Alberta-made wildfire flavoured whisky sells for $10,000
After six years, a one-of-a-kind Alberta whisky is ready to be tasted – if you can get your hands on a bottle.
The Beast, named for the 2016 Fort McMurray wildfire, is a limited-edition whisky flavoured by the fire. Available exclusively through auction, only 20 bottles are left and they're going for thousands of dollars.
Bryce Parsons is a master distiller, and he said the idea for The Beast was born after his crew from Fort McMurray Wood Buffalo Brewing was evacuated in 2016, leaving a pallet of heavily peated Scottish malt out.
When the team returned, Parsons said the malt was still there and it was still good.
"I said, 'Don't throw it out. I think we can do something with that.' And that's where it started,"he explained."
Flavoured by the wildfire, and tested for safety, the malt was used to craft a truly one-of-a-kind Alberta spirit.
"It's the first whisky ever released in the world that's been directly influenced by a natural disaster," Parsons said.
"Initial thought was, 'Let's make the whisky. Let's see how it turns out, and then let's see if there's any way that we [start] generating to give back to the community using a product that we made,'" he said.
Only 20 bottles of The Beast, a Alberta whisky flavoured by the 2016 Fort MacMurray wildfire, are left and will be available only through auction. (Nahreman Issa/CTV News Edmonton)The project presented an interesting opportunity to give back to the Fort McMurray community, and he said the team decided to auction off the whisky and give the proceeds to local charities.
Despite the whisky not being ready to bottle until six weeks ago, Parsons said 30 of the 50 bottles made have already sold for a total of more than $140,000.
At least one bottle sold for $10,000.
"From what I know, I think that is the most expensive bottle of Canadian-made whisky ever in history," he said. "It shows what that community is all about."
All the proceeds from the whisky are going to the Fort McMurray Firefighters Charities Association, which distributes money to other local organizations.
The 2016 wildfire, nicknamed The Beast, forced around 90,000 northern Albertans from their homes. The fire, which at one point stretched over 580,000 hectares, destroyed entire neighbourhoods and caused billions of dollars in damage.
Parson said it's wonderful to see, that even six years later, people continue to support the community. He's happy to have been a part of that and to finally be able to deliver the bottles to their owners.
"For a lot of people, this product is a symbol of that time, it's probably one of the only things of that time that someone can open up and reflect [on]," he said.
"Time heals and they're getting through it. They're a resilient community up there and I was very happy to make this product for them."
Parsons said at least one more auction is planned and will be held in Jasper, Alta.
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Nahreman Issa
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.
Blind Sask. boy heading to international braille competition hopes to increase accessibility for visually impaired
A Saskatchewan boy who qualified for an international braille competition in Los Angeles next month hopes he can inspire change in his home province.
'A step forward': New screening criteria for sperm donors takes effect
Canadians looking to grow their families with the assistance of sperm or egg donations should soon have more options for donors as the federal health agency does away with longstanding restrictions criticized as discriminatory.
Ontario Provincial Police arrest 64 suspects in child sexual exploitation investigation
Ontario Provincial Police say 64 suspects are facing a combined 348 charges in connection with a series of child sexual exploitation investigations that spanned the province.
What is whooping cough and should Canadians be concerned as Europe declares outbreak?
There is currently a whooping cough epidemic in Europe, with 10 times as many cases compared to the previous two years. While an outbreak has not been declared nationwide in Canada, whooping cough is regularly detected in the country.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Steve Albini, legendary producer for Nirvana, the Pixies and an alternative rock pioneer, dies at 61
Steve Albini, an alternative rock pioneer and legendary producer who shaped the musical landscape through his work with Nirvana, the Pixies, PJ Harvey and more, has died. He was 61.