THE DUBH GLAS DISTILLERY
Oliver, BC
"THE PERFECT EXPRESSION OF A BOTANICAL DEMOCRACY"
The concept of ‘Gins with Botanical Democracy’ started in the United States, where a fledgling craft distilling industry was starting to rebel at the ‘rule’ that the chief botanical in any spirit called a ‘gin’ had to be juniper berry, along with the other usual suspects: citrus peel, coriander, orris, licorice and angelica roots, and cinnamon bark. The pine-y, slightly bitter and omnipotent juniper berry is no longer the dictator in a whole ‘New Western Dry’ world of gin where diversely flavoured botanicals of every stripe and source now contribute to more interesting and balanced spirits that are excellent sipped neat or with ice, and which also create the bases for a new generation of imaginative cocktails in that they are essentially a blend of tinctures, the purest extracts of their source materials. Dare we say…. phytomedicine?
Enter Grant Stevely, founder of the Dubh Glas Distillery (pronounced ‘Douglas’, which also happens to be his middle name), who to this day is on a determined quest to create the best single malt whisky in the world, and is well on the road to THAT goal. But whisky has to rest for three years before it can be called a whisky, and building a facility, purchasing equipment and raw materials, including all BC-grown barley, and then warehousing and aging the spirit before sale – not to mention a barrel program, staff, property taxes, having food to eat and other regular life necessities, takes cash flow. Gin = Cash Flow. But in his inimitable way, Stevely wasn’t content to just throw a few things in the ‘teapot’ that turns a new make spirit into infused gin. This gin had to be just as remarkable and unique as the whisky that is his dream.
I asked Stevely what the mental process was in the moments when he sat down to decide exactly what botanicals were going to star in the flavour bomb percolating in his mind. Citrus, Floral, and Spice were his choices, in that order. He chose Cara Cara oranges which have an intensely sweet oil in the skin that bring both bramble and cranberry notes along with a deep vanilla boost and a tea rose petal finish. Good start!
For the Floral, lavender and yellow yarrow, both of which thrive in the rocky, sandy soils prevalent in the southern Okanagan. Next came the Spice, allspice being a wonderful complement to the Cara Cara oranges, and in a nod to the traditional, Ceylon cinnamon. Speaking of traditional, if the Gin Powers required juniper berries, they needed to blend beautifully with the other botanicals and not bully the other flavours into submission, so Stevely chose a sweet Eastern European juniper berry from Bulgaria, and enhanced the sweetness with Madagascar bourbon vanilla beans.
The existential question, however, was ‘to Coriander, or not to Coriander’? Coriander seed contributes lemony-citrus punch, earthiness, and a floral high note to food and gin, and is the second most-used botanical in traditional gin after juniper berry. Traditional. Humph. In the end, it went into the mix, and with the ratios of each botanical tweaked to his liking, the end result is an eye-widening, unapologetic assault on the senses that quickly teaches you that you’re ‘not in London Dry anymore, Dorothy’!
So how does it actually TASTE? At 43% it carries a cask-strength flavour explosion and in spite of being double chill-filtered, the Navy Strength version at room temperature will louche if mixed with water there are so many botanical oils competing for your tastebuds. Although with some focus each of the botanicals are distinguishable on the nose, for the lighthearted, I suggest that it smells like an Orange Julius mixed with Sen Sen candy, finished with a waft of tea roses and a suggestion of juniper berries. Interesting, in that there are no specific licorice or rose elements in the botanicals! The palate is beautifully balanced between the citrus and floral elements, and on the long finish, the spices linger on the back of the tongue and tickle up your nose. It is a cocktail in itself with just an ice cube, lends new life to a typical G & T, and is sensational in a Negroni.
When the first of the season asparagus arrived, I knew I wanted to pair the Noteworthy Gin in a recipe with the earthy flavour of grilled asparagus and the buttery-bitter of new red potatoes in their skins. I love scallop ceviche, but also wanted the flavour of the sear, so I flash seared the scallops and let the gin/grapefruit marinade finish the cooking. A few slivers of shallot and a wee bit of garlic in the marinade, along with the fruity heat of Aleppo pepper flakes and (the ubiquitous) crushed coriander seed provide the base for a dressing finished with Dijon mustard and olive oil, tossed with fresh tarragon leaves to meld all the flavours while the potatoes and asparagus are still warm!
THE LAST WORD:
So what makes the spirits that Stevely creates at Dubh Glas so unique? The locally-produced grain, the ‘Dubh Glas’ or ‘from the Dark Water’ aquifer on the distillery property, the incredible heat which accelerates the aging of the spirits and gives the angels their share rather more quickly than usual (is that bribery?), all of these factors are significant. The intangible is Stevely – the former Banff Mountain Operations Supervisor who remains active with Oliver Fire & Rescue – brings the focus and determination of front-line survival mixed with empathy, outside-the-box creativity, and that Orange Suit! This six-time gold medal winning gin, in its signature orange packaging designed by Hired Guns Creative which pays tribute to Ceres, the Roman goddess of agriculture and grain crops, is simply and outstandingly…Noteworthy!
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