Canadian Whisky Awards 2011 Announced

(scroll down for the complete list of winners)

The winners of the Canadian Whisky Awards for 2011 were revealed tonight at a ceremony in Victoria B.C. These awards are just like the Oscars. No-one knows the winner until the envelope is opened. Scroll down to go straight to the list. Keep reading to find out why they won.

Canadian Whisky of the Year went to John Hall for his Forty Creek, John’s Private Cask No. 1. Trevor Walsh accepted a gold medal for Gibson’s Finest Rare 18 year old, and Richard Zeller of Sonoma California’s 35 Maple Street was on hand to accept his gold medal for Masterson’s Rye. Gold medals were also awarded to Wiser’s Legacy and Wiser’s Small Batch.

Margaret Tucker accepted an Award of Excellence for Canadian Club on behalf of Beam Inc. Brown-Forman’s Ryan Cheverie took home three Awards of Excellence, one each for Collingwood, Canadian Mist, and Canadian Mist Black Diamond. Awards of Excellence were also presented for Alberta Springs 10 year old, Canada Gold, and White Owl Whisky.

Glenora Distillers was recognized for twenty years of distilling single malt whisky in Canada. Congratulations to all the people who make and sell these winning whiskies.

Canadian Whisky Awards FAQs

How are the winners selected?

A jury of experienced whisky tasters and spirits judges samples each whisky blind and assigns a score. Awards are based on the aggregate scores.

Who is on the jury?

The jury for 2011 included Jason Debly, André Girard, Mark Gillespie, Kris Shoemaker, Chip Dykstra, and Lawrence Graham, with Davin de Kergommeaux as the Chairman of the Judges.

What are the judges’ qualifications?

The judges are all independent whisky writers including bloggers, print journalists, and one broadcaster. Each has demonstrated a particular interest in Canadian whisky through reviews and comments on the web and in print. Care was taken to ensure good representation from across the country.

Why whisky writers and bloggers?

One of the accomplishments of these awards is that they provide an opportunity for experienced whisky writers to taste blind a number of Canadian whiskies they might not otherwise get to taste.

How are the competing whiskies chosen?

The whisky makers are invited to select their very best whiskies for the competition, thus giving the judges more Canadian whisky experiences to write and talk about.

Why are there only five gold medalists?

One goal of the awards is to help whisky connoisseurs around the world recognize that Canadian whiskies can hold their own on the world stage. A large number of gold medals might generate short-term interest. However, to ensure the credibility of the awards the long-term strategy is to make sure that the whiskies earn their medals honestly in a rigorous competition where knowledgeable and independent judges give them long and careful scrutiny. This means that  silver and bronze medals are also marks of distinction, awarded only to worthy competitors. There are no participation awards.

Normally autumn is awards season. Why are the Canadian Whisky Awards held after the Christmas rush?

The goal is not to fuel the Christmas frenzy, but to steadily build a strong base of knowledge concerning the very best Canadian whiskies. Neither are these awards about improving search engine optimization to generate maximum Christmas traffic to the judges’ blogs and websites. Rather, they are intended to be a reliable source of information for people wishing to identify the best Canadian whiskies all year round. The winners will be just as flavourful next December when Christmas rolls around once more.

Are these awards a public relations exercise for the Canadian Whisky Industry?

No.  Operated on a not-for-profit basis the Canadian Whisky Awards are fully independent of the Canadian whisky industry.

Canadian Whisky Awards 2011 – The Winners

(Click names of winners for more information)

Domestic Market Winners – Overall highest scoring whisky available in the Canadian market only.

Connoisseur Whisky of the Year

Forty Creek John’s Private Cask No. 1

Sippin’ whisky of the Year

Alberta Springs 10 year old

Whisky value of the Year

Canada Gold

Export Market Winners – Overall highest scoring whisky available outside Canada only.

Connoisseur Whisky of the Year

Masterson’s Rye

Sippin’ whisky of the year

Canadian Mist Black Diamond

Multiple Market Winners – Overall highest scoring whisky available both in the Canadian market and outside Canada.

Connoisseur Whisky of the Year

Wiser’s Legacy

Sippin’ whisky of the year

Wiser’s Small Batch

Whisky value of the year

Canadian Mist

Overall Winners and Awards of Excellence

Best New Whisky of the Year – Overall highest scoring new release of 2011.

Forty Creek John’s Private Cask No. 1

Canadian Whisky of the Year – Overall highest scoring whisky of 2011.

Forty Creek John’s Private Cask No. 1

Award of Excellence, Innovation – The whisky that in the judges’ opinion has most broadened the appeal of Canadian whisky through innovation.

White Owl Whisky

Award of Excellence, Line Extension – The whisky that in the judges’ opinion most successfully exemplifies a new version of an old favourite.

Collingwood

Award of Excellence, Canadian Whisky Profile – The whisky that in the judges’ opinion has most contributed to raising the profile of Canadian whisky through promotional activities and publicity.

Canadian Club

Distillery of the Year – A special acknowledgement of Glenora Distillery for twenty successful years making single malt whisky in Canada.

