Shelter Point 10yo
Canadian single malt whisky | 46% ABV
Score: 6/10
Good stuff.
TL;DR
A nicely balanced dram from Canada’s west coast
Good spirit makes good whisky
Aside from the occasional early morning interval workout after one too many drams the night before, one of the bigger problems with being both a runner and a whisky drinker is that the running shoe budget directly steals from the whisky budget.
Having recently completed a half marathon after several seasons and cycles of training, I’ve bought a fair amount of running shoes this year, which typically cost about as much as the maximum I’d be willing to spend on a bottle of whisky. They're ugly too. In terrible colour schemes and displeasing shapes, and in both form and function not suited for anything besides running. Plus you’re always tripping over them as they spill out of closets and pile up around the front door.
As I lined up in the starting corral for my race, I looked down at my new Saucony Endorphin Speed 3s in hot pink and briefly thought to myself that I could have bought an AnCnoc 18 and still had enough change left for a couple bottles of Northern Harvest Rye. Alas, the AnCnoc wouldn’t help to shave those last couple minutes off my half marathon time.
Aside from the nuisance of unintentionally collecting a fleet of single-purpose foot coverings, I’ve learned a lot about running and whisky this past year in my respective journeys on each. The main running wisdom nugget being that if one wants to become a faster runner, one needs to start with a strong base of general aerobic training.
We all start out with a goal and pick a plan to get us there, choosing from the many six week 5k plans or 18 week marathon plans that will get you across the finish line. According to my newfound knowledge it turns out these race training plans are more like the cherry on top of the cake. If you want more than a well deserved finisher’s medal you need to start earlier, i.e. don’t forget to bake the cake first.
High level runners (a group I am certainly not part of) know this and focus upwards of 80% of their efforts in developing a big aerobic base. This isn’t sexy running. This is the slow and monotonous, the many hours spent and many miles covered at “easy” pace over time building the necessary adaptations required to become a more efficient and resilient runner. The heart muscle strengthens and capillary networks expand to better deliver fresh blood to working muscles. Simply put, the boring miles put in over the off season pay dividends when it comes time to perform.
“Don’t compare yourself to other runners; focus on your own fitness and performance.”
After building a big strong base, race-focussed preparations involve running at faster paces, building the anaerobic system - the top of the pyramid. The benefits of base training are multiplied many times over with higher heights being reached due to the strong pyramid bottom, and you end up with a complete, well trained, race-ready runner.
Wait a minute… no, there couldn’t possibly be any parallels to be drawn between athletics and whisky.
Many distilleries and drinkers are focused on the retroactive application of flavour to spirit in the form of good wood. But in my personal journey lately, I appreciate an interesting spirit matured in an understated cask as opposed to a shouty finishing cask. Loch Lomond is a good example of a distillery that focuses on distillate, and in recent times they are getting noticed for it. At one virtual tasting I attended during the pandemic, someone put it as “getting it right in the camera as opposed to in post processing”. An apt observation. Building a great base in your spirit produces great whisky, especially when maturation is done with intent and gentle balance, in a way that works with what is already there and does not overpower.
Review
Shelter Point Canadian single malt whisky, 46% ABV. CAD$130 intermittent availability, not yet widespread
Maturation in oak is a strong component of Shelter Point flavour and ageing in Vancouver Island’s temperate oceanic climate gives a different character compared to the typically more extreme Canadian environment. Still, it’s clear that this is a distillery that likes to start off with a strong characterful distillate. The distillery website says for this version they decide to let both the casks and the spirit do the talking. In other words they’ve established a good base and then applied just the right training through maturation to elevate the final product.
“Why barley? Because our founder felt that single malt whisky had more character, depth and nuance than either rye or corn.”
Shelter Point makes their single malt from 100% malted barley grown in British Columbia. The fermentation is a week long and done at room temperature before double distillation in a pair of copper Forsyths’ pot stills with the new make entering the casks at 63.5% ABV.
I believe this to be the second 46% ABV release of their official 10 year old, although there are no markings on the bottle to indicate the batch. This batch is a vatting of three ex-bourbon casks.
Nose
Dessert-like with marzipan, birthday cake with sprinkles, apple pie, orange peel, cinnamon, fresh paint, milk chocolate, and walnut liqueur.
Palate
Sweet red fruits, wine gums, and jelly beans. Oaky brandy and twiggy wood, it’s mouth coating with good viscosity. Milky, chocolate orange, warm spices and a lingering herbaceous finish (amaro, vermouth).
The Dregs
I’ve heard Aqvavitae Roy talk about all the new single malt distilleries in Scotland that are approaching a point where they could release a certified 10 year old in the near future. It’s a milestone for any distillery when they’ve been operating long enough to paint this significant age statement on the bottle, not to mention being disqualified from the “best new distillery” award in the Online Scotch Whisky Awards. As time marches along, Canada’s best new distillery isn’t so new any more.
The more substantial age on this release gives a good balance between spirit and cask and this expression feels more refined and complicated than others from the distillery. On first opening, the initial impression was that of serious flavour density and weight. Everything was compressed as if it had been squeezed to fit into the bottle. There was a lot of unpacking to do and we wouldn’t hit the bliss point anytime soon. So after a few more pours, the bottle went into timeout for several months.
Returning after some air time, there’s more separation and my palate is able to pick things apart more easily. This heavy weight easily keeps up with Scotland's integrity 10 year olds and even those five years its senior. Wanting to keep this around as an example of what’s possible with Canadian whisky, I wish I could drink it freely without the anxiety associated with finding and paying for a replacement. At this slightly too dear price point Shelter Point 10 year old is a strong six, with better availability and priced at $10 per year it might crack a seven.
Oh and what about my race? I’m proud to say all my efforts this year paid off and I bested my previous half marathon time by a whopping seven minutes. I cried like a baby at the finish line.
Score: 6/10
Tried this? Share your thoughts in the comments below. AMc
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Other opinions on this:
Dribs n Drams (video)
Whisky in the 6 (video run down)
Got a link to a reliable review? Tell us.
