It seems like ages ago when the first Orphan Barrel releases dropped to huge fanfare in the American whiskey crowd using old stocks from previously forgotten projects, Diageo’s original Barterhouse Bourbon injected energy into a market no longer able to source mature whiskey. Now, on the 25th release of the Orphan Barrel Collection, Diageo has turned its attention north with Night Sage, a 25 Year Old Blended Canadian Whisky distilled in Ontario and Manitoba.

These just hit our warehouse today and we couldn’t wait to get the word out. Like all Orphan Barrel releases, Night Sage is a one-batch, limited-edition release once it’s gone, it’s gone forever. Matured in a combination of first-dump and multi-use oak barrels over 25 years, the whisky opens with butterscotch, vanilla, and gently toasted oak, leading into a smooth palate of brown sugar, golden toffee, walnut, and fig, finishing warm and lingering with dried fruit, vanilla, and oak.