Bearface One Eleven Series Oaxaca Edition Review - A Canadian Rebellion in a Whisky Bottle

There’s plenty to say about Bearface One Eleven, the Agave Spirit blended into it, and what this means for the Canadian whisky market. Firstly, let’s start with the basics—Bearface is Canadian whisky through and through. There’s a lot of mezcal influence in the flavour, but it qualifies as whisky under Canada’s 9.09 rule.

The 9.09 percent rule (sometimes called the one-eleven) allows whisky producers to add non-whisky flavouring agents. These flavouring agents are limited to spirits aged for two years in wood, and/or a wines (fortified or otherwise). Why 9.09 percent? It comes from an old Canadian whisky blender tradition that for every ten barrels of whisky in a blend, producers added a barrel of something else.

The rule is most often used in low-end entry-level whiskies, it’s used in American exports because of tax incentives, and it’s even used in some super-high end older Canadian whiskies.

Bearface One Eleven is the company’s second product coming to market (the first being Triple Oak). This series takes aim at the freedom provided by the 9.09 percent rule by further innovating the Canadian whisky category. This release is matured Canadian whisky blended with two-year old barrel aged mezcal. This was no simple task. Mezcal generally isn’t aged for two years, and when it is, it’s easy to overpower the nuance of the spirit by oaky notes.

Andres Faustinelli is behind the whisky; an endeavour that’s a division of the Mark Anthony’s group. I interviewed Andrews on episode 127 of The Whisky Topic where he hints at this release. It’s a fun interview for me, and Andres was a well received by listeners. While Andres himself is easy going, he does not take his craft of whisky blending lightly. As you’ll hear on the podcast, his first foray into Canada’s whisky scene was an intense blending process. This is no different. 

So what are the results? 

On this, there’s also plenty to say. 

Bearface One Eleven Series is not delicate in its mezcal touches. It’s influences are brash, sudden, and interesting. The smoky sweet acidic notes from the mezcal are balanced with the double-down of oak flavour from French barrel influences. It depends on heavy acidic notes from the mezcal to balance out the sweetness. 

I think, though, that this is entirely the point. It creates a canvas from which one can build cocktails around. From the Bearface website: 

First we take BEARFACE single grain Canadian whisky finished in virgin French oak, toasted two ways by our coopers: the first for vanilla and sweet notes, the second for floral notes, dried fruits and tannins.

Finally we blend it with one part authentic, pit-roasted agave espadín mezcal, finished in ex-bourbon barrels in the heat of the sierras of Oaxaca, Mexico, to deliver an earthy, smoky finish.

It’s an intense whisky. I keep pondering where it’ll find its home—though it will certainly find a home. It’s not gentle enough for the traditional scotch sipper, and it might be too heavy in the Canadian char caramel note for the bourbon drinker. It might be too mezcal-y forward for Canadian whisky drinkers. 

I’ve had terrific cocktails made with Bearface One Eleven. There are nuances to the whisky that make it fun to explore within mixed drinks. The Bearface One Eleven Highball is a great example of this. It makes an incredible paper plane. At $49.95, it’s priced as a premium cocktail ingredient. Is that it’s home?

I can’t quite predict how Bearface One Eleven will be received, but I love a company that challenges convention, and this whisky does just that. 

The people behind Bearface not only provided me with a bottle of the whisky, but they included a sample of the mezcal (labelled as agave spirit on the bottle) that went into the whisky. I have tasting notes for both:

Two-year matured mezcal found in Bearface One Eleven

Nose: Peppermint chocolate (that waxy chocolate, with the minty middle), vanilla bean, and syrupy. There's a nice funk on the nose—earthy, muddy, and yet still syrupy sweet. 

Palate: Sharp, hard lemon zest sharp. Maybe lime. It’s very acidic, and has some sweetness, and very little oak influence. There’s a nice smokiness and that earthiness funk transfers to the back of the palate flavours that I can’t quite describe, but I do enjoy. 

Bearface One Eleven Series Oaxaca Agave Spirit Batch No. 1
Category: Non-Distillery Producer, Mezcal added, 9.09 rule. 
Score: [Become a Patron]

Nose: Melting caramel, char, and campfire smokiness. Basically noses like a s’mores. The mezcal adds an acidity, and a vanilla-bean like sweetness. I’ve nosed this a few times blind, and sometimes the agave spirit is upfront, but other times the caramel smokiness takes priority. In either case, you’ll get both over a short period of time, but I’ve found this to start strong in one direction or another (for me).

Palate: The nose presents itself abundantly sweet, but the palate is surprisingly light by comparison. Typical Canadian whisky notes of caramel sweetness and char come through, but there’s a nice acidity that lightens the drink. Lemon sharpness, peppermint, and caramel continue through to the finish. The sharp oak spice transfers nicely, and the smoky char never quite goes away. Good lingering finish reminiscent of lemon sour and bubble gum sweetness. It’s heavy on the palate. It has plenty of weight. That works against it with sweetness from ample oak influence, but the mezcal balances it out with a light acidity. 

Conclusion: It’s a drink you have at a loud bar among terrific conversation, or with a meaty great meal. It’s a whisky you use for a terrific house cocktail that’ll have flavours that’ll surprise your guests. It’s the whisky you have when the day has been intense, and you need a whisky that matches that intensity. It’s a whisky that’ll have a place in your whisky cabinet. How you use it, though, will be interesting!