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
'Still so much love between us,' Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
What to know about avian influenza in dairy cows and the risk to humans
Why is H5N1, or bird flu, a concern, how does it spread, and is there a vaccine? Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions about avian influenza.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
opinion The special relationship between King Charles and the Princess of Wales
Royal commentator Afua Hagan writes that when King Charles recently admitted Catherine to the Order of the Companions of Honour, it not only made history, but it reinforced the strong bond between the King and his beloved daughter-in-law.
Pro-plastic lobbyist presence at UN talks is 'troubling,' say advocates
Environmentalist groups are sounding the alarm about a steep increase in the number of pro-plastic lobbyists at the UN pollution talks taking place this week.
'Too young to have breast cancer': Rates among young Canadian women rising
Breast cancer rates are rising in Canada among women in their 20s, 30s and 40s, according to research by the University of Ottawa (uOttawa).
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger, shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.
$70M Lotto Max winners kept prize a secret from family for 2 months
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Courteney Cox says her partner Johnny McDaid once broke up with her in therapy
Courteney Cox's longtime partner Johnny McDaid once broke up with her in a therapy session.