Glenora Inn and Distillery

Gold medalists:

Wiser’s Small Batch

Gibson’s Finest Rare 18 year old

Wiser’s Legacy

Forty Creek John’s Private Cask No. 1

Masterson’s Rye

Silver medalists:

Forty Creek Barrel Select

Canadian Club Sherry Cask

Royal Canadian Small Batch

Canadian Mist Black Diamond

Forty Creek Double Barrel Reserve

Forty Creek Confederation Oak

Caribou Crossing Single Barrel

Wiser’s 18

Gibson’s Finest 12 Year Old

Pendleton 1910

Alberta Springs 10 year old

Canadian Club Reserve

Bronze medalists:

Pendleton

Gibson’s Finest Sterling

Collingwood

Canada Gold

Centennial Limited Edition

Canadian Mist

Canadian Club Classic 12

White Owl Whisky

The year was 1913, and Joseph E. Seagram was busily working on a special project in his Waterloo, Ontario distillery. To celebrate his son’s wedding, Seagram was developing a special blend of his finest whiskies for him. And thus, the V.O. legend was born. Let’s hope the folks at Diageo, who now own the V.O. brand, remember that date and release a special centenary edition for us in 2013.

Seagram’s Waterloo distillery was eventually closed in 1992, a victim of industry consolidations. Since then V.O. has been produced at Diageo’s distillery in Valleyfield, Quebec, with some spirit components coming from other plants. Although flavourful and multi-faceted, V.O. is best served as a mixing whisky, its spirity whiffs and ginger notes complement a dry ginger ale.

Nose: Closed at first, then slowly opening into mild rye notes with a hint of spirit. Fresh farmyard smells, earthiness, cigarette ashes, suggestions of dry grain, and a vaguely floral essence give it an organic feel. Then a slight sweetness and ripe fruitiness develop into hints of cream sherry, followed by more mild floral notes. Soon some woody notes arrive, not obvious, but noticeable, with cedar and newly-cut lumber. This is not an overly expressive whisky. Yes, V.O. certainly has plenty of aromas – wood, sweet rye spices, dry grass, and vague notes of pickles, but although they are varied they could never be described as prominent.

Palate: Starts hot with pepper and alcohol. An appealing bitterness lingers under the full gamut of classic rye notes, including earthiness, freshwater plants, hints of pickles, a flash of flowers, and lots of baking spices – cardamom, nutmeg, ginger, and then some ginger ale. But there is a contradiction in that it is alternately dry at moments, then sweet and creamy. The slight caramel-like sweetness never cloys, but nicely frames shades of bourbon-like vanilla pod. The hot pepper develops into a real burn. Although it has the spirity notes of a classic mixing whisky, the body has a pleasing weight. And though there are ripe fruits, it never becomes overly fruity. If it sounds like there is a lot going on here, there really isn’t. There are lots of flavour suggestions, but it’s really not very complex. The zestiness feels good – almost tannic in its astringency and there is a rewarding underlying woodiness. Vague hints of apple juice are the first really well-defined flavour and are followed by some sweet citric notes. Pleasing.

Finish: Medium to short. Peppery with some heat, and sweet with a citric bitter zest that fades fairly quickly to nothingness.

Empty Glass: Barkeep’s Sunday morning, tidying up after Saturday night at the local bar. Very faint hints of beer, a slight sourness, and cigarette ashes then grain, mild caramel, a bit of wood, dry grass, hints of vanilla, and a slight dustiness.

There’s a long history of whisky knowledge being blended with a mix of lore, tradition, and myth, not to mention commercial hype. Writing in 1809, American distiller Samuel M’Harry said the industry was filled with as many myths as untruths. And the meaning of the letters V.O. is one such example. Although evidence to date is not definitive, some claim V.O. means Very Old, while others insist on Very Own. I’m not sure why everything has to be explained, but lacking solid information let’s just enjoy a rye and ginger and acknowledge there is a vaguely ordinary controversy here, of minor proportions.

LCBO price – $23.00.

Recommended ★★★

Crisp clean oak and fresh red cedar, ripe fruit, butterscotch, vanilla, grapefruit pith, simmering spices, and dusty rye. A quick explosion of flavour followed by a slow, complex reveal. Rich & Oaky. ★★★★★

Let’s turn the clock back 28 years. It’s Rick Murphy’s first day on the job at Alberta Distillers. Among the many things he sees for the first time that day, he notes a batch of charred white oak barrels filled with 100% rye-grain whisky that has already been maturing for two years in the Calgary warehouse. “One day …” he muses, as keeps returning to those quietly resting barrels for the rest of his career.

But back to the present day. Thirty years is a long time for spirit to spend in a barrel, and given the arid climate of Alberta, the angels who call on distillery warehouses have been quite enthusiastic during their regular visits. Fortunately the dry Alberta air encouraged those angels of the west to take more water than spirit, leaving behind truck-loads of rye-rich flavours which have grown robust and muscular as they matured in a bath of vibrant spice and smoothing toasted oak caramels.

In 2007, Murphy and his staff finally decided it was time to re-gauge the ageing whisky into fewer barrels to keep the levels in the individual casks high for a final four years of maturation. Then, after thirty full years of ageing, with just enough spirit remaining to bottle 700 12-bottle cases of the world’s oldest 100% rye-grain whisky, Murphy determined that bottling time had finally come. And it really has been worth the wait.

When Murphy arrived at the Alberta distillery in 1983, without knowing it he began to write his own chapter in a history that went back to 1946. That’s the year that Max Bell and Frank McMahon decided to build the distillery in a province where an ideal climate for growing rye grain, produced abundant annual crops. It took a couple of years for production to come on line, but since then the plant has produced more 100% unmalted rye-grain whisky than every other distillery in North America combined. Almost all of it is sold exclusively in Canada. Even today, Alberta Distillers remains the largest producer of pure rye whisky and the largest customer for Canadian rye grain in the world.

