A couple of weeks ago, we related the tale of a Meaford spirit – the ghost that haunts the Meaford Museum. Today, we’re going to embark on a quest for another kind of local spirit.

The area around Meaford has a remarkable number of craftspeople producing unique and delicious alchoholic beverages. Whatever your “poison”, you can find a 100-mile spirit to wet your whistle. Actually, there are at least a half-dozen unique vintners, brewers, distillers and others within a 30 mile (or 50-kilometre) radius of Meaford. Get your thirst on, and get ready for a tour.

We’ll start with one of the newest flavours on the scene – though it comes from a long-established Canadian distiller. Back in 1968, Barton Distilleries built the Canadian Mist distillery on the east side of Collingwood. Three years later, Kentucky-based Brown-Forman purchased the distillery, and more than 40 years later, the company says that the Collingwood mist location is the longest-continuously-owned distillery in Canada. Most of the Canadian Mist bottles find their way to the states; it’s the second most popular Canadian whisky brand in the U.S., after Crown Royal – though whisky writer Davin de Kergommeaux says it doesn’t get enough respect, and is“probably the most underrated and misunderstood of Canadian whiskies.”

But a recent push by independent and major distillers to create more distinctive, “craft”, smaller-batch whiskies has taken root at Canadian Mist. In early 2011, Brown-Forman debuted Collingwood Canadian Whisky, which distinguishes itself as the only “maplewood mellowed Canadian whisky” available. The whisky is aged in oak barrels, and then rests with toasted sugar maple staves as a finishing step.

The whisky, which uses Canadian grains and fresh water drawn from Nottawasaga Bay (that’s the water you gaze out upon from Meaford), has been available in Canada for less than a year.

Collingwood Canadian Whisky and Nottawasaga Bay (photo: Canadian Whisky, www.canadianwhisky.org)

De Kergommeaux describes Collingwood this way: “Dark fruits, Concord grapes, roses and spring flowers with a rich and creamy mouthfeel. Split cherry firewood with earthy rye and tingling hot pepper. Floral & Fragrant.” He also gives it a “highly recommended” four out of five stars.

You can pick it up at your local liquor store, or why not enjoy a dram by the waters of Nottawasaga Bay in Meaford?