Liqueurs
This is a tough category, and I never envy the judges when they are tasting through them. It’s for a simple reason really. These are ingredients, meant to be part of a larger recipe and rarely meant to be consumed on their own. Judging them accurately requires a little extra concentration to judge them on their merits, but to also view them with an eye to their possibilities. This year, the top liqueurs were the tasty Cabot Trail Maple whisky, bursting with pure (and real) maple syrup flavours balanced by the fiery whisky, while the Judges Selections were the classic Glayva, and the new to the market Laura Secord chocolate cream liqueur. Tom Firth BEST IN CLASS
JUDGES’ SELECTION
Cabot Trail Maple Whisky Canada $28-33 CSPC 755851
Glayva United Kingdom $38-42 CSPC 201251 Laura Secord Chocolate Cream Liqueur Canada $25-30 CSPC7 63948
Sake The market for sake in Alberta has been growing slowly over the past few years, but recently has taken on a nice expansion. With almost 80 different sake products here in Alberta, there is no shortage of styles in the market, ranging from fruit flavoured variations to the pure junmai daiginjo. Toshi Uehara with Sake Gami (sakegami.com) has done a great job exposing Alberta to products like Mikotsuru and Kaiun, both of which showed well in our competition. The Kaiun Iwaizake Junmai Ginjo took top place from the panel, offering a gorgeous array of melon, macadamia nut, and cashew. Brad Royale BEST IN CLASS
JUDGES’ SELECTION
Kaiun Iwaizake Junmai Ginjo Japan $35 CSPC 767618
Mikotsuru Junmai Ginjo Kuro Japan $35 CSPC 768499 Mikotsuru Kinmonnishiki Junmai-shu Japan $32 CSPC 768506
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