But can the 30 year old live up to the standard already established by Alberta Premium® 25 year old? Let’s start with the basics.

Although the standard Alberta Premium has no age statement, all the whisky in the bottle is at least five years old. The nose is rich in caramel and typical sweet-and-sour Canadian rye. Hints of flowers and the faintest inkling of spirit confirm both its youth and its rye heritage.

The 25 year old, on the other hand, reveals the clean oaky notes that are the hallmark of well-aged Canadian whisky. The now-sold-out 25-year-old version also exhibits a ripe black fruit element not found in its younger sibling.

Matured for 30 years, the brand new limited edition shows an enormous breadth of nose and a crisp, oaky fruitiness that toddles in with an almost austere elegance.

The palates diverge even more.

The youngster is bright and fresh with oranges, citric zest, grapefruit pith and a panoply of sweet spices, pepper and caramels.

The 25 year old begins with bountiful oaky notes right out front. But these are the exotic woody tones of real Québec Grade C (the tastiest) maple syrup, and nothing like the harsh, drying, unpleasant tannins of over-aged Scotch or Bourbon. Peppers and zingy spices zip across the tongue leaving sweet fruits and hints of caramel behind.

This is super whisky that just keeps getting better because by age 30, the palate simply explodes with flavours. That said, the 30 year old is, surprisingly, no more oaky than the 25. Neither is it as sweet or as fruity. Although both are rich in cedar and spices, the 30 year old is hotter, cleaner and lingers even longer. It also exhibits a pitchiness just hinted at in the 25. Certainly, both are genuine works of great craftsmanship, but the 30, if it is even possible to do so, somehow manages to exceed the 25.

Here now, are the details for Alberta Premium 30 Year Old Limited Edition.

Nose: Crisp clean oak and a surprisingly rich fruitiness waft into the room as soon as the cap is removed. The nose is expansive and ultra complex, with top notes of fresh berries and violets that disappear into ripe purple plums which in turn descend into musty rye. An almost marshmallow-like sweetness smacks up against pencil shavings and dry red cedar, not in collision, but in an intimate dance. Don’t try to tell me carefully managed ageing doesn’t make great whisky. A sweet generic fruitiness comes to life as first ginger, then slowly some cloves, move to the fore. Cereal rye notes of dry straw, porridge, dust, and hints of fresh-water plants, along with passing flashes of liquid shoe polish, medical adhesive tape and tarry carbolic hand cleanser remind us this whisky has been crafted, not made.

Bruichladdich’s Jim McEwan, a well-respected Scotch distiller, swears that whisky should be nosed a full minute for each year of ageing. Bah . . . showmanship. But the gradual evolution of cedar into balsam, butterscotch into maple syrup, and sweet plums into kiwi in the nose of this venerable Alberta Premium tells us he may be right.

Palate: Citric fruits, black vanilla pods, butterscotch, crisp dry timber, a sweet generic fruitiness, musty rye, and brisk refreshing citric pith turn the first sip into quite a mouthful. Then as a peppery heat builds someone rips a saw blade through a pitchy pine plank and individual notes begin to assert themselves. Butterscotch melds into a creamy, full-bodied toffee, while hot white pepper is sweetened with sparkling ginger, and fresh warm sawdust reveals resin and pine pitch. A dry, undefined, almost astringent grapefruit pith is replaced briefly by bitter dark chocolate which itself both buffers and accentuates a feeling of hot spiciness. These are the flavours of long slow ageing in carefully prepared barrels. A rich and robust creaminess deftly counterbalances the delicate fragility of this long-aged whisky. But old whisky often reveals the unexpected; here among the fruits and spices we find motor oil and cold wet slate. My notes say more, but honestly, isn’t that enough?

Finish: Long. Oaky notes linger with cedar, hints of pepper, a slight sweetness, grapefruit pith, hints of kiwi fruit and something reminiscent of shellac.

Empty Glass: Wood shavings – lots of them – along with vanilla, dust, sweet strawberries, lilacs, and charred firewood.

Even with bottling at 40% there was only enough whisky left in those barrels to fill 700 cases so distribution of Alberta Premium 30 Year Old Limited Edition will be restricted to Ontario and Canada’s four western provinces. Release is slated for June 2011 to coincide with Father’s Day. Masters of understatement, both Rick Murphy and Alberta Distillers Director of Operations, Rob Tuer, suggest a whisky this rare should be served neat or on the rocks. As Tuer puts it, “This small batch 30 year old limited edition is an exceptional opportunity for Alberta Premium lovers and whisky connoisseurs to enjoy on a special occasion.”

But honestly folks, if you must mix your whisky, please do buy the standard Alberta Premium and leave the 30 year old for us sippers. Alberta Distillers prides itself on the affordability of its whiskies and this one maintains that time-honoured tradition, a concern for those of us who fear limited availability and low pricing may lead to hoarding. Ahh, the worries of a whisky anorak.

In another nod to tradition, brand managers at Beam Global, which owns the Alberta Distillers plant and the Alberta Premium® brand, have chosen to maintain the classic Alberta Premium bottle for this limited special edition. It’s a warm familiar touch of home for a whisky that is likely the first and last of its kind.

$49.95 in Ontario and across Western Canada. (To be released in time for Father’s Day.)

Very Highly Recommended ★★★★★

Alberta Premium 25 year old is reviewed here.

Alberta Springs 10 year old is reviewed here.

Alberta Premium 30 Year Old video here.

