Ask any Canadian whisky drinker what has been missing from the liquor store shelf lately, and the answer is usually the same: bourbon. With the Canada-U.S. trade war making many familiar American spirits hard to find north of the border, Maverick Distillery decided the situation was, frankly, ridiculous.
So, the Oakville-based company did something about it. Instead of waiting for the shelves to fill back up, Maverick started doing what any self-respecting whisky lover would do: going straight to the source, buying the barrels and bringing them home.
That mission has grown into BARNBURNER, Maverick’s bourbon, rye and whisky family, now seven bottles deep. It includes proper cask-strength bourbon distilled and aged in Bardstown, Ky., a Canadian-American blend that reportedly ended a small argument in the Maverick tasting room and the original 100 per cent Ontario BARNBURNER whisky that started it all.
Newest to the family: two rye whiskies fresh off the truck from Lawrenceburg, Ind., BARNBURNER Indiana Rye Whisky and BARNBURNER 21 per cent Rye Bourbon. Both were distilled and aged stateside, then hand-selected, finished and bottled by Maverick’s team in Ontario.
“We are not going to pretend the whiskey isn’t American; it is, and a very good one,” said Craig Peters, founder of Maverick Distillery. “What we bring to the bottle is everything that happens after it crosses the border: the blending, the finishing, the bottling, the jobs and admittedly a fair amount of arguing about proof points. Canadians shouldn’t have to give up great bourbon just because of what’s going on politically. So, we go get it ourselves.”
That “just go get it” attitude is a large part of Maverick’s personality. Peters started the company in Oakville in 2009 with the belief that Ontario could make spirits just as good as anywhere else in the world. He then spent the better part of two decades proving it, one category at a time.
What began as a small-batch vodka project grew into TAG No.5 Vodka, widely regarded as Ontario’s No.1 vodka, GINSLINGER Ontario Craft Gin, LUNÁTICO Tequila, CARGO Rum and the entire BARNBURNER bourbon, rye and whisky lineup. Maverick is still independently and proudly Canadian-owned and is still based in Oakville.
“Being a Canadian distillery doesn’t mean Canadians should stop enjoying great products from around the world,” Peters said. “Our job is to find exceptional whisky, bring the barrels home and put as much of the value as we can back into Ontario. Great whisky can come from anywhere. No politics, no borders, it’s just worth pouring.”
The full BARNBURNER lineup, including both new Indiana ryes, is available at select LCBO locations across Ontario and online at MaverickDirect.ca, with free shipping on orders over $150.
