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From Grain to Bottle: The Craft of Barreling Our Canadian Bourbon

Having successfully completed the mashing, fermentation, and double distillation stages, our spirit is finally ready for the step that will define its true character: barreling. Today, we invite you inside the aging cellars of Distillerie des Cantons for the fifth episode of our "From Grain to Bottle" series, focusing on the barreling process of our brand-new Canadian bourbon.


Refined Filling Technique: Not a Single Drop Wasted

We make sure not to lose a single drop of our precious spirit! To transfer the alcohol into the casks, we have refined our technique over time. We now use a high-precision pump equipped with a gas-station-style nozzle. This practical method gives us total control over the flow, allowing us to fill the barrels to the very last liter without losing a single drop of our Canadian nectar.


Selecting the Wood: Heavy Toast Char 2 Barrels

For our Canadian bourbon, we selected a very specific type of brand-new barrel:

"Heavy Toast Char 2" casks.


What does this mean for the flavor profile? These barrels undergo an intense toasting stage (heavy toast) followed by a light-to-medium charring (char 2). Using brand-new oak with this specific treatment deeply sculpts the spirit’s aromatic profile, imparting:


  • Strong, forward notes of vanilla

  • Rich, deep woody characteristics

  • A subtle, elegant touch of smoke


See You in 3 Years!

In Canada, regulations are clear: a spirit must mature in wooden barrels for at least three years before it can legally be called a whisky.


Thanks to the rich influence of these new charred oak barrels, we expect a relatively quick and highly expressive maturation. In three years, this batch will already deliver a wonderfully complex profile, perfectly ready to drink! Of course, we will also practice a bit of patience and set aside a portion of these barrels to age even longer, allowing us to see how the flavors evolve over time.

Watch our latest video to see our team in action as the new barrels take their place in the warehouse!



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