> Alberta Premium 30 Year Old Limited Edition®
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. ★★★★★
> Alberta Premium aged 25 years (40% alc./vol.)
Sweet vanilla pods and fresh-cut lumber. A complex mosaic of flavours from cedar to tropical fruit set on a creamy base with hot pepper and a delicate underlying citric zest. Rich & Oaky. ★★★★★
> Alberta Springs aged 10 years (40% alc./vol.)
Luscious and weighty with beautifully integrated aromatic spices and waves of white pepper. Sweet, like Mackintosh’s® toffee, vanilla and dried fruit. Citric zest, linen, some dustiness, and hints of oak. Spicy Rye. ★★★★☆
> Black Velvet aged 3 years (40% alc./vol. (80 proof))
Candy, sweet, dark fruit, cream sherry, pepper and hot spices, dusty, floral rye, spirit, slight zestiness, and hints of fresh wood. Fruity and Spicy. ★★★
> Black Velvet Deluxe (40% alc./vol.)
Creamy caramel and hot pepper. Ripe dark fruit, citric zest, fresh-cut wood and hints of spirit. Mild rye spices – cloves, cinnamon, ginger. A bit under-stated. Spicy Rye. ★★★☆
> Black Velvet Reserve 8 years old (40% abv (80 proof))
Caramel and pepper dominate well-defined fruits, fresh oak, vanilla, rye spices and zesty undertones. Both dusty and oily. Rich and Round. ★★★★
> Bush Pilot’s Private Reserve (43% alc./vol.)
Crisp, clean, Canadian oak. Musty corn, cardboard, gentle caramels and vanilla. Herbal, slightly spicy and quite peppery with a cleansing citric pith. Malty & Dry. ★★★★☆
> Canadian Club 30 year old (40% alc./vol.)
Fragrant and flavourful with sweet dark fruit, loads of fresh-cut wood, hot pepper, and recurring rich tobacco notes. Deceptively complex and surprisingly lively. Rich & Round. ★★★★★
> Canadian Club aged 15 years (40% alc./vol.)
Creamy smooth and full-bodied. Peppery with subtle, understated fresh cedar, black fruits, caramel, musty corn, citric zest, and pith. Soft Corn. ★★★★☆
> Canadian Club aged 20 years (40% alc./vol.)
A weighty, highly integrated, and fruity synthesis of wood, toffee, vanilla, dusty rye, and baking spices, with developing hot pepper, dark fruits, prune juice, and citric zest. Rich & Oaky. ★★★★★
> Canadian Club Classic 12 year old (40% alc./vol.)
Sweet oak caramels and burnt sugar, raisins, prunes, and Christmas cake. Peppery with a slippery creaminess and underlying notes of clean oak. Fruity & Spicy. ★★★☆
> Canadian Club Reserve 10 years old (40% alc./vol.)
Sweet, peppery, and fruity, with a pleasing bitter zest. Hard, flinty, earthy rye tinged with cinnamon and ginger. Nice weight and creamy mouthfeel. Spicy Rye. ★★★★
> Canadian Club Sherry Cask (41.3% alc./vol.) Batch SC-018
Rich and very fruity– from raisins to peaches to berries. Sweet hot tobacco, black tea, pencil shavings, pepper and baking spices. Fruity & Spicy. ★★★★☆
> Canadian Hunter 40% alc./vol. (80 proof)
Faint spirit evolves into robust rye spices with rich butterscotch, hints of dry grain, and ripe dark fruits. Very flavourful and mouth-filling with sizzling pepper, fleshy dark fruits and lime peel. Spicy Rye. ★★★☆
> Canadian Mist (40% alc./vol. (80 proof))
Toffee sweet, vanilla, grassy with citric fruits, and a cleansing bitter lemon zest. Some earthiness, sour mash, rye grain and rye spices, with a youthful spirit. Malty & Dry. ★★★☆
> Canadian Mist Black Diamond (43% alc./vol. (86 proof))
Brio, cola, white pepper, ginger, sultanas, prunes, coconut, grapefruit zest and juice, dry grain, mash, and hints of fresh-cut lumber. Fruity & Spicy. ★★★☆
> Caribou Crossing Single Barrel (40% alc./vol. (80 proof))
Creamy vanilla, a dusting of rye spices, bursts of citrus and a veritable tsunami of fresh-cut wood. Soft Corn. ★★★★★
> Century Reserve 21 year old (40% alc./vol.)
Rich in nuance and suggestion, though muted, this is about as complex as pure corn whisky gets, with bittersweet citric notes, lilacs, spices, fresh-cut wood, and hot pepper. Soft Corn/Rich & Oaky. ★★★★☆
> Chinook 5 year old Canadian Whisky (40% alc./vol.)
