Wild Man Whisky Kirin’s Reserve — Kirin’s Reserve comes straight from the cask and our heart. It’s no wonder it’s best drunk straight so you can enjoy the aromas of pear, caramel, and vanilla. Our signature limited-edition wheat whisky has been perfectly smoothed by years of careful aging, and now you can enjoy it.
Crafted with passion in the heart of Alberta, this whisky is a true testament to Canadian craftsmanship. Explore more premium spirits at White Lightning Distillery — where tradition meets bold innovation.
$150.00
Dan –
Wildman.
In 2016 one of the last jobs I did with Wildman Concrete before I shut it down was a roughly 2000sqft slab about 15 mins south east of Barrhead. The building didn’t look like much, and it’s located down a half mile long goat trail through a pasture. Tucked in the trees, down a sharp hill in an old quansat is were we poured the slab which was slated to be a Distillery. To be honest, I didn’t take it too seriously. We poured the slab which resulted in another happy customer and I never gave it another thought.
Then, about 3 weeks ago or so, I got a phone call. The guy on the other end of the line jogged my memory after a little bit and wanted another quote. He wants to pour the remaining 1000 sqft of the quansat because he’s adding a tasting area. I got the information I needed and was just about to end the call when he asked me, “By the way, how’s it feel to be named after the best whisky in Alberta?” I was confused. “What do you mean?” I replied. He then went on to tell me that when my trucks showed up at his last pour, he knew what he was going to name his whiskey brand. “What sounds better than, Wildman Whisky?” He asked. I was flattered. But, I also didn’t know that he wasn’t just some crack pot tooting his own horn about having “The best whisky in Alberta”.
I went out to his place a few days after the call and proceeded to look over the job. During that time I asked him about his whisky and I immediately spotted the passion that came off of him. So, I asked him for a tour of his facility and that’s when I realized that this guy wasn’t messing around. You’ve all met the kind of people I’m talking about. When they start talking about their labour of love, the details they go into clearly show that they’ve invested an enormous amount of time, energy and money into this thing they are obsessed with.
His facility peeked my interest but I still declined a sampling. He continued to talk about how he makes everything from scratch, no short cuts, and how his distillation process takes 30 hours, which has to be constantly personally monitored. Then he showed me his finished product and told me the price. His super premium whisky sells for $150/bottle. Well, now I had to see for myself. “How can he charge $150 a bottle for this stuff?” I thought to myself. Then I said to Richard, “You know what, I’ll take you up on that sample, just a small one.”
Well, I’ve shot whisky before. It’s horrible. You get the same twitch and head shake as you get with a shot of cheap tequila. I was expecting it to be better than that, but it’s still 75% alcohol! I smelled it and yup, that was whisky. I brought the paper cup to my mouth and took a tiny sip. It made my lips a bit numb for a few seconds but it went down smooth as silk. “Pretty nice huh?” Said the proud craftsmen. “I’m gonna have to buy a few of these for some friends.” I replied after I poured the rest down the hatch.
I goes to show, quality is found in hand made products, made by people who love what they do. Yeah, it’s expensive, and sometimes the cheap stuff will do. But it doesn’t hold a candle to the one that’s made as perfect as it can be. Richard could pound out as much booze as he can and maximize profits by selling high volumes at low prices, but he doesn’t care as much about profits as he does about his craft. Regardless, I wish him success.
If anyone wants a gift idea for the guy who has everything, let me know and I’ll give you this guy’s contact. He figures he’ll be out of this year’s stock by Christmas. And no, I’m not getting any kickbacks. Richard doesn’t even know I’m plugging this for him. I just love promoting passionate work.
David wilder –
Can’t wait until this Wildman whiskey is back in stalk! Had a sample of the 75 dollar bottle at the home show here I’m edmonton. The smooth smoke barrel taste left me wanting more. I talked myself into buying the 150.00 dollar bottle. I was told that the smoke barrel taste was stronger and with a whole lot more burn. When I got home and poured. Myself a shot. It literally took my breath away, I was left gasping for air in amazement! The whiskey is better then expected and went down crazy smooth for being 75%. I cannot wait until I can purchase another bottle I’m happy paying the $150.