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Another Opinion

Now 30-year-old spirits are special. To that end, Chip Dykstra, (spirits reviewer, and founder of The Rum Howler Blog), and I, agreed to publish our reviews of Alberta Premium 30 Year Old Limited Edition on the same day and link to each others reviews to give you, our readers, two perspectives on this spirit rather than one. To make a long story short, politics intervened, and we were unable to meet our mutual obligation to publish simultaneously. However, I am now able to provide you a link to Chip’s review so that you may have a second opinion:

Chip’s Review of Alberta Premium 30 Year Old Limited Edition.

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In November 1998 I began corresponding with a whisky-mad Dutchman named Johannes van den Heuvel. Johannes publishes a website called Malt Madness which was one of the first real whisky websites to incorporate graphics and text. I visited Johannes in Amsterdam in 1999 and as we strolled to Central Station after coffee at Rembrandt Square he talked about launching a new website, to be called Malt Maniacs. When he asked if I would like to join him and several others in writing articles about whisky for the new site I quickly agreed. Our website soon blossomed into one of the most popular on the whisky web. Johannes dates the Malt Maniacs idea back to 1997 and so in June of 2012 we will celebrate our 15^th anniversary.

I am still very active with the Malt Maniacs, but for the past few years my primary whisky focus has been right here at home in Canada. The reaction to this website, CanadianWhisky.org, has amply rewarded that focus. Interest in Canadian whisky is awakening among connoisseurs around the world. I like to think that this website plays an active role in that awakening. Finally there is an independent source of information to help people identify the best whiskies Canada has to offer. Myths and misunderstandings still abound in popular media, and some spirits media too, but slowly the word about “Real” Canadian whisky is getting out. Support from so many in the Canadian whisky industry has been particularly helpful and gratifying. They keep the information flowing my way so I can share it with my readers. Thank you to Canada’s distillers, brand managers, ambassadors, and marketing folks for your support.

To my knowledge, I am the only full-time whisky writer in Canada, and the only one in the world specializing in Canadian whisky. Support for CanadianWhisky.org has led to many new opportunities for me to ply my trade and for that I really am grateful. In 2011 I was appointed Contributing Editor to Whisky Magazine, and immediately was able to raise the profile of Canadian whisky in the world’s most popular whisky publication. Whisky Magazine is published in half a dozen foreign languages, as well as English, giving it deep penetration into the world’s developing whisky markets as well as its already strong showings in North America, Great Britain, and Europe. Thank you Rob and Damien for making me part of your success.

Last year’s inaugural Canadian Whisky Awards were warmly received by whisky lovers right around the globe. Published reports on the awards came back to us from Taiwan, Sweden, France, Russia, Germany, Great Britain, Japan, Singapore, Brazil, South Africa, India and many other countries on six continents. I think my fellow Malt Maniacs had a lot to do with that. Thanks team for your support! The 2011 Canadian Whisky Awards will be announced on January 19, 2012. These awards are completely not-for-profit and are entirely independent of the whisky industry. This year six top Canadian spirits bloggers and broadcasters joined me in judging the entries, so this is more than one man’s opinion. Of course, all judging was done blind. Once again support from the industry has been very strong. Thank you.

Perhaps most exciting for me has been the opportunity to write a book about Canadian whisky for a major Canadian publisher. McClelland & Stewart will publish my Canadian Whisky: The Portable Expert in May 2012. Random House will also distribute the book in the U.S. I plan to support its launch by attending a number of whisky events right across the country. This will also give me a chance to meet up with many of you who visit the website regularly. If I am in your city or town please stop by and say hello. Thanks to those of you who made it a point to do just that at Spirit of Toronto, Victoria Whisky Festival, Savour Stratford, and Whisky Live in 2011. And thanks also to the organizers of those events for inviting me. I will be looking for more opportunities to spread the word about Canadian whisky at shows and festivals in 2012.

I can’t enter a new year as a whisky blogger without paying tribute to Mike Padlipsky. Although we never met, Mike and I corresponded for a number of years. Mike, or “map” as he preferred, passed away in 2011. Mike was one of a group of people who developed the early protocols for what would become the internet. As his friend, colleague, and literary executor, Bill Ricker put it on a recent episode of WhiskyCast, the internet would have been a very ugly place without map. Mike also helped found ARPA MALTS-L, an internet-based whisky discussion group as far back as the 1980s, and he was likely the first whisky blogger. Mike stopped posting in 1996, a year before Johannes came up with the idea for the Malt Maniacs. If you are interested in what an early internet whisky blog looked like map’s notes are still posted as part of the Edinburgh Malt Whisky Tour. Thank you map.

And now, a look forward: Expect more from CanadianWhisky.org, this year –  there’s a wealth of big new whiskies coming from Canadian whisky producers in 2012. Canadian whisky is on the rise, thanks, in large part to you the aficionados and connoisseurs who so enjoy it. At last, Canadian whisky is getting more than passing attention in the whisky press. Thank you to you, who visit this website, and to everyone else who makes the site so much fun to publish.

May you drink only the best Canadian whiskies in 2012.

Davin

Black pepper and earthy spirit give way to hard and gingery rye, while citrus zest with dark fruits, real black pepper, butterscotch, and dashes of pickle juice meld into cold wet slate. The round and weighty body is alive with the grizzly growl of restless young rye. Spicy Rye. ★★★★

Deep in the melancholy of yet another cheerless Canadian winter, the mind drifts southward. No, it wouldn’t be Christmas without blasting winds and pelting snow, but many of us northern spirits confess that once the merrymaking ends, it’s the sand and surf of Mexico that beckon.

