Shelter Point Single Malt is an “artisanal” single malt from Canada’s burgeoning craft/artisanal/micro-distilling scene/movement. So many names for the same damn thing which is a revival of small distilleries in the world. But unlike what’s happening in America where folks are trying, and often failing, to make a good bourbon on a small scale, up in Canada the focus seems to be more on single malts than the blended style of whisky they’ve been known for.
In Shelter Point’s Words: Shelter Point Single Malt
“Paradise isn’t necessarily a geographical requirement for making great whisky, but we managed to find it at Shelter Point. It’s here that we hand craft our 100% Single Malt Whisky, distilled batch-by-batch in traditional copper pot stills from two-row barley, and aged in American oak barrels in our oceanfront warehouse. When it comes to artisanal whisky, every element matters—and in our unique, temperate rainforest climate, even the sunsets and sea air become integral.”
Shelter Point Single Malt is supposedly aged exclusively in Jack Daniels barrels which I thought might be hearsay because they don’t call it out directly anywhere, but then I saw this on their site: “Packaging: Classic Tennessee-style bottle features Vinolok glass closure and original engraving of Shelter Point Farm…” And that’s when I took a closer look at the neck of the bottle and saw the JD resemblance.
Pulling up a picture of the JD bottle it’s easy to see how this is a rounded and smoothed out version of the iconic JD bottle, a subtle tribute to where the raw spirit pulls some of its flavor from. It’s like the owners have an unspoken desire for it to be a transcontinental whisky; created in Canada in the Scottish style but with an American design esthetic and flavor contribution.Sounds like it could be could be fun so let’s dig into Shelter Point Single Malt review!
Sounds like it could be could be fun so let’s dig into Shelter Point Single Malt review!
Shelter Point Single Malt Info
Region: Vancouver, Canada
Distiller: Shelter Point
Mashbill: 100% Malted Barley
Cask: ex-Tennessee Whiskey Barrels (Jack Daniels)
Age: NAS (at least 3 years)
ABV: 46%
Non-Chill Filtered | Natural Color
Price: ~$80
Shelter Point Single Malt Review
EYE
Gold
NOSE
Malt, vanilla, caramel, brown sugar, fruit, cinnamon oil and a bit of farmy earthiness and grain.
PALATE
Malt, nuts, fruit, caramel, cocoa and a bit of spice. Compared to the nose the palate is a bit muted.
FINISH
Medium fade of malt, nuts, fruit, caramel, cocoa and spice.
BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Decent balance, medium body and a soft light feel that almost feels oily.
OVERALL
Shelter Point Single Malt is pretty good and defies my expectations for a newer craft single malt distiller out of Canada. They deliver something that’s rather nice and approachable without most of the pitfalls that American craft whiskey falls into. The grain sits forward, but it’s not abrasive and works well in this dram. Seriously not a bad little whisky. Interesting what 3 years and large barrels can achieve.
SCORE: 85/100 B