Ripe fruit and stewed prunes with vanilla coconut custard, blistering hot spices and a nutty cereal side accented with rose water, dusty roads and hints of oak. Fruity & Spicy. ★★★☆
> Collingwood (40% alc/vol.) Canadian Whisky Review
Dark fruits, Concord grapes, roses and spring flowers with a rich and creamy mouthfeel. Split cherry firewood with earthy rye and tingling hot pepper. Floral & Fragrant. ★★★★
> Crown Royal Black 45% alc./vol. (90 proof)
Rum-soaked Christmas cake. Creamy, with vanilla, hot pepper, ginger, dark fruit, orange bitters, Bourbon, charcoal, oak, and floral notes. Rich and Round. ★★★★
> Crown Royal Cask No. 16 (40% alc./vol.)
Peaches, apricots, Concord grapes and Port wine with rye spices, hot white pepper, peach pits and bitter lemon. Fresh-cut lumber. Fruity & Spicy.★★★★☆
> Crown Royal Fine De Luxe from 1963 (40% alc./vol.)
A complex synthesis of ginger, clove oil, hot white pepper, cedar lumber, and prunes, with fresh spring lilacs and pansies and wilted tobacco. Caramel, vanilla and cooling citric pith. Rich & Oaky. ★★★★★
> Crown Royal Limited Edition (40% abv)
Controlled, elegant, creamy, and balanced with nutmeg, cloves and ginger, hot pepper and peppermint, green and ripe apples, floral bourbon-like vanilla and oak, cereal, and orange bitters. Spicy Rye. ★★★★☆
> Danfield’s Limited Edition 21 years old (40% alc./vol.)
Classic rye spices—cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and pepper—all brought together in a lumber yard. Sweet, fragrant wood with a tangy citric zest and lots of weight. Rich & Oaky. ★★★★☆
> Forty Creek Barrel Select (40% alc./vol.)
Creamy, sweet corn whisky with dusty, earthy rye, ripe red fruits, sherry, sweet-and-sour sauce, floral perfume, ginger, cinnamon, hot pepper, and hints of citric peels. Fruity & Spicy. ★★★★
> Forty Creek Confederation Oak Reserve (40% alc./vol.)
Butterscotch, fresh-cut wood, toasted oak and wood smoke. Sweet vanilla, berries, barbeque sauce, mash, granola. Restrained, but full-flavoured. Rich & Round. ★★★★☆
> Forty Creek Double Barrel Reserve (40% alc./vol.)
Toasted oak sugars, vanilla, hot pepper, mustard, and ginger. Lemon cream, sweet- and-sour rye, dry grain, new sawdust, fresh fruit, and a citric zestiness. Almost chewy. Soft Corn. ★★★★☆
> Forty Creek John’s Private Cask No. 1 Review
Bursting gingery spice bombs, dark fruits, clean sweet wood, and crème caramel. A spice
“Monster.” Sultry fruits and dusky rye spices like fireworks in an ancient muggy rainforest. Spicy Rye. ★★★★★
> Gibson’s Finest aged 12 years (40% alc./vol.)
Crème brûlée, oak, cedar, spicy pepper, cloves, citric zest, black fruits, strawberries and cream. Masterfully balanced and seamlessly integrated. Rich & Oaky. ★★★★
> Gibson’s Finest Rare Bourbon Cask (40% alc./vol.)
Creamy, soft, round and smooth. Fresh-cut wood, caramel, and vanilla. Hot peppery spices, a slight saltiness, and gentle citric zest. Mildly floral and fruity. Soft Corn. ★★★★
> Gibson’s Finest Sterling (40% alc/vol)
Rich and creamy mouthfeel with a plethora of sweet fruits and berries, citric zest and pith, a nuttiness, black pepper, and hints of spirit. Soft Corn. ★★★★
> Gibson’s Finest Rare 18 years old (40% alc./vol.)
Sweet, spicy oak and pine sawdust, rich in toffee, vanilla, and hot spicy pepper. Biscuits, with typical rye dustiness, spice, fruit, and just a drop of pickle juice. Rich & Oaky. ★★★★☆
> Glen Breton Battle of the Glen (43% alc./vol.)
A complex interplay of fresh fruit, spring flowers, nutty grain, and hot white pepper all kept in place by the pith of white grapefruit. Floral & Fragrant. ★★★★☆
> Grand Grizzly (40% Alc/Vol)
Black pepper and an earthiness reminiscent of agave spirit give way to hard and gingery rye while citrus zest, with dark fruits, real black pepper, and dashes of pickle juice meld into cold wet slate. ★★★★
> Lord Calvert Canadian (Seagram’s 1970-80s) 40% alc./vol.
Maple butter, vanilla, and butterscotch. Dry wood, shellac, cedar, apricots and lilacs. Fresh-churned butter. Balanced, simple, and very flavourful. Soft Corn. ★★★☆
> Lot 40 (43% alc./vol.)
