Single Malt, Single Blend, Pot Still & Wheat | Various% ABV

Things Are Not As They Once Were

With the whisk(e)y world in some turmoil; from indie bottlers taking shots to Scotch whisky export figures rapidly dropping or distilleries like Waterford and Glenglassaugh shuttering; things are not like they used to be.

Here in Canada, we are dealing with our largest trading partner undergoing a change in regime and import/export mentality. With the election of Donald Trump and his subsequent blitzkrieg of tariffs, we are seeing many countries imposing retaliatory measures. Hardly the friendly situation we would like to be in as whisky drinkers and Canadians; it goes against our very nature. We want to share whisky with each other. We want to share experiences. We want to have fun. And politics is getting in the way - sadly not for the first time, nor the last.

Canada has turned around and slapped tariffs on the import of American wine and whisky, amongst many, many other things. While none of these measures has officially taken place, and it's still open posturing, we can all virtually agree that some form of cost increase of US imported products is coming.

In response, many Canadian retailers are openly promoting Canadian products with vim and vigour - attempting to keep their sales numbers up amidst such turbidity. Distilleries are also taking advantage of the “buy local” mantra, as well they should given the unfriendly nature of international relations these days.

So taking advantage of a perfect lead-in and cover story, I’ve decided to get off my arse with this review. I’ve had my local Bridgeland Distillery and these whiskies in my cross hairs for some time. I didn’t have a lead-in story because I bought these en masse and on sale, as one does when your online whisky dalliances are self-funded, and I had planned on visiting the distillery in-person and getting a more personal touch. But alas, life gets in the way and rather than delay another six months or longer, I’m releasing these reviews for your consideration now. Perhaps I’ll get an in-depth look under the Bridgeland hood and report back in the future.

There’s upwards lyne/line arms. Then there is the very interesting ascending spiral that Bridgeland is employing above their single copper pot still. The amount of condensation and reflux here can be variable, depending on how hard they drive the distillation, but in theory this system will have more reflux than most traditional Scottish pot stills; producing a cleaner, lighter, and less heavy congener-laden spirit.

*From Bridgeland Distillery’s* *Instagram Page*

This spiral lyne arm leads into a now commonplace shell and tube condenser. I supposed that this still and its unique design, was specially selected by the owners, and was targeted towards their expansive product portfolio. Bridgeland makes brandy, grappa, eau de vigne, limoncello, amaro, and grain-based whiskies including berbon (a clever wordplay on the American bourbon category), wheat and malt whiskies. I believe they are also in the process of distilling an Alberta-sourced, peat-smoked malt whisky from Hammer Malt, a small custom maltster doing the right things that coincidentally is located not far from where I grew up. Small world indeed. I’ll be keeping my eye on this peated release and perhaps that will be the spark that gets me into Bridgeland for that in-depth discussion.

Review 1/4

Bridgeland Glenbow Whisky, Canadian Single Malt, 100% Alberta malted barley, Virgin and refill American oak, 46% ABV
CAD$67 paid (£38) 50cl

Score: 5/10

**Average. In a good way.**
***TL;DR***
*Surprisingly creamy and moreish*

Nose

A big ol’ hit of virgin American oak. Ballpark bubblegum. Barrel spices of nutmeg, clove and cinnamon. Golden honey. Nothing jagged or spiky despite the youth.

Palate

Soft and very creamy entry - surprisingly creamy actually. Building baking spices of clove and cinnamon. Vanilla cake and runny honey sweetness.Trace virgin oak bubblegum undertones. Distinct flavours drop off quickly but a french vanilla ice cream and baking spice undertone remain for longer than I expected. That factors big time for Broddy boy!

The Dregs

Despite the youth, the experience of this whisky is surprisingly good. But that being said, there are still some youthful detractors and lack of distinct magic sparkles or other interesting notes that would elevate this to a higher score. This whisky has all the flavours one would expect from a traditional malt-based whisky aged in new and used American oak, minus some of the more esoteric and perhaps desirable notes of banana, almond, and coconut. Exactly as advertised then and a Dramface 5/10 is nothing to sneeze at mind you!

Score: 5/10

Review 2/4

Bridgeland Innisfail Whisky, Canadian Single Pot Still, Small batch, triple-distilled, 58% Penhold Malted Barley, 30% Penhold Raw Barley, 12% Penhold Malted Oats, 40.6% ABV
CAD$65 paid (£37) 50cl

Score: 5/10

**Average. In a good way.**
***TL;DR***
*Nice, but lacked oomph*

Nose

Ooh la la! I’m pleasantly taken aback with the density of the aromas coming out of the glass given the low alcohol strength. Light orchard fruits, red apple flesh, poached pears and peaches. Honeyed oat cakes. Vanilla undertones. Sounds simple but sometimes the simple recipes are the best.

Palate

Sweet and thick mouthfeel. No prickle or bite at all, making this an amazing every day dram. It’s a very delicate flavour experience here. Rose water, honey, spice, and some underlying oakiness.

The finish is a gentle declining sweetness over a medium length.

