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
Another year is in the books for San Francisco WhiskyFest, a typically packed event with hundreds of whiskeys to explore… plus, for those confused on where they are, libations from The Mocktail Project. My dance card was full of whiskies from around the world, with highlights to be found in just about every region. My…
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It’s been a while since we checked out another offering from Canadian distiller Forty Creek, so we thought we’d change that with a look at its 2018 limited edition, which hit shelves in September. For this release, dubbed Unity, the distillery wanted to create something that honored its fans. To that end, Forty Creek’s whisky…
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Hey, though it may sound weird, this actually isn’t the first root beer flavored whiskey we’ve reviewed; we gave Uncle Bob’s version the once over way back in 2015. Root Out gets its start as four year old Canadian whisky, to which vanilla and various root beer flavorings have been added. The finished product is…
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We previously mentioned Ellington in our Drinking the Bottom Shelf series; the brand seems to be an exclusive bottling for Total Wine stores. We thought we’d take a deeper (or at least a separate) dive into this spirit, looking at a 2018 bottling — which is to say, a plastic mini we picked up at…
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Crown Royal’s foray into flavored whiskies continues with its latest offering, Crown Royal Peach — and it’s a doozy. You probably already know what you’re getting into, but in case you don’t, here’s the introductory info: “Take the sweet, delicious flavor of a fresh Georgia peach and blend it with our famously smooth liquid for…
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Gooderham & Worts is a truly historic brand in Canadian whiskydom. Dating back to the 1860s, the brand built a distillery in downtown Toronto in an area that is still known as that town’s distillery district today. The company has been acquired and changed hands several times over the years, and it is now under…
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The traditional rye-heavy whiskey popular with the likes of Crown Royal and Canadian Club aren’t the only styles of whiskey you’ll find in Canada. Craft distillery Eau Claire is turning out 100% single malt — it’s not just the first craft distillery in Alberta, Canada, it’s the only producer of single malt whiskey in the…
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When Jim Beam and Freddie Noe released Little Book last year, it caused a bit of a stir. Though it wasn’t my favorite whiskey of the year, it had a lot of charm, in part because it was so different from the usual juice coming out of Kentucky. Little Book isn’t bourbon, it’s a blend.…
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You’ll have to pay close attention if you’re interested in the latest offering from Crown Royal. While the distillery’s Blenders’ Mash release arrived only a couple of months ago, there’s already another, with a nearly identical name — though this one is part (part 3, specifically) of Crown’s upscale Noble Collection. The catch, this one has…
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In 2016, John Drew, cofounder of the well-known cigar giant Drew Estate Cigar Company, jumped into the spirits world with the launch of his own spirits collection, gathered under the John Drew Brand label. After 20 years in Nicaragua overseeing cigar manufacturing, he relocated to Miami and began distilling rum and sourcing whiskey from various…
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