Canada has had a long relationship with whisky. One could say whisky helped craft our land of the true north, strong and free. In fact, in 1890 Canada became the first nation to pass legislation requiring whisky to be aged, even before our Scottish counterparts. By law, all Canadian whisky must be aged a minimum of 3 years.
Distillation arrived with the European settlers and the first official records date back to 1769 in Quebec. By the 1840’s there were over 200 distilleries in production making good use of the abundance of grain from our fertile lands. Canadian whisky helped drive our economy as we generously supplied our neighbours to the south and by 1865 it was the best-selling whisky in the US during the American Civil War.
Volumes decreased when the US declared prohibition in 1920 yet product still flowed as Canadian borders were quite busy supplying cheap illicit whisky to the south. Tales flooded the daily papers of amateur booze runs gone wrong with bottles strapped under fast cars and border patrols being paid off on the Great Lakes.
During WW2, many Americans spent a great deal of time in Cuba developing a taste for lighter rum and consumers palates started to appreciate the somewhat subdued and bland. Whiskies like Canadian Club were built for this new light style back then and held a strong spot during the 1960’s Mad Man era and in Don Draper’s heart. It was not until 2010 that the American palate started to search for the big, bold and rich again and Bourbon took hold. However, Canadian whisky is still to this day, the best- selling whisky in North America!
Most view Canada in being a rye whisky producing nation, but Canadian whisky has always used predominantly corn. Historically, producers started to add some rye to spice up their style and hence our whisky was referred to as rye. Straight rye whiskies though are making a comeback and are now labelled as such.
Canadian whisky is universally a strong category and we are garnering several awards on the world stage to make us proud. Let’s raise a glass to the quality, innovation and history of our Canadian whisky this July 01 to celebrate this fantastic country we live in!
Shelter Point Single Malt Whisky – $79.99 (Save $10.00 for June 2020)
This 100% Single Malt Whisky is batch distilled using traditional copper pot stills and is aged in American oak barrels in their oceanfront warehouse. The unique, temperate rainforest climate and the sea air become integral in crafting this artisanal whisky. An enticing nose of vanilla, coconut, caramel and tropical fruits lead through to flavours of candied sweets, spice, chocolate and a hint of seaside salinity on the palate.
Corby’s Lot 40 Rye Whisky - $39.99
Lot 40 Rye is a legendary Canadian rye whisky that is produced in a single copper pot still. The whisky is then aged in virgin oak barrels to encourage a full body with a vanilla and oak finish.
Produced from a mash of 90% rye and 10% malted rye, made at the Hiram Walker distillery and is reportedly aged for seven to eight years. This whisky has a rich mouth feel with flavours of citrus peel, clove and finishes with a peppery rye kick.
Pike Creek Rum Finish – 10 year old - $37.99
A predominantly rye whisky from Pike Creek, Ontario that has been crafted by Master Blender, Dr. Don Livermore (phD in Wood Science) which makes absolute sense with their recent experimentation of wood finishes. This 10 year old whisky was aged in ex-Bourbon barrels and then transferred to rum cask for finishing, creating a richer style of whisky. Laden with notes of brown sugar, fig and chai spice, this is a whisky for rum lovers. Flavours of vanilla-cola, molasses and orange peel linger on the finish. Great value!