Canadian Whisky
Canada’s whisky-making history mirrors that of the United States. Its earliest farmers first began distilling rye in the eastern territories (in the late 1700s), but as western Canada was settled in the following centuries, corn and wheat also became popular. Canadian whisky came to prominence during Prohibition, when it was illegally smuggled by boatloads and carloads to those American masses thirsty in the south. While there are strict U.S. requirements for when a specific grain can be referenced on a label, a bottle of Canadian whisky can be labeled as “rye whisky” even if there is little or even no rye in the mashbill. This is due to the use of rye as a flavoring grain throughout much of Canada’s whisky-making history, which was so well-known that “rye” and “whisky” became interchangeable. The only legal requirements for Canadian whisky are that it must be made in Canada from a fermented cereal mash that is then aged in wood containers for at least three years and bottled at 80 proof or higher.
Top Canadian Whisky Posts:
Crown Royal Deluxe Blended Canadian Whisky
Lord Calvert Black Canadian Whisky
Drinking the Bottom Shelf Vol. 2: Canadian Whisky – Ellington, Black Velvet, LTD
Vancouver-based Bearface has launched a new whisky series called the Wilderness Series, each bottle to be aged and infused with products sourced from or inspired by the great outdoors. Up first is a version of Bearface infused with wild matsutake mushrooms — which may be a first for us. Per the company, the whiskey is…
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Last year, WhistlePig made headlines with the launch of a 21 year old single malt sourced from Canada, arguably the oldest single malt whiskey that the Americas has ever seen produced. The Beholden wasn’t my favorite WhistlePig product, and in preparation for this review I cracked it open for the first time in months to…
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You’re reading that headline right: Canadian whisky keeps getting older, and Crown Royal has just dropped its oldest expression ever. The second expression in the Royal Series (we missed last year’s 29 year old) sees Crown at a full 30 years old, distilled entirely in Coffey stills and bottled in an impressively fancy, bag-draped decanter.…
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Our friends at La Maison & Velier have recently launched a new line of whiskies bottled under the Ex Libris banner. The concept is that Ex Libris will showcase whiskies from all of the world, each to be named after a key literary work from its country of origin. First out of the gate is a…
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Is the world ready to try a high-end, 23-year-old flavored whiskey? One brand is banking on the answer being “yes,” and thus Crown Royal Golden Apple was born. As the newest entry in Crown Royal’s Master Series, Golden Apple is a blend of Canadian whiskies aged for 23 long years that is flavored with golden…
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Playboy Spirits’ Rare Hare brand continues its Orphan Barrel-esque growth with this latest release: Lucky Bastard, a 30 year old Canadian whisky finished in Pineau Des Charentes barrels. (Pineau is a mix of grape must and Cognac, often aged for decades.) As is often the case with old Canadian whisky, Lucky Bastard is a rumbling,…
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In his 26-plus years in distilling, George Teichroeb has seen whisky booms in two different countries. Now the General Manager of Alberta Distillers — known in the U.S. for their Alberta Premium 100% Rye releases — Teichroeb also spent years in Kentucky under the tutelage of figures like Fred Noe. Jim Beam and Alberta Distillers…
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An introduction to the origins of Whiskey in the Wild sounds a bit like the opener to the standard bar joke: “a food chemist, pro hockey player, biotechnician, and physician walk into … er… the woods.” And they start a whiskey company. Or rather, they start a whiskey-centered lifestyle company catering to like-minded consumers with…
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WhistlePig is famous for its rye whiskeys, so the launch of a single malt comes as a big surprise. Even bigger than that, however, is its age: 21 long years in barrel. Formally known as The Béhôlden, this whiskey comes with plenty of punny, anti-Scotch goofiness that comes across as a bit of smoke and…
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Daru has a picture of a lion on its label and a map of India on its reverse but — surprise! — it’s actually a Canadian whiskey. “Inspired” by the flavors of Indian whisky and created by the two children of an Indian emigrant, the brand dates back to 2020. The brand’s only bottling is…
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