Tell us about Canadian whisky

[Owen Bawn]

I know so little about Canadian whisky. CC at the budget end, and Crown Royal in the purple sack. But obviously there's a lot more going on and many of us would probably benefit from knowing more about what's being produced in Canada these days. Are the best Canadians blended, or are there excellent single grains? Anyone care to share their ideas or experiences?

 

[ByMyBeard]

I, too, know very little about Canadian whisky. I know many refer to it as Rye...even if it has no rye in it. I've seen bottles labelled Canadian whisky that are sold as US offerings. I believe there's a wide variety of what can be labelled as Canadian whisky as well. In other words, I, too, am interested in learning more.

 

[bobmsp]

i, too, am interested in learning more. It appears that (unlike other domestic products such as bourbon, gin, rye, rum, etc.) there are not many U.S. requirements for what make a whiskey Canadian whisky:

"“Canadian whisky” is whisky which is a distinctive product of Canada, manufactured in Canada in compliance with the laws of Canada regulating the manufacture of Canadian whisky for consumption in Canada: Provided, That if such product is a mixture of whiskies, such mixture is “blended Canadian whisky” (Canadian whisky - a blend)."

To be fair, scotch has a similar definition.

 

[bobmsp]

As a follow up, Canada requires "Canadian whisky," "Canadian rye whisky" or "rye whisky" to be (i) obtained from a mash of cereal grain or cereal grain products saccharified by the diastase of malt or by other enzymes and fermented by the action of yeast or a mixture of yeast and other micro-organisms, (ii) be aged in small wood for not less than three years, (iii) possess the aroma, taste and character generally attributed to Canadian whisky, (iv) be manufactured in accordance with the requirements of the Excise Act and the regulations made thereunder, (v) be mashed, distilled and aged in Canada, and (vi) contain not less than 40 per cent alcohol by volume.

 

[Bhugo]

Canadian whiskey has always been quite generic and mild in my experience. It usually has a rye influence, but seems really easy drinking. I use it for shots and mixers…

 

[Doc4]

I know so little about Canadian whisky.

Canadian whiskey has always been quite generic and mild in my experience.

IMHO a lot of it is made as a mixer for "rye and cola" type drinks &c.

But of late more and more good options are becoming available. Some distilleries are offering better options in addition to their "bread and butter" mixer stuff. Some smaller "craft" distilleries (of varying degrees of quality and of hipster pretentiousness) are out there now too.

I have no idea how much of this stuff makes its way south of the border though.

There are some that are actually made of rye grain ... they are out there if you can find them. Alberta Premium springs to mind as a good basic one (with some higher-end options too.)

 

[Whisky]

Crown Royal “Northern Harvest Rye” was voted best whisky in the world by Jim Murray in 2016. There was A LOT or grumbling about that. It’s a good Canadian Rye but in no means is it best in the world.
All I really know about Canadian Whisky is that it is usually seems smoother and lighter in color than Bourbon. My main use for it is a mixer such as the ubiquitous Crown and Coke. I’ve heard, but cannot confirm, that flavorings such as Caramel can be added to the finished product to change its appearance and taste.

 

[Bhugo]

Crown Royal “Northern Harvest Rye” was voted best whisky in the world by Jim Murray in 2016. There was A LOT or grumbling about that. It’s a good Canadian Rye but in no means is it best in the world.
All I really know about Canadian Whisky is that it is usually seems smoother and lighter in color than Bourbon. My main use for it is a mixer such as the ubiquitous Crown and Coke. I’ve heard, but cannot confirm, that flavorings such as Caramel can be added to the finished product to change its appearance and taste.

Agreed. I bought the CR harvest rye a while ago. I thought it was good as well. It wasn’t my favorite rye though.

 

[Doc4]

Crown Royal “Northern Harvest Rye” was voted best whisky in the world by Jim Murray in 2016. There was A LOT or grumbling about that. It’s a good Canadian Rye but in no means is it best in the world.

I got some at the time. (Supply was very limited at the Provincial liquor outlet stores, but ... they didn't jack up prices.) Pretty nice stuff but yeah ... not the world's best.

I suspect the selection was a bit of "look at me, Mister Thinking-Outside-The-Box!"

