For the past several years, musicians have been turning to booze, not so much in the party sense anymore, but more in the marketing sense of brand identity. Loyal fans line up to purchase these products, which often sell-out in record time. Here in Canada, The Tragically Hip partnered with Ontario’s Stoney Ridge Winery to create several vintages, all of outstanding composition. Below are three options to show our red, white, and rose colours.

The Fully Completely Reserve Red was originally created to commemorate The Tragically Hip’s announcement of the re-release of their legendary album, Fully Completely. The inaugural vintage was co-created by band members Gord Downie, Paul Langlois, Rob Baker, Gord Sinclair, and Johnny Fay in conjunction with the Stoney Ridge Winemaking team. The wine is a premium blend of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot from the 2019 vintage. The bottle once again features an exact replication of the original artwork that first appeared on the Fully Completely album cover.

Ahead by a Century Chardonnay was originally created to commemorate the 20th anniversary of The Tragically Hip’s 5th album, Trouble at the Henhouse. It offers offers a delightful balance between fruit and oak with a rich, creamy palate showcasing the ripeness. Lush aromas of vanilla, crème brûlée fresh peach and honey dominate the nose with hints of pineapple and apricot in the background. The palate is medium to full bodied with a silky, buttery texture, balanced by soft citrus acidity. Flavours include charred lemon, orange marmalade and creamy vanilla. The finish is a rich creamy oak medley with balancing citrus acidity.

The Flamenco” Rosé vintage is a fresh and fruity Rosé crafted in the traditional Provence style with a bright salmon hue. The blending of Gamay and Pinot Noir grapes lend a fresh character to the wine with a forward nose of pomegranate, cranberry, rose water, and guava. The palate is smoothly textured and expressive with flavours of strawberry, rose petal, and white cherry, ending with a hint of sweetness balanced with fresh citrus acidity. The creation of a traditionally dry style of Rosé was inspired by the lyrics and music of Flamenco, a lessor known but critically acclaimed track on the band’s seminal Trouble at the Henhouse album originally released in 1996. The label artwork is a collaboration between the winery and band guitarist Rob Baker, who inspired the original wine label art as a reflection of the song and its reminiscence of Spanish flamenco dance and their signature guitars. A dry style Rosé for those hot afternoons in Spain was a perfect fit for this concept.

Matt Loney, General Manager at Stoney Ridge, says “We currently produce annual new vintages of each of the three wines. Each wine is available year round at the winery, and all have regular releases to Vintages locations at the LCBO each year. The Red and Chard are currently in Vintages, and the Rose has an annual release in May. We also have the wines available in independent retailers in Alberta as well as periodic availability in Manitoba and Saskatchewan liquor stores.”

The wines are available at Stoney Ridge’s wine boutique in Vineland, direct at Ontario bars and restaurants, and via on-line sales at www.thehip.com and www.stoneyridge.com.

Blackened is the super-premium whisky collaboration from Master Distiller Dave Pickerell and rock band, Metallica. A blend of hand-selected, well aged bourbons and ryes from across North America, are uniquely finished in black brandy casks to the backdrop of earth-shattering music from Metallica.

Using their proprietary BLACK NOISE™ finishing process, each batch of of whisky is blasted with its very own Metallica playlist, curated by the band themselves. The low-frequency sound waves force the whisky to penetrate deeper into the barrel, extracting more caramel, honey and vanilla flavors from the wood. There are notes of burnt caramel and oak, with honey, cinnamon, allspice, dark fruit, clove and mint filling the palate. The finish is long and smooth, slightly creamy with hints of butterscotch taffy, maple and honey. The result is a magnificently balanced whisky, robust in flavour and ideal for sipping neat, on the rocks, or in a classic whiskey cocktail.

Here in Canada, availability will begin in British Columbia followed by Alberta, with more provinces coming in 2022. Subscribe to the newsletter for the latest market openings across Canada.

KISS launched their spirits portfolio, Drink It Up by KISS, a while back and after selling over 100,000 bottles across Europe, Japan and Australia, the master-blended portfolio of premium gin and rum became available within the USA late last year. The band rocks the market with their Premium Distilled Cold Gin, Black Diamond Premium Dark Rum, Detroit Rock Premium Dark Rum, and new limited-edition Monstrum Ultra Premium Dark Rum. Canada is on the horizon, but we aren’t there just yet.

Drink It Up by KISS is a collaboration between the legendary band, their licensing agent, Epic Rights, and the award-winning spirits producer Brands for Fans.

  • KISS Black Diamond Premium Dark Rum: KISS Black Diamond Premium Dark Rum has a marked oak-character, thanks to the rum’s 15 year barrel ageing process, leading to a slightly spicy finish. The product has been awarded six global accolades for quality and design
  • KISS Detroit Rock Premium Dark Rum: For something a little stronger and more complex, there’s the KISS Detroit Rock Premium Dark Rum. This pays homage to the hit song Detroit Rock City and is bottled at 45% volume with a clear barrel finish, for a sophisticated and full-bodied taste. The rum has received eight internationally recognized awards for quality and design.
  • KISS Monstrum Ultra Premium Dark Rum: Named after the Latin word for ‘monster,’ the KISS Monstrum Ultra Premium Dark Rum lives up to its title as a monstrously exceptional rum. It’s the newest and boldest addition to the portfolio that’s not to be missed. The high-end and specially selected rum is barrel aged over 14 years. KISS Monstrum Ultra Premium Dark Rum has a well-balanced finish that highlights the uniquely crafted blend which has no added sugar or flavorings.
  • KISS Premium Distilled Cold Gin: In tribute to the iconic 1974 KISS song and the band’s hometown of New York City, there’s the KISS Premium Distilled Cold Gin. With classic gin tones like juniper, citrus, and herbs coming through on the palate, a product of the five-time distillation process, it’s a must-have for KISS and gin fans alike.

 

About the Author

Bryen Dunn is a freelance journalist based in Toronto with a focus on tourism, lifestyle, entertainment and community issues. He has written several travel articles and has an extensive portfolio of celebrity interviews with musicians, actors and other public personalities. He’s willing to take on any assignments of interest, attend parties with free booze, listen to rants, and travel the world in search of the great unknown. He’s eager to discover the new, remember the past, and look into the future.