Ask any Canadian whisky drinker what has been missing from the liquor store shelf lately, and the answer is usually the same: bourbon. With the Canada-U.S. trade war keeping a lot of familiar American spirits hard to find north of the border, Maverick Distillery decided the whole situation was, frankly, ridiculous.

So the Oakville-based company did something about it. Instead of waiting for the shelves to fill back up, Maverick started doing what any self-respecting whisky lover would do: going straight to the source, buying the barrels, and bringing them home.

That mission has grown into BARNBURNER, Maverick’s bourbon, rye and whisky family, now seven bottles deep. It includes proper cask-strength bourbon distilled and aged in Bardstown, Kentucky, the self-declared bourbon capital of the world (and they will remind you of that at every opportunity), a Canadian-American blend that reportedly ended a small argument in the Maverick tasting room, and the original 100% Ontario BARNBURNER whisky that started it all.

Newest to the family: two rye whiskies fresh off the truck from Lawrenceburg, Indiana, BARNBURNER Indiana Rye Whisky and BARNBURNER 21% Rye Bourbon. Both were distilled and aged stateside, then hand-selected, finished and bottled by Maverick’s own team in Ontario.

“We are not going to pretend the whiskey isn’t American; it is, and a very good one,” said Craig Peters, founder of Maverick Distillery. “What we bring to the bottle is everything that happens after it crosses the border: the blending, the finishing, the bottling, the jobs, and admittedly a fair amount of arguing about proof points. Canadians shouldn’t have to give up great bourbon just because of what’s going on politically. So we go get it ourselves.”

That “just go get it” attitude is pretty much Maverick’s whole personality. Craig Peters started the company in Oakville in 2009 on the belief that Ontario could make spirits just as good as anywhere else in the world, then spent the better part of two decades proving it, one category at a time.

What began as a small-batch vodka project grew into TAG No.5 Vodka, now Ontario’s No.1 vodka, GINSLINGER Ontario Craft Gin, LUNÁTICO Tequila, CARGO Rum, and the entire BARNBURNER bourbon, rye and whisky lineup. Maverick is still independently, proudly Canadian-owned and still based in Oakville.

Craig, officially the founder and unofficially the self-appointed Chief Vodka Officer, still answers his own email. See below. He means it.

“Being a Canadian distillery doesn’t mean Canadians should stop enjoying great products from around the world,” Peters added. “Our job is to find exceptional whisky, bring the barrels home, and put as much of the value as we can back into Ontario. Great whisky can come from anywhere. No politics, no borders, it’s just worth pouring.”

THE BARNBURNER LINEUP

• BARNBURNER Ontario Whisky — $35.95. The one that started it all: corn and rye whiskies aged three years, then aged again in oak bourbon barrels. 100% Ontario-crafted. Proof you don’t need a passport to make something worth sipping.

• BARNBURNER Prohibition Bourbon (5 YO) — $52.95. Five years in Bardstown, Kentucky, mash bill of 75% corn, 13% rye, 12% malted barley, hand-bottled in Oakville. Canadian labelling rules mean we can’t print the B-word on the front. Your palate will know anyway.

• BARNBURNER Cask Bourbon (7 YO) — $89.95. Seven years in Bardstown, Kentucky, bottled uncut and non-chill filtered at cask strength (60% ABV / 120 proof), hand-numbered and traceable to its original barrel. The one they almost didn’t let cross the border, for good reason.

• BARNBURNER Cask Bourbon (5 YO) — $69.95. Five years in Bardstown, Kentucky, also bottled at full barrel proof. Caramelized brown sugar, toasted oak, butterscotch and crème brûlée. Smaller number on the label, same big personality.

• BARNBURNER Union Bourbon Whisky Blend — $44.95. A 75% Canadian whisky, 25% Kentucky bourbon blend (43% ABV / 86 proof). When Canadian whisky and Kentucky bourbon finally agree on something, they call it Union.

• BARNBURNER Indiana Rye Whisky — $55.95 — NEW. A five-year, 95% rye mash bill whisky from Lawrenceburg, Indiana, matured further in American bourbon barrels. Bold, spicy, and about as subtle as its mash bill.

• BARNBURNER 21% Rye Bourbon — $49.95 — NEW. A four-year high-rye bourbon (75% corn, 21% rye, 4% malted barley), also from Lawrenceburg, Indiana. Extra spice, smooth peppery finish.

AVAILABILITY

The full BARNBURNER lineup, including both new Indiana ryes, is available at select LCBO locations across Ontario and online at MaverickDirect.ca, with free shipping on orders over $150. Must be of legal drinking age to purchase. Please enjoy responsibly.

ABOUT MAVERICK DISTILLERY

Founded in Oakville, Ontario in 2009, Maverick Distillery is an independent, proudly Canadian-owned spirits company. Its portfolio includes TAG No.5 Vodka, Ontario’s No.1 vodka, GINSLINGER Ontario Craft Gin, LUNÁTICO Tequila, CARGO Rum, and the BARNBURNER bourbon, rye and whisky lineup. Learn more at MaverickDirect.ca.

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