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<\/p>\nAs Tomatin Distillery releases a single malt whisky partially aged in Icewine casks, Sarah Neish discovers why Canada\u2019s signature style lends itself perfectly to spirits maturation, and why this \u201ctruly surprising dram\u201d almost didn\u2019t happen.<\/p>\n
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Single malt brand C\u00f9 B\u00f2can, owned by Tomatin Distillery in the Scottish Highlands, claims to have produced the first known peated Scotch to be matured in Icewine casks, but the project may never have happened had it not been for a random encounter at a trade fair.<\/p>\n
Speaking to the drinks business, Tomatin\u2019s distillery manager Jamir Muir said the kernel of the idea was formed after unexpectedly bumping into Canadian Icewine producer Pillitteri Estates Winery.<\/p>\n
Random encounter<\/p>\n
\u201cOur brand ambassador and blender at the time, Scott Adamson, was at a travel retail trade fair in Singapore in 2013 and our stand happened to be next to Pillitteri\u2019s,\u201d Muir told db. \u201cHe was blown away by the quality of their wine but also struck by some of the similarities it had with sweet wines from Europe that we had used in maturation in the past and the cogs started turning.\u201d<\/p>\n
The only real challenge, Muir revealed, was getting hold of the casks in the first place.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the time, only one of Pillitteri\u2019s Icewines was oak-aged and they only used ten casks a year,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen we first approached them with the idea, they told us that the casks from the most recent bottling had been deconstructed and the staves from them had been used for cladding their new tasting room.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe idea was dead in the water before it started.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, a few months later Tomatin received an email \u201cout of the blue\u201d to say that Pillitteri was \u201cabout to bottle their next batch and the casks would be available if we still wanted them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tomatin took delivery of the casks in February 2020, having had them shipped over from Pillitteri\u2019s winery in Ontario, where winters consistently see temperatures as low as -25\u00b0C.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cWe purchased 10 casks, eight of which were used in Creation #8,\u201d Muir explained. \u201cThe casks are French Oak with a medium toast and they all arrived at the distillery with a few litres of Icewine left in them. We emptied the wine from the casks, gave samples to the distillery staff, and filled the casks immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n Dream to work with<\/p>\n From a maturation point of view, Muir described the Icewine casks as \u201ca dream to work with.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of similarities between the fruity flavours in our new make and the wine, so it took a bit longer than usual for the casks to make their mark but in time the sweetness and mouthfeel of the wine began to come through and it\u2019s been a joy to sample over the last couple of years.\u201d<\/p>\n Icewine is a sweet wine made from grapes that are left to freeze on the vine before harvesting. The grapes are pressed at around \u20137\u00b0C, when the water inside has crystalised, leaving a small amount of highly concentrated sugary juice.<\/p>\n Only 3,600 bottles of Creation #8 were produced in total, with the whisky also partially aged in Spanish Verdejo casks as well as the Ice Wine barrels, a pairing which the distiller says results in a unique flavour profile of \u201cfruit salad sweets, lime zest, earthy smoke and soft oak spice.\u201d The Verdejo casks bring \u201ca vibrant citrus and herbal dimension\u201d while the Icewine barrels impart notes of apricot jam, candied peach and pineapple syrup, to the blend.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Canada calling<\/p>\n According to Jeff Letvenuk, director of marketing for Pillitteri, the winery has \u201calways had some interest from distillers here in Canada and around the world for our red wine barrels for ageing spirits\u201d but adds: \u201cThis will be the first ever use of an Icewine barrel and we are very excited to see the results.\u201d<\/p>\n He told db that \u201cIcewine is uniquely suited [to spirits] as it has incredibly complex and fragrant aromatics.\u201d<\/p>\n Although revenue was \u201cnot the driving factor\u201d behind Pillitteri\u2019s decision to supply Icewine casks to Tomatin, it could end up being a secondary income stream for Canadian producers if the trend takes off.\u00a0 At the very least it shines a light on Canadian Icewine and brings fresh attention to the product.<\/p>\n \u201cWe entered this partnership to see the potential of Icewine barrels and to expand the world\u2019s understand of our uniquely Canadian wine within the larger wine and spirits world,\u201d said Letvenuk. \u201cWe really want to tell the world about Icewine \u2013 what it is, the flavours and how it ages beautifully in oak barrels \u2013 and hope this Scotch whisky produced by Tomatin gives the global wine and spirits world a peek into what we have been doing in Canada for years.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIcewine, he continued, \u201cis often considered a specialty product. We hope the attention Tomatin\u2019s release brings will help to showcase the diversity in the sector and drive broader awareness.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIcewine truly is a much more versatile wine than one would think,\u201d said Letvenuk. \u201cThe sweetness is well balanced by the acidity and intensity of flavours. This makes the barrels used to age Icewine well-suited for ageing spirits and we look forward to seeing more developments in this market.\u201d<\/p>\n Beyond the classic Icewine grape varieties like Vidal and Riesling, Pillitteri also produces Icewine from lesser-used varieties such as Merlot, Shiraz, and Cabernet Sauvignon, and launched the world\u2019s only Corvina-based Icewine earlier this year.<\/p>\n \u201cVidal Icewine is our flagship and most popular expression. It\u2019s also the one we age in oak barrels most often,\u201d said Letvenuk. \u201cIt develops intense fruit flavours of pear, apple and apricot with layered honey notes, and when aged in oak barrels the wood adds a vanilla and slight caramel character to the wine, enhancing complexity.\u201d<\/p>\n This contrasts with with \u201cintense\u201d Cabernet Sauvignon Icewine, said Letvenuk, \u201cwhich tends to be rich with berry character. Strawberry, raspberry and cherry notes dominate and when barrel-aged the Cabernet Sauvignon also brings toffee and subtle dark chocolate notes to the forefront.\u201d<\/p>\n Future experimentation<\/p>\n C\u00f9 B\u00f2can (which means \u2018ghost dog\u2019 in Gaelic) has just released the 18-year old spirit to market and told db there may be more to come.<\/p>\n \u201cWe still have two Icewine casks with C\u00f9 B\u00f2can spirit from 2006 in them so they will likely be bottled at some point,\u201d revealed Muir. \u201cIcewine casks are so rare that a large-scale release just isn\u2019t on the cards but there\u2019s always room for limited editions and single casks.\u201d<\/p>\n Bottled at 46% ABV, Creation #8 is available to purchase from specialist whisky retailers in the UK, priced at \u00a345, as well as via the Tomatin website, with shipping available to Canada (Alberta) and 21 US states.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Related news<\/p>\n \n \n ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Cu-Bocan-Horizontal-Centre-2-640x427.jpg\")
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