 

[ylekot]

Our Whiskey | Canadian Mist

www.canadianmist.com

This is my backyard sipper.....actually the campfire getting loaded brand

 

[TexLaw]

Crown Royal “Northern Harvest Rye” was voted best whisky in the world by Jim Murray in 2016. There was A LOT or grumbling about that.

I remember the consternation from that choice (announced in 2015 for the 2016 edition). There was a period when Murray got a little big for his britches and seemed more interested in causing a stir more than recognizing excellence.

Like many others, Canadian whiskey is a glaring weak spot in my whiskey experience and knowledge. I always think of Canadian whiskey as relatively mild, smooth, sweet, and dull--a mixing whiskey. Whether that's a fair impression is, I suppose, the point of this discussion.

Poking around the internet, it seems like the better Canadian whiskeys don't get much credit for being Canadian in some manner because their bottled in the USA (e.g., WhistlePig, Pendleton).

 

[WetShaveVet]

Canadian Prairie boy here so lot's of experience drinking Canadian whiskey. I still like CC on ice but if you can find Eau Claire Distillery's Rupert's Whiskey well, you are in for a treat. Anything Wisers is decent too. Premium, Special Blend etc., J.P. Wiser's 18 Year Old Blended is very nice. Another one to check out is Forty Creek, great stuff.

 

[WetShaveVet]

For what it's worth. Forty Creek and Eau Claire is bottled in Canada. Ontario and Alberta respectively.

 

[ylekot]

For what it's worth. Forty Creek and Eau Claire is bottled in Canada. Ontario and Alberta respectively.

Forty Creek is good stuff IMHO

 

[sternej]

Seems like we need a long virtual tasting party and report back in a month!

 

[WetShaveVet]

Great idea! I will pick something up tomorrow.

 

[Owen Bawn]

This will be very helpful, a virtual tasting party.

 

[ByMyBeard]

I have certainly sampled a few bottles of "local" whiskey in the US that, upon further inspection, were actually labelled as Canadian whiskey. One was "from" Oregon, the other "from" Indiana. Both were of the "nothing special" variety. I wish I could recall the brand a former co-worker enjoyed. It was not available south of the border, but he had a customer bring a bottle down. All I recall is that it was 12 years old.

 

[Bakker1964]

As a follow up, Canada requires "Canadian whisky," "Canadian rye whisky" or "rye whisky" to be (i) obtained from a mash of cereal grain or cereal grain products saccharified by the diastase of malt or by other enzymes and fermented by the action of yeast or a mixture of yeast and other micro-organisms, (ii) be aged in small wood for not less than three years, (iii) possess the aroma, taste and character generally attributed to Canadian whisky, (iv) be manufactured in accordance with the requirements of the Excise Act and the regulations made thereunder, (v) be mashed, distilled and aged in Canada, and (vi) contain not less than 40 per cent alcohol by volume.

Canadian Distillers RARELY use a "mash". They almost exclusively distill, age, and then blend their whiskies just prior to bottling.

 

[Bakker1964]

This is a presentation put on by Dr. Don Livermore, Master Blender for J.P. Wiser's distillery in Windsor Ontario. He gives a VERY thorough history of Canadian whisky, as well as the regulations governing same.

Dr Don Livermore - INVASION COCKTAIL 2017 - INDUSTRY DAY - YouTube

I have taken one of his tasting seminars, as well as a blending class at the distillery in Windsor, ON. Both are highly recommended if you ever get the chance.

To those who think of Canadian whisky as fairly non-descript, or simply as "Rye", you are really missing out. As noted by another poster, there are some AWESOME small distillers in western Canada making high quality spirits to rival anything coming from KY. If you want to go with the largest manufacturers, Wiser's has been putting out limited production run, high end whiskies for several years now. If you have ever tried the regular bottling of LOT 40 100% Pot Still Rye, then you simply have to search out the CASK STRENGTH versions that have been released, some over a decade old (11YO & 12 YO). Then there are the Gooderham & Worts bottlings like Little Trinity or Eleven Souls, one of the most complex whiskies I've ever tried. Recently, Wiser's released a 23 YO whisky as well as a 22 YO Cask Strength version.

There is a lot more going on north of the border than just "mixing whisky".