We have long held romantic preconceptions about the Yukon, likely thanks to the Robert Service poeticism of its punishing cold and heart-swelling scenery (Sitka spruce, scrappy lichen tundra and, of course, the midnight sun).
A visit was big on our bucket list so, when Vancouver’s Edible Canada announced its hosting of the Ultimate Canadian Whiskey Dinner in Whitehorse, we grabbed our Canada Goose jacket and headed north.
Driving to Whitehorse from Vancouver is an overnight trip with its share of charms, but we opted for a direct two-hour Air North flight and were surprised that a) it was only two hours long and b) the carrier serves amazing airline food. Unexpected but very welcome—not that we needed to fill up on bison just yet. The Ultimate Canadian Whiskey Dinner, for the uninitiated, is a weekend-long culinary adventure that aims to pair some of the most exciting Yukon activities in the territory with gourmet local cuisine. A Mecca of all things hunted and gathered from the wild, the dinner is Canadiana-foodie heaven and, as we discovered, a great opportunity to commence an all game-meat diet. www.flyairnorth.com
We arrived into a bright, sunny, early April evening and headed straight to the Inn on the Lake, a small-but-spectacular rustic-luxe lodge clocked high among National Geographic‘s 150 places to stay in the world (past visitors include the Canadian Governor General, Jann Arden and Martha Stewart, whose legacy lives on in the colloquial re-naming of the master suite as "Martha’s Room"). Situated on the bank of Marsh Lake, the lodge is suffused with golden warmth, boasting all spacious and well-appointed rooms with balconies, portrait windows and easy access to a dining room lit by candles and set with proper vintage silverware.
As a special first-night treat, guests (we numbered around 20) were invited to chef Carson’s nearby private lakefront home for strips of tender moose with soy and birch-syrup sauce and almond-cauliflower dip with spruce-tip oil courtesy of Michele Genest, author of The Boreal Feast (a book we highly recommend for authentic contemporary northern cuisine). By the time the 10 p.m. sunset cast lakeside conifers in stark silhouette against unbelievable persimmon orange, we’d collectively emptied several bottles of Lot 40 Cask Strength whiskey. Standing outside, joyfully taking in the scenery, baritoned and bearded whiskey expert Dave Mitton offered us a cold river stone in place of our drink’s ice cube, explaining the true origin of the phrase, "On the rocks." That night, guests stayed out until 3 a.m. on the thick frozen lake watching the Northern Lights—a supercharged astral technicolour streaking through the sky like a Renaissance painting of God. Inn on the Lake, PO Box 10420, Whitehorse, 867-660-5253, www.innonthelake.ca
In the morning we went dogsledding at Sky High Wilderness Ranch, where 150 sleigh dogs were ready to run (not counting new puppies, there exclusively to play). Getting the knack of dogsledding was reasonably easy: keep a foot on the break and engage your core like mad. One brusque "mush" and the dogs whipped us off onto a mountain-rimmed frozen lake—a reminder of the undervalued joy of yelling a command and having it followed. We spent an hour gliding across sunlit ice dotted with driftwood bleached silver by the cold and trying to keep Buttercup, our feistiest pup, from being a total troublemaker. It was joyous, as was the proceeding meal of Arctic char two ways—seared over an open fire and in a Thai-flavoured ceviche—and apple-spice whiskey cocktails in snow-chilled flasks. Sky High Wilderness Ranch, #48 Hart Cr., Whitehorse, 867-667-4321, www.skyhighwilderness.com
The meals and adventures escalated from there: think tender moose stroganoff and bison carpaccio, and caribou sausages with low-bush cranberry-spiked mustard alongside mugs of wild mushroom soup with roasted spruce, as we watched more than 10,000 migratory trumpeter swans flap and feed on their habitual riverbank. We took the traditional Yukon Sour Toe shot at MacBride Museum (yes, a human toe preserved in alcohol that you must let touch your lips; five hours of preceding day-drinking helps). In the evening, guests sat around flower-laden tables at the Inn dining on foie gras and pine-smoked halibut, rib racks of venison and some of the rarest small-batch whiskeys in Mitton’s collection. Dessert, beneath a billion stars, was cubes of chocolate and white-cranberry cake by The Claim bakery. Stargazing, hot tubbing and hot toddy-ing lasted well into the night, capping off a full day of unbelievably natural beauty and incredible food. MacBride Museum of Yukon History, 1124 Front St., Whitehorse, 867-667-2709, www.macbridemuseum.com
Edible Canada offers a variety of foodie adventure tours, from Gourmet Kayaking weekends to epic cross-provincial culinary journeys aiming to showcase the country’s best activities and tastes. Next year’s Ultimate Canadian Whiskey Dinner has two available dates, April 1st to 3rd and April 8th to 10th, 2016, at the all-inclusive price per person of $1,750. This weekend away is the experience of a lifetime. —Adrienne Matei
Photos courtesy of Fritz Muller Visuals, Travel Yukon.
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