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Our first – some say greatest – prime minister was from Scotland. So, now, is one of our best beers.

Technically, Innis & Gunn Limited Edition “Canadian Cask” is in fact Scottish. Even I know where Edinburgh is, and that's where the brewery is based. But in spirit, as well as in flavour, you could say the brew is Canadian.

Developed exclusively for our market, it's matured in old Canadian-whisky casks, including some antiques that have been around for 50 years. It's an inspired idea on par with Timbits and three-down football.

The flavours of Canadian whisky harmonize with hoppy beer, and the whisky nuances are uncannily evident here. Rich amber-red in colour, the beer is full-bodied, sensuously smooth and soft, with notes of toffee and raisin. The finish is satisfyingly bitter and dry. Rye, the traditional base for Canadian whisky, was added to the beer recipe, providing colour richness as well as a note of dried fruit. Nicely balanced, this sumptuous brew is a formidable 7.1 per cent alcohol.

Most beers are not aged; they're bottled and released soon after they're made. But Innis & Gunn takes a red-wine approach to its beer, aging it in oak casks so it can mellow out and absorb secondary flavours from the wood. Brewmaster and owner Dougal Sharp launched his first oak-aged beer in 2003 using American white oak barrels. It is very good, but I strongly favour the new Canadian Cask. Brilliant stuff.

It's not cheap, though. Innis & Gunn Canadian Cask was released last month in eight provinces, packaged in individually boxed 330-millilitre bottles for $4.95.

If you like beer with big flavour, a Canadian beauty is Grand River Plowman's Ale . Four malts and five types of hops are used in this Ontario-made ale for complexity and a rounded character. It's full-bodied and very bitter, with an earthy, grainy core and rich, creamy texture. It comes in 500-millilitre bottles costing $3 each, and contains 4.7 per cent alcohol. It's available at the brewery (in Galt, Cambridge) and some licensees.

I've not been a fan of many of the brews riding the organic wave, but here's a happy exception: Nickel Brook Organic Lager . Made by Better Bitters Brewing Co. of Burlington, Ont., it's light copper in colour and full-bodied for a lager, with a core of malt flavour and a dry, hoppy finish. A lager to satisfy ale drinkers. It sells for $2.50 a 473-millilitre can, available at the LCBO, the brewery and licensees.

Just released and in time for summer sipping is Pump House Blueberry Ale ($12.45/six-pack). It's a seasonal beer from the independent Moncton pub and brewery available in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland, Ontario and Alberta (and in British Columbia soon). Completely dry, it delivers a subtle, fresh-blueberry flavour that doesn't overwhelm the essence of grain and hops.

Speaking of fruit, in honour of Canada Day, I'd like to turn to some recently released domestic wines, starting with one of the more impressive Ontario reds I've tasted in a while.

Closson Chase Pinot Noir Closson Chase Vineyard 2007 from Prince Edward County is available direct to Ontario consumers, at $39.95, from Vinifera Wine Agency in Toronto, 416-924-4004. (The winery can ship six-packs or 12-bottle cases directly to your home or office.)

Much ink has been spilled about the pinot potential of Prince Edward County, the emerging wine region near Belleville on the north shore of Lake Ontario. More ink than good wine, frankly. Here, finally, is compelling justification of that excitement.

From the excellent 2007 harvest, this medium-bodied red shows generous berry fruit flavour and a seductively silky texture – the stuff that demanding pinot lovers cherish. The tannins are modest and very fine. Impressively structured, it's got the fruit-forward flavour profile of a Russian River pinot from California, but with a Burgundian delicacy rather than the sometimes klutzy weight of a typical Californian. Great winemaking from viticulturist Deborah Paskus.

Sex and the City may be in syndication limbo, but its spirit lives on in the Canadian wine industry. First it was Colio Estates' commendable line called Girls' Night Out, launched last year. Now Vincor, the company that owns Inniskillin and Jackson-Triggs (and which itself is owned by U.S. giant Constellation Brands), has entered the chick-sip category with Strut , a new Niagara brand whose label depicts the lower half of a model in miniskirt and heels. The inevitable motto: “The wine with legs.”

A brainchild of marketing manager Casey Howe, the brand features four selections with cutesy pun names: Red Over Heels (a merlot), Cab Couture (cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon and merlot blend), Well-Heeled White (riesling-gewurztraminer) and – it had to happen – Chardonista (a chardonnay). At $11.95, at least two of them are worth attention, the silky merlot and the soft, round, crowd-pleasing chardonnay. I wasn't as fond of the simple riesling-dominated Well-Heeled White or the grapey Cab Couture. Sealed under screw cap and in easy-to-recycle clear-glass bottles, they're available exclusively in Ontario at Wine Rack Stores.

From the Okanagan, I liked Joie Rosé 2008 (about $25 in B.C., $28.95 in Ontario). Light medium-bodied and slightly off-dry, it's fragrant and fresh, with notes of ripe berries and herbs.

And from the folks behind Mission Hill, one of British Columbia's largest and most acclaimed wineries, there's Ganton & Larsen Prospect Winery Ogopogo's Lair Pinot Grigio 2008 ($14.99 in B.C.). Ogopogo is the mythical monster said to live in Okanagan Lake. It's riper and rounder than most of the Italian pinot grigios with which you may be familiar, brimming with lemon and peach and balanced by crisp acidity. It's a self-contained sipping wine; no need for food here. I suspect it's the kind of white that would go over very well by the glass in restaurants, particularly in summer. Nicely done.

Also, unlike my new favourite beer, it's unoaked.