This year, Canucks arriving in los Estados Unidos Mexicanos will find a welcome that is even warmer than usual. From Mazatlán to Cancún, from Acapulco to Cabo San Lucas, vacationing Canucks can expect a “Grand Grizzly” welcome.  This “grizzly” is a new all-rye that is enjoying unprecedented popularity south of the Rio Grande among Mexican nationals and visitors alike. It’s Canadian whisky yes, but a truly Mexican treat and the only way to get your hands on a bottle is to visit that southern clime yourself or have someone else bring a bottle back for you.

Grand Grizzly is all Canadian rye whisky, but it’s whisky with a twist as it’s blended in Canada from Canadian rye, but in tune with the Mexican palate. To think of Mexico in a bottle is to think of tequila. And the best tequila is made from the blue agave plant with its spicy black pepper and its muddy earthy tones. These are the same peppery earthy tones that rye drinkers find so enticing, except that in the most prized tequilas they’ve been turned up a couple of notches.

Because these flavours are also naturally present in rye whisky, wouldn’t it be fun to see what happens when you crank them up a notch in whisky, just like tequila?  What’s involved? First, you have to select only the right barrels of rye. The best barrels would be the ones with the strongest earthiness and black pepper notes. Then, you mingle them to create a whisky with a truly Mexican feel. Taste Grand Grizzly and you’ll soon agree. Yes, indeed, this is variation of the rye theme that is certainly well worth exploring.

Mexican whisky drinkers seem to agree: Grand Grizzly has become the fastest growing whisky brand in Mexico, a market where Canadian whisky is already well represented. Of course this is not surprising given the number of Canadian visitors there each year. It’s something to think about for those heading south this winter.

Nose: Dry, bright, fresh, and expressive with pickles, hints of spices, some sharpness, vanilla, spring flowers, cereal mash – Weetabix^®. There is a fruity bouquet with stewed prunes, sweet new spirit, and a rich full creaminess, then the vaguest menthol, Caramac^® chocolate bar and fresh black pepper.

Palate: Clay, hard rye, sweet cereal mash, and authentic fresh-ground black pepper. Unusually earthy, with a tinge of plastic, fiery heat, clean new spirit and the muddiness of great mezcal. Bright and so lively with aggressive rye spices and just hints of fruitiness, this is an excellent example of just how vibrant and flavourful a young rye whisky can be. Filled with zesty flavour, it tingles with gingery, hot, spirited pepper. A soothing creaminess dissolves into milk chocolate and butterscotch, with dry breakfast cereal hovering in the background. A unique and very enjoyable whisky.

Finish: Medium longish pepper, earthy rye, and lightly herbal.

Empty Glass: Slight floral notes mingle with sweetish wood smoke, creamy cereal, and green plants. Way in the background hints of lemonade poke through dusty rye.

So yes, enjoy your Margaritas by the Oaxaca pool, or back at base after a steamy hike to the Mayan temples of Palenque or the pyramids of Teotihuacán. But this year, instead of slipping a bottle of tequila into your suitcase when you return, why not grab a Grand Grizzly and bring a Mexicanadian treat back home with you, something  to cheer the soul as the snow falls on yet another northern winter night?

Highly recommended. ★★★★

Canadian Club Classic 12 This is the most Christmassy of the Canadian Club range. It’s sweet and spicy and a most versatile drink indeed as it works well as a sweet and flavourful sipper, a robust mixer, and, with its spicy notes, will add flavour and zip to a glass of eggnog.  CC Classic 12 is available at LCBO for $24.40.

Collingwood A new flavour from an established distillery, Collingwood took Canada by storm in 2011. Loads of robust rye notes have been bolstered by extra time spent in a marrying vat with staves of toasted maple. The result? A fruity, spicy quality unmatched in any other whisky. On sale now for $27.95.

Crown Royal Limited Edition Crown Royal is the best-selling Canadian whisky in the world, but this special Limited Edition is only available in Canada, making it well worth a trip north across the border for someone state-side wanting to get Dad something really special this year. Canadian dads, of course, will be just as pleased to receive a bottle. $37.45.

Pendleton 1910 12 years old Exclusivity operates on both sides of the border. Available only in the U.S. is this exclusive Canadian rye whisky bottled by Oregon’s Hood River Distillers. It is a couple of cowboy-belt notches above the original already popular version of Pendleton. The fancy bottle it comes in is carefully sculpted but it’s the juice inside it that really impresses. And Dad will be impressed that you crossed the border to buy him a special aged Canadian rye. Available in the U.S. for $39.95.

Royal Canadian Small Batch New for 2011 Royal Canadian Small Batch is a fruity, up-market version of an old Canadian favourite. It’s rich and flavourful for fireside sipping or a midnight nip. And the bottle is a bit classier too, making it a dram Dad would be proud to serve his most welcome guests. $37.95 at LCBO.

White Owl Real rye whisky with the colour filtered out, White Owl is made for cocktail drinkers who want to raise their game. Funny thing though, once whisky drinkers started sipping it, White Owl became the most successful new whisky ever introduced by Highwood Distillers. It is still selling like hotcakes so don’t wait till the last minute to get yours. White Owl opens new possibilities for cocktails and mixed drinks.  $39.75 at LCBO.