The Dregs

The thickness of the palate here is the redeeming factor after an underwhelming flavour experience. It’s just too delicate, light, and muddied for it to have any identifiable hooks that would make me reach for this over another whisky that was more pronounced. Therefore; this gets relegated into the ‘nice drinker’ category rather than a ‘can’t reach past because it’s so unique and good’ category that would garner it a 6/10. Shucks, I’d hoped this one would be the underdog but c'est la vie. I wonder what a 50% version of this whisky would be like…

Score: 5/10

Review 3/4

Bridgeland Single Blend, Canadian Blended Whisky, 43.5% ABV
CAD$58 paid (£33) 50cl

This is a blend of Bridgeland’s single malt with their ‘berbon’, which is a clever twist on words for their take on a traditional ‘bourbon’ made from locally grown Taber; Alberta corn. It is distilled, barreled and matured separately in American, Hungarian and Bulgarian oak before being blended at the point of bottling.

Score: 4/10

**Some promise.**
***TL;DR***
*A summer cube crusher*

Nose

Light and wispy. Not distinctly malt or bourbon territory here. Light honey. Baking spices. Vanilla extract.

Palate

Soft entry, albeit slightly thin and watery. Vanilla. Barrel spices. Light caramel sauce. Honey. Towards the latter half a drying sensation sucks the moisture out, presumably from the Hungarian and Bulgarian oak tannins. The finish is short and still experiences the drying after effects.

The Dregs

While we don’t know the ratio of malted barley to corn distillate, nor the ratio of the three barrel types, it really doesn’t matter. That’s just the nerd in me (us) wishing for more and reaching for some details to help me describe why I didn’t connect with this whisky. I think I understand the choice of alcohol strength in order to increase the number of bottles available for sale; however I do wonder if 46-49% ABV might have increased the experience - but perhaps the tannins from the choice of barrels would have further detracted. As someone who dallies heavily into home-blending, I can fully appreciate the delicate balance in assembling any vatted product, and I can only imagine the tightrope the team at Bridgeland walked to put this whisky together.

Score: 4/10

Review 4/4

Bridgeland Wheat Whisky, Kensington Wine Market Single Cask, 80% Red Spring Wheat, 20% barley from Penhold, AB, 42 months in virgin charred American oak and French Limousin Toasted Moscato Brandy barrel, 57% ABV
CAD$55 paid (£30) 50cl

Score: 5/10

**Average. In a good way.**
***TL;DR***
*Spice and sweet, like your favourite takeout*

Nose

Big and punchy. Wallop of spices out of the gate. Medley of cinnamon, Chinese 5-spice, and raw ginger. Ginger snap cookies with dark molasses. Dusty grain straight out of the auger. There’s a well-aged brandy-like sweetness that anchors this whisky.

Palate

There’s a distinct sweetness that blankets the spices, tempering them and making it moreish. Back of the tongue and throat dustiness - like you’ve inhaled too much of the dust spitting out with the chaff on a combine, IYKYK. Not a detractor by any means, it’s just something unique! There’s also something savoury riding underneath as well, something I can’t quite define. Almost like a Chinese orange chicken sauce.

The finish is short and carries more of the drying/dusty wheat whisky-like notes, along with some of the alcohol prickles.

The Dregs

This is a tough one to score. It’s youthful, somewhat jagged, but also lively, punchy, and unique. This is such a perfect 5.5/10 that I wish we did half scores here but alas, you’ll have to read this whole review and my justifications to understand why I’m scoring it a 5/10. Whilst this whisky had a short stint in American oak before being transferred to one of Bridgeland’s own Moscato barrels, I kinda wish this was left to sit for some more time, perhaps even a transfer into a refill whisky barrel, before the dip in sweet Moscato. It’s on its way to having some of the unique hooks and magic sparkles that would elevate the scores but it just isn’t quite there. As such, I’m giving this a respectable Dramface 5/10. While it’s not a sexy gold-sticker that proudly states 95/100 or other ilk on the bottle, I hope you’ve come to understand our scoring system here and know that a 5/10 is still a good whisky.

Score: 5/10

The Final Dregs

You‘re stuck with just me on this one. I have sent samples to our Aengus, but seeing as he is doing a very admirable no-drinking stretch here and really flashing off his ironclad indomitable willpower, you’ll have to wait and come back to the comments to hear his thoughts, if any, once he resumes his enjoyment of fermented and distilled barley water.

I had high hopes for Bridgeland. The combination of unique still, local ingredients, and a broad product portfolio inspired me to purchase this spread before you today. Each one was unique and identifiably different from each other; a bonus in my books. It grows tiresome when whiskies from a particular brand or distillery all start to merge together. Variety is the spice of life after all. I think Bridgeland is well on their way to having the potential for good products, seeing as they just released their first single malt iteration only a couple years ago.

And looping back to the ongoing tariff and trade disputes between the USA and Canada. I never was a huge bourbon fan and never truly connected with many of their wines either, so the trade wars will have little impact on my personal purchasing habits. But I do feel for those of you caught in the crossfire of political and economic disputes for we, as the little guys and gals, are always the ones who suffer the consequences of these large-scale spats. Stay strong everyone. Enjoy some whisky and don’t get caught up in all this faff. Enjoy your time with friends and family, they are the most important after all.

Tried this? Share your thoughts in the comments below. BB

Dramface is free.
Its fierce independence and community-focused content is funded by that same community. We don’t do ads, sponsorships or paid-for content. If you like what we do you can support us by becoming a Dramface member for the price of a magazine.
However, if you’ve found a particular article valuable, you also have the option to make a direct donation to the writer, here: buy me a dram - you’d make their day. Thank you.
For more on Dramface and our funding read our about page here.