smooth on the tongue even with the spice and warmth, though. Big Red cinnamon chewing gum, honey roasted almonds, sponge toffee and Crunchie Bar, a touch of nutmeg and clove, and plenty of juicy fruit notes such as cherries, peaches, pears, some ripe banana, and a dash of apple cider.

Finish: Warming and smooth with a dash of drying wood spice and chocolate coated hazelnut coming in on the finale.

Comment: This is as Bourbon (or Berbon) as it gets, and that isn't just an 'Elbows Up' comment. Personally, I would put this up against Makers Mark Cask Strength, Bulleit Barrel Proof, and other high strength Bourbons and I think it would show very well. If this is how good a five-year-old barrel pick can be, I am excited to try older versions of Bridgeland's Taber Corn Berbon in the future!

Cheers,

Evan

evan@kensingtonwinemarket.com

This entry was posted in Whisky, Tastings, Whisky Calendars, Tastings - Online Tasting, KWM Single Cask, KWM 2025 Still Not An Advent Calendar Tastings

 

 

Recent Posts
Archives

Categories