Danfield’s 21 Available right across Canada, though in limited quantities, Danfield’s 21 year old is a connoisseur’s delight. Rich corn whisky is accented by long-aged rye to produce an unparalleled whisky which is both sweet and piled high with crisp Canadian wood. A wonderful sipper. Currently $45.75 at LCBO.

Alberta Premium 30 This 30-year old all rye whisky from Alberta Distillers was the big whisky story of 2011. It was much anticipated and sold quickly but persistent shoppers will still find bottles in liquor stores in Alberta, Ontario, and points in between.  At $49.95 for a 750 ml bottle of 30-year-old whisky, it also has to be the whisky bargain of the year.

Wiser’s Legacy Pot-distilled rye whisky is mingled with just enough malted rye and corn to broaden the palate of one of the spiciest whiskies on the market. Legacy is made according to an original J.P. Wiser recipe, showcasing the ageless skills of one of the founders of the Canadian whisky style. Its substantial square decanter and wooden stopper make a great first impression that carries over into every glass. $49.95 at LCBO.

Masterson’s Rye The best of the Canadian straight ryes, Masterson’s has the punch of straight rye whisky with the smooth elegance that Masterson’s masterful minglers so skillfully produce. Strong, rich, robust and complex, it remains ever so sippable. You’ll have to go state-side to buy this one, but it’s worth the trip. Rumours have it coming home to Canada in the New Year, but do you really want to make Dear Old Dad wait until then?  $54.99 at Shoppers Vineyard.

Forty Creek John’s Private Cask No. 1 Forty Creek has an impressive line-up of whiskies and this is one of the best, a real “spice monster.” John’s Private Cask is the latest of John Hall’s limited, one-time-only small-batch releases. The combination of creamy body and robust flavours is sure to please that hard-to-buy-for whisky lover. Sells in Canada for a bargain $69.95.

Gibson’s 18 This whisky generates more fan mail on canadianwhisky.org than any other with its sophisticated synthesis of creamy grain flavours and clear crisp wood. Soft, supple, and oh so elegant.  This is a true contemplative to savour slowly by the embers of the Yule log. Available in very limited supply at $74.75.

Glen Breton Battle of the Glen 15 years old Glenora Distillers’ finest single malt whisky is distilled and matured in the Highlands of Cape Breton. Fifteen years have smoothed the spirit to silk, creating a rich single malt whisky with a full bouquet of fresh orchard fruits and wild flowers. It sells for $150.00, but you’ll have to do a bit of searching as it is no longer available at LCBO.

So there you have it: twelve Christmas whiskies to make Christmas morning just that much more special.  And as that famous song tells us, there are actually 12 Days of Christmas. So don’t limit yourself to just one of these choices. Why not try a different one on each of the 12 days (and an extra one for Boxing Day)? “On the first day of Christmas my true love sent to me… Hohoho! Merry Christmas!

The world of whisky education is taking a huge step forward with the international launch of Broom’s The World Masterclass, a comprehensive on-line/DVD course. Here is an opportunity to tap into Broom’s vast knowledge.

Year 1 of the whisky course consists of a series of 50 lessons, 150 video clips of distillers and distilleries and over 100 tasting clips which take students through the history of whisky, production techniques and methods of tasting. Subtitling into a range of languages makes this the first truly global whisky training course*.

Each of the lessons includes a ‘classroom’ session, with Dave Broom explaining in depth the principles behind each aspect of whisky production, followed by a lesson featuring distillers talking of their own specific techniques.

This means that students can learn about malting from Eddie MacAffer (Bowmore), milling from Georgie Crawford (Lagavulin), mashing from Andy Cant (Cardhu), fermentation from Alistair Longwell (Ardmore), distillation from Mickey Heads (Ardbeg), maturation from Andy MacDonald (Glenmorangie) and finishing from Jim McEwan (Bruichladdich)… and many more.

Students then take a multiple choice test on each lesson which ‘unlocks’ the next level. The back-end assessment system used has been developed by Lobster Ink and is used by the firm in its existing global training business.

“It has always been hard for whisky lovers to get proper education on the drink which they love,” says Dave Broom. “I believe that this approach is a hugely exciting way in which to build a global, educated, whisky community.” Members of the World Masterclass club will receive dedicated whisky offers, events and access to one-off filmed specials.

The filming for Year 1 took place in the studio for the classroom material and over an intense three week period in Scotland, where the team filmed at over 40 distilleries. “It’s all very well having the theory laid out,” says Dave Broom, “but the only way in which you can understand whisky is by seeing the places in which it is made: the landscape, the weather – and it was pretty wild when we were there – and, most importantly, the phenomenal people who make the spirit.”

“We have constructed the course in such a way as to take students through the ‘decision points’ which each distiller faces and how that decision impacts on the flavour of the whisky they create,” Broom adds. “Each of these flavours is also shown: flowers, fruits, seashore aromas, even a hamster to show maltiness! Students can then understand that the aromas in whisky are real and related to everyday aromas which are around them.”

The same principle is extended to the 100, 3-5 minute tasting clips of major whisky brands with each having its own ‘flavour board’ and positioning in one of five flavour camps.

With Year 1 complete, the team is working on Year 2 which will launch in spring 2012, featuring in-depth focuses on specific distilleries as well as Irish whisky and Scotch blends. Further whisky categories are then planned as well as extending The World Masterclass into all other spirits categories. “We have so many great ideas for this platform,” says Broom. “The possibilities with this application are endless.”

Students go to www.theworldmasterclass.com to enroll.  Year 1 costs £99/USD150. The course is also available in a 5-pack DVD format in selected countries.

