It devastated northern Alberta this spring, but now the Fort McMurray wildfire has created a recipe for success.
The Wood Buffalo Brewing Company is working on a new whisky that uses the wildfire as its flavour inspiration.
It started with a pallet of malted barley that was left out at the company’s brewery in the rush to evacuate. That malt became infused with smoke from the fire.
The whisky is named “the Beast” – a fitting tribute to the fire that created it.
The Wood Buffalo Brewing Company held an auction for the Friends of the Fort McMurray Firefighters Charities Association last week where the first ten bottles of the whisky were sold.
A post on the company’s Facebook page said the first eight bottles were sold for $28,750. An eBay auction was being held for the final two bottles, which sold for a total of $7,900, according to the website.
The company said it will continue to auction 10 bottles a year with all proceeds being donated until 2021 when the whisky is ready to be sold to the public.