When you picture whiskey culture, what comes to mind? Rich tradition, historical distilleries set against beautiful locations, and perhaps a few particular brands? On the negative side, maybe you think of conformity, snobbishness, and exclusivity? There’s certainly something to be said for the history behind the established brands today, but there’s also room for new names as well – and Bear Fight Whiskey is stepping right up and filling that space boldly.
The owner of Bear Fight is Next Century Spirits. Next Century was established in 2018 with the goal of challenging the status quo in the whiskey industry through an innovative process called Spiranova (more on that in a second), and the results have spoken for themselves. Bear Fight was the company’s first brand to use the new process, and was quickly recognized with several awards: a Double Gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, a best-in-category award at the 2022 World Whiskey Competition, and a Double Gold at the 2021 New York International Spirits Competition.
The Challenge
The heart of Bear Fight’s challenge to the whiskey industry is in its process. New Century Spirits distills its products in North Carolina – a break from the traditional home of American Whiskey, Kentucky. They use hand-hammered copper pot stills crafted in Scotland, American oak barrels, and the wild temperature swings of the coast to create a product unlike any other on the market. On top of that, their proprietary process, called Spiranova, involves direct intervention with the whiskey to create the best flavor – an idea diametrically opposed to how whiskey is traditionally thought to be made best.
Spiranova was developed by New Century Spirits co-founder and NC State professor Joel Pawlak. It involves directly controlling the temperature of the spirit in limited windows to increase the speed of the maturation process. It also allows for full-bodied flavor to be imparted in a fraction of the amount of time the traditional process takes. By controlling the temperature and time so finely, New Century is able to decide on the flavors being created, a level of control and customizability completely novel to the industry.
Traditionalists will push back on this, and I can understand why. There’s something romantic about the idea of the product inside the barrel being a slight mystery until it’s uncorked by the master distiller. But what Spiranova allows for is full-bodied, aged flavor in younger whiskey, cutting down the age time and by extension, the cost. This cost-reduction is passed on to consumers with cheaper prices than you normally see in a newer brand. This is a direct challenge to how the industry has always done things, and the results speak for themselves: multiple awards from major competitions, and an expanding portfolio of products created by this process.
Bear Fight American Single Malt
I was graciously provided a sample of the Bear Fight American Single Malt. After reading about the new Spiranova process, I was excited to give it a try. My thoughts are below.
Nose: Off the bat, this nose reminds me of a West Highland or Speyside pour. Tons of fruity, malty, and citrus notes floating about. There’s a strong whiff of lemon peel up front, followed by Granny Smith apples and a malty kind of sweetness – it makes me think of rolls with melted sweet butter on top. I also get some light chocolate fudge notes after swirling.
Palate: The Granny Smith apple note from the nose takes front and center here. The best way to describe it is a fruity tart sweetness that defines the other notes around it. After a little time in the glass, honey emerges, along with chocolate, figs, and cinnamon. The apple transitions into apple pastries like pies and tarts.
Finish: This pour finishes well, with the Granny Smith note carrying through to the end. Alongside it are figs and chocolate, and interestingly, a new cola note. This is a good finish and is medium-long.
Verdict: This pour has the profile of a 8-12 year Scotch, which is crazy for only being aged 3 years. From my palate’s perspective, the Spiranova process created something impressive here. I’m glad I got to try this and enjoyed it a lot – I’m excited to try more Spiranova products to see how far they can stretch it.
Bear Fight was born with the purpose of upending what it means to craft whiskey. Where this disruption takes them is yet to be seen – but based on the results so far, I wouldn’t underestimate New Century Spirits.