*Subtitled courses in several languages will be scheduled for March 2012.

Dave Broom leads the World Masterclass, an on-line course about whisky.

Glasgow-born Dave Broom has been writing and teaching about spirits for over 20 years. He is contributing editor to Whisky Magazine, a columnist and taster for The Whisky Advocate, editor-in-chief of Whisky Magazine Japan and writes for numerous titles internationally. His latest book is the World Atlas of Whisky. He is a Master of the Quaich and a Kentucky Colonel.

One hundred years after his death, John Philip Wiser’s recipes are still used to make some of Canada’s most well-established and most sought-after whiskies. What’s odd about this detail is that Wiser’s distillery itself has been out of production for nearly a century as well. In fact, all traces of it have long since been erased from the Prescott, Ontario neighbourhood where it once proudly stood. But the whisky makers at Corby’s who have taken up Wiser’s mantle are not content to rest on their laurels, or should we say J.P.’s laurels.

Yes, Wiser’s Legacy, the most recent addition to the Wiser’s line-up, is based on an original, rye-rich J. P. Wiser recipe. But before committing to full production of this super-spicy heritage whisky, Corby’s tested the Canadian appreciation for spicy whisky. They did this by releasing Wiser’s Small Batch, a more recently formulated whisky, but one that is clearly in the image of Legacy.

When it was introduced, Wiser’s Small Batch was really something new for Canadian whisky lovers. Rich in baking spices and with an enhanced candied quality, Small Batch was bigger, much spicier, and a lot sweeter than the whiskies loyal Wiser’s fans were used to. And with the 43.4% alc./vol. that Wiser is said to have favoured, it was also just a little bit stronger. I can report that J. P. Wiser would be happy with what his successors have done in his name.

Nose: Dusty rye, redolent with cloves and clove oil, and rich in vanilla, hangs heavy deep in your nostrils, while cinnamon tickles away at the edges. This, one of the spiciest Wiser’s noses ever, is rich in fully developed, integrated spices reminiscent of dark-rum-laden Christmas cake. Notes of fresh-cut wood, cedar oil, and furniture polish accent the spiciness. Heavy black fruits, sweet fresh red fruit, and candied dried fruit meld with the generic fruitiness of rye. The rye returns in the middle with its earthiness and a not-too-common flintiness. Imagine, flinty rye in such a robust nose. Butterscotch and hints of burnt sugar finally succeed in pushing their way through the sweetness of the vanilla. This is a big nose.

Palate: What starts a bit creamy with burnt sugar and fresh concentrated vanilla quickly becomes very rich, oily and spicy until it coats your mouth with syrupy spices and fruit. Cloves dominate without overwhelming the heaps of burning hot pepper and hot cinnamon, which, in turn, are complemented by toffee sweetness and balanced against a refreshing bitter zest. The sweet, ever-present baking spices and clove oil really deliver a wallop. But even more complexity comes quickly with a rich oakiness, complete with sawdust, green wood, cedar and fresh cedar leaves, followed by wood smoke. Earthy rye returns along with freshwater plants and really crisp flintiness. Weighty. This is a very complex, highly flavourful, “busy” whisky with all kinds of actions and reactions in the glass and on the palate.

Finish: Long, hot, and very spicy, returning always to cloves and hot pepper. A gentle sweetness and slight fruitiness fade into a simple citric zestiness with just a touch of pith.

Empty Glass: Barbeque sauce, hot toffee, brown sugar, vanilla, fresh-cut wood, sawdust, wood smoke, burnt wood, cloves, sweet spices.

$28.95 at LCBO.

Highly Recommended. ★★★★☆

A new Wiser’s Legacy whisky review posted here April 30, 2011 to mark the 100th anniversary of the death of J. P. Wiser.

Wiser’s Legacy introduced here.

Wiser’s 18 year old reviewed here.

Wiser’s Red Letter reviewed here.

Caribou Crossing is the first single-barrel Canadian Whisky produced by a major whisky company since the 19th century. That was the time when people would arrive at Canadian distilleries with jugs to be filled straight from the barrel. The now infamous Bush Pilot’s, from the late 1990s, was also bottled one barrel at a time, a fact that contributed to its legendary status among the whisky cognoscenti. Caribou Crossing Single Barrel, from the Sazerac Company/Buffalo Trace, now advances this concept further, drawing its very best whisky from an inventory of over 200,000 barrels produced for it by several prominent Canadian distilleries.

For Caribou Crossing, Sazerac’s Master Blender Drew Mayville selected the most mature and flavour-rich of these barrels and oversaw the bottling of each individual barrel. Each barrel has its own unique subtleties so identifying each barrel with a number on the package would help whisky lovers find bottles from different barrels and be able to compare them. Since this is single-barrel bottling, there are no laser codes on the bottle to help the more obsessive find different batches.

“Our goal was to put forth the highest-quality whisky available and to give consumers a new way to look at Canadian Whisky,” Mayville said when he introduced Caribou Crossing earlier this year. “We are very proud of the end result and hope these new products will foster a greater appreciation among consumers for what Canadian whisky can be.” If market acceptance is any indication, Mayville seems to have achieved his goal quite nicely. Not only has Caribou Crossing won accolades from prominent whisky writers, it has sold well enough that a second batch was soon required to replenish empty shelves.

