Great White North Distillation Whisky expert, Andrew Ferguson, gives us his top Canadian whisky picks. Alberta Springs 10 Year
Crown Royal XR - Extra Rare
Forty Creek Confederation Oak
Crown Royal Black
A good starting place for Canadian whisky, considering it is one of just a few 100% rye whiskies sold in Canada. Don’t let the low price scare you off; this is tasty stuff, sweet and toffee with dried fruits and soft spice. Alberta Distillers makes world-class whisky, and it is frequently bottled by other brands with huge markups! $24 - $28 Matured in bespoke Canadian oak barrels made from trees that would have been planted around the time of Confederation, the oak, although still American, grew in a cooler more northern clime giving these casks a distinct character. It is a testament to why John Hall is Canada’s most innovative whisky maker. Soft, creamy and subtly sweet, this whisky’s mixed mash bill contains corn and barley with a hefty dose of rye for a spice kick. $65 - $69
Glen Breton 14 Year
Purportedly bottled at cask strength, which had fallen to 43.1% in just 14 years (greedy angels). This is a great improvement on the 10 year whisky of old, and a solid follow up to their commemorative “Battle of the Glens” release which celebrated their legal victory with the Scotch Whisky Association. Made in the Scottish style, this Canadian single malt whisky is soft, but chewy and malty. $104 - $109
60
The only Crown Royal expression explicitly not entirely distilled at their massive Gimli distillery. The bottling contains the last of the rare whiskies distilled at Seagrams old Waterloo distillery, which closed largely as a result of a devastating fire in 1993. The palate is woody, a sign of its age, and smooth with strong rye notes and loads of ripe fruit. $178 - $182 Crown Royal’s distillery in Gimli, Manitoba, produces several different styles of whisky that are blended to create the different expressions. This blend employs a higher proportion of rye as well as a healthy dose of a Bourbon-like spirit to create a darker fruitier whisky, reminiscent of Demerara rums. The whisky was matured in heavily charred oak barrels to further enhance the spices and darker elements of the palate. $39 - $41
Wiser’s Legacy
JP Wiser was one of Canada’s most successful whisky makers at the turn of the 20th Century, and this relatively new release is an older style whisky inspired by his original recipe. The mash bill contains a higher content of rye grain than most Wiser’s whiskies and the oak was toasted rather than heavily charred, lending a soft sweet character that allows the spices to shine. $51 - $55
CU L I N A I R E M A G A Z I NE.CA ● JULY/AUGUST 2 0 1 2
Danfield’s Limited Edition 21 Year
An example of the undervalued nature of the Canadian whisky, this 21 year old can be had for less than the least expensive 10 year old Scottish single malt. Made almost exclusively from corn it is very soft and creamy. Its producers tout that it is filtered through diamonds, which does absolutely nothing other than sound cool, but this is an exceptionally smooth Canadian whisky. $41 - $45
Centennial Ultra Premium
Made in High River, this was one of the first premium Canadian whiskies on the market. The Master Blender, charged with a task of creating a premium whisky, came up with a recipe involving Canadian winter wheat and rye grains, distilled in small batches and matured for no less than 10 years. The result is a very smooth rich whisky with soft spice. $117 - $122
Pendleton 1910 Canadian Rye Whisky
This 12 year old Canadian whisky was originally only available in Pendleton, Oregon, where it was bottled to celebrate the rodeo’s 100 Anniversary. A 100% rye, there is only one possible distillery of origin... Juicy with tobacco and spicy rye notes, its 12 years in charred American white oak have given it a soft smooth palate. $49 - $53