It’s that time of year again when everyone pleads, “Help! What kind of wine do I buy to go with my turkey/ham/duck/hot dog?”  There are a million or so of these articles circulating on line, but if you’re truly stuck, private message me and we’ll have a go at it.

In the meantime, get yourself to Wayward Distillery or a private liquor store in BC, and pick up a bottle of this 2018 Gold Medal winner of the Canadian Artisan Spirits Competition to complete your holiday or hostess gift list.

Wayward is doing some rather cool stuff with their spirits – beginning with their base alcohol which is made 100% from honey, not grain.  Yes, honey.  Take the honey harvested from 1,700 hives in an apiary located in BC’s Peace Region, ferment it into mead, and then distill the mead, and boom, you get a vodka base to work with.  Wayward doesn’t filter out the flavour of the honey either, which adds great character to their whole line of spirits, and includes gin, vodka and a rum-style called, “Drunken Hive”.

But first, what the heck’s a Krupnik?  I pride myself on knowing a lot of abstract, alcohol-related things, but this one even stumped me. Based on a Polish or Belarussian recipe, it’s part of a special category of alcoholic beverages called Nalewki.  These are like tinctures where the herbs, spices and honey that make them special are infused into the vodka base.

In this case, the resultant Krupnik is absolutely stunning, showing heady aromas and a palate of nutmeg, cinnamon, clove, apple pie filling, and of course, creamy, clover honey. Sophisticated and delicious, akin to a spiced, honeyed whiskey, it’s well balanced, and not hot or cloying in the slightest.

The Wayward folks have also shown you their funny bone on the back packaging too where they apologize profusely (well, they are Canadian) for spoiling you for anything else, ‘Once you’ve opened this, you won’t be able to stop and we’re sorry.”

There you go, your presents are done and dusted! Go find some and make someone happy.  Mix it as an aperitif with sparkling apple juice, soda, or ginger beer, or sip some with your post-holiday meal pie and shortbread.

You’re welcome, and I’m not sorry.

Note: This sample was provided gratis.