Speaking at Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans, Sazerac’s home town, earlier this year, Mayville said that he wanted to use Caribou Crossing and another new Sazerac whisky, Royal Canadian Small Batch, to re-define the Canadian whisky category. That may be a little bit hopeful, given the large number of other high quality connoisseur whiskies coming out of Canadian distilleries these days. Even so, Caribou Crossing certainly raises the bar for current U.S. releases. Mayville has promised to keep the momentum going with more new and exciting Canadian whisky expressions. OK, Mr. Mayville, that’s a promise; we’ll hold you to it.

Nose: Rich rye spices, vanilla, and butterscotch with lots of dark fruit. Stewed prunes and a hint of spirit. Elements of Cognac.

Palate: Soft, creamy corn, with prunes, spice, and citric pith. Hot pepper, and just a touch of rye spices complement a bitter citric middle. Refreshing citric notes abound, though the palate stays creamy throughout. Slight hints of clean oak on first tasting simply tease the tongue, but soon fresh-cut wood and tantalizing red cedar envelope the palate. The influence of corn is obvious here in the smooth robust body, but rye notes poke through also with their fruitiness, together with that rye-specific essence of fresh-water plants. What starts out as a “nice” palate becomes more and more interesting as pleasing tannins, peppery spices, and ripe red fruits slowly emerge from the vanilla creaminess.

With single barrel whisky the balance won’t always be perfect, and here the creaminess slightly swamps some of those scrumptious oaky notes. Still, it’s spectacular whisky. That untamed quality—and the fact that there will never be another one exactly like it—are two of the main attractions of single barrel whisky. An experienced blender’s hand might have given a bit more definition to this whisky, but then it wouldn’t be single barrel whisky, would it?

Finish: Medium. Some tasty woody notes come out after a few minutes, but there is not much spice and no pepper until the end when it joins the tannic oak in a dry and spicy crescendo.

Empty Glass: Surprisingly little, but for hints of caramel and fresh-sawn lumber.

Very Highly Recommended. ★★★★★

Caribou Crossing is not yet available in Canada, but the folks at the Sazerac Company teasingly advise Canadian whisky lovers “to wait and see.” $50.00 at liquor stores across the U.S.

Royal Canadian Small Batch review here.

Alberta’s whisky-loving orinthologists are beside themselves with delight. Just when they thought all the birds had flown south for the winter, an exotic Canadian white owl (Nyctea épiçicus) was spotted in the vicinity of liquor stores across the province.  And it has arrived just in time for Christmas.  Of course, in Canada, winter bird watching is a lot like ice fishing: the most important thing is what’s in your flask to keep you warm.

One of the most innovative new additions to the Canadian whisky line-up in 2010 was White Owl Whisky. White whisky – real rye whisky – that tastes like whisky but looks and mixes like vodka. White Owl, in its unmistakable frosted bottle, was so well received that the distillery had a hard time keeping up with demand.  Actually, they had lots of whisky on hand. It was those custom bottles that just couldn’t arrive fast enough for them to fill.

Century Distillers, who make White Owl, have just added a spiced-up version to the line-up.  White Owl Spiced is being rolled out now in Alberta and will be introduced across the country in 2012.  Pity the rest of us who have to wait.  This is not some marketer’s cynical concoction. It does not trade on the strength of bizarre made-up stories, the rye renaissance, or the cocktail craze. No, its a real whisky made by real distillers, but whisky with the colour removed and just a dash of spice added.

Spiced rum is so popular that it makes up about one-third of all rum sales.  Spiced whisky, on the other hand, has not been quite as well received to date. White Owl Spiced Whisky, following in the steps of Revel Stoke, Red Stag, and other successful flavoured whiskies, may help to change this. Thankfully, the blenders have resisted the urge to smother it with flavouring. It’s subtle, to be sure, the flavours are nicely integrated instead of being layered on top, and it’s definitely taking its own path.

The label tells us that White Owl Spiced Whisky is made by Century Distillers, but we know that’s code for the high-end products of Highwood Distillery in High River Alberta. Like the original White Owl, the spiced version, is as clear as water. Let’s give it a taste and see if it’s a Christmas egg-nog whisky, or worth sipping on its own.

Nose: subtle vanilla, tempered with hints of crisp wood then followed by rich aromas of butterscotch that dissolve into subtle rye spices. The blenders have been careful to preserve the rye notes which bodes well for sipping and for mixing. So far, it’s exactly like the label said it would be. The barrel smells are distinct and the vanilla spices mild enough to emphasize whisky flavours without distracting from them.  Overall it is mild but flavourful, just as the original White Owl was.

Palate: mild vanilla. Not the vanilla extract you might expect but just the essence of vanilla which emphasizes the butterscotch and a creamy smooth custard feel.  The spices are hot, flavourful, and assertive without spoiling the creaminess.  There is something corn-like but it is doubtful there is any corn whisky in the blend. Hot peppery spices and clean dry oak lead into a crisp dry finish with just traces of cloves and tingling ginger.

Finish: somewhat citrusy with a bit of pull and some peppery heat.  The vanilla has all but disappeared and the oak has cleaned away the creamy middle.

Whisky connoisseurs are not going to be lining up for this. Still, it is an enjoyable “sippin’ by the fire” whisky, one that will mix well in ginger ale, and because they left the whisky flavour in (albeit somewhat subdued), it moves nicely into egg-noggin’ country as well.

Definitely ice-fishing-bird-watching flask material.  Mostly – just great fun.

$40.00 – $45.00

The original White Owl Whisky is reviewed here.

The Rum Howler respectfully disagrees with my assessment – read here.