Rye, rye bread, sour rye, floral rye, hard rye, earthy rye, dusty rye grain, and then sweet citric notes, oranges, hot peppery spices, and tannic wood. Spicy Rye. ★★★★★
> Masterson’s Straight Rye Whiskey (45% alc./vol.)
A carefully crafted panorama of grassy dry grain, moist earth and burlap sacks, along with zingy pepper, blossoming floral vanilla, fragrant leather and tobacco leaves. Spicy Rye. ★★★★★
> Pendleton 1910 Canadian Rye Whisky 40% alc./vol
Butterscotch and maple fudge with cleansing zesty limes. Gingery hot pepper and fresh cooling mint. Crisp charred oak. Rich, weighty, balanced, and ever so complex. Fruity & Spicy. ★★★★☆
> Revel Stoke Spiced Whisky (45% alc/vol (90 proof))
Rich and creamy; smooth as the proverbial baby’s bottom. Vanilla, camphor, cherry cough drops, spicy pepper, and pleasing citric pith. Tasty Spice.
> Rich & Rare Reserve (40% alc./vol. (80 proof))
Full-flavoured and peppery with creamy maple syrup, clean oak, hints of rose petals, dark fruit, and tangy oranges. Fruity and Spicy. ★★★★
> Royal Canadian Small Batch (40% alc/vol (80 proof))
A very sweet fruit smoothie with earthy rye, hints of fresh oak, hot pepper, baking spices, pickle juice, spirit, and refreshing bitter notes. Fruity & Spicy. ★★★☆
> Royal Reserve Canadian Rye Whisky (40% alc./vol.)
Prototypical light and smooth 1970s cocktail whisky. Starts small, gradually becoming complex but subtle, with brittle rye, hot pepper, creamy toffee and lemon zing. Spicy Rye. ★★★☆
> Royal Velvet (40% alc./vol.)
Pine pitch, Canada balsam, butterscotch, clove oil, dusty rye, pickle juice, hot pepper, flowers, and assorted fruits all neatly stitched into one. ★★★★☆
> Seagram’s VO (40% alc./vol.)
Much nuance, many hints. Pepper, ginger and other rye spices, ripe dark fruit, earth, dry grain, floral notes, vanilla, cedar, Fruity & Spicy. ★★★
> Snake River Stampede 8 year old 40% abv (80 proof)
Butterscotch, dusty rye, hot white pepper, dark fruits and ginger. Refreshing citric pith and zest. Creamy smooth, then slightly grippy. Spicy Rye. ★★★★
> White Owl Spiced Whisky (40% alc/vol)
Subtle vanilla, crisp oak, rich butterscotch and subtle rye spices, then hot pepper, lots of citrus pith in the finish with tingling ginger and cloves – a most whisky-like spiced whisky.
> White Owl Whisky 40% alc./vol.
Sprite™, citrus fruit cooler, anise, soft baking spices, butterscotch, hot cayenne, hints of oak tannins. Probably the tastiest white whisky anywhere in the world.
> Wiser’s Legacy: Canadian Whisky Review
Sweet, rich and very spicy with overt rye notes. Cinnamon and cloves, dark fruits, hot peppermint and citric zest. Spectacular. Very highly recommended. ★★★★★
> Wiser’s Small Batch (43.4% alc./vol.)
Big whisky. Cinnamon, cloves, and other rye spices. Dark fruits, vanilla, butterscotch, cedar oil, some earthy tones, and a slight flintiness. Weighty. Spicy Rye. ★★★★☆
> Wiser’s 18 years old, aka Wiser’s Very Old (40% alc./vol.)
Wood, wood, wood, but ever so complex with hot pepper, baking spices, butterscotch, vanilla, rye grain, tobacco, cigar box, sour-dough, and dried baking fruits ending in a citric zestiness. Rich & Oaky. ★★★★★
> Wiser’s Red Letter, 150th Anniversary (45% alc./vol.)
Complex, ever-changing flavours of dry grain, tobacco, Christmas spices, wood smoke, new tires, sour German rye bread, black fruits, cedar and fresh-sawn oak, toffee, vanilla, hot pepper, and bitter grapefruit. Rich & Oaky. ★★★★★
Davin,
Great review of a very good Canadian Whisky. I very much enjoyed your research and historical tidbits. I happened upon a “member’s only” sale at Sam’s Wine Warehouse just before they were sold to Binny’s and bought a bottle of the XR for a song. It definitely holds a place in the Canadian Whisky pantheon at the vaults at home. I find myself turning to this one when I want to recreate the enjoyment of my old CW favorites from the 80′s, like Schenley’s Order of Merit.
Thanks for your comments George. Yes, XR really is quite a special whisky.
I think that the biggest problem of Canadian and American whiskey is that is not really associated with a place, history etc. Moving a distillery from Waterloo to Manitoba is like moving Laphroiag to France and expecting to maintain whisky quality and support of those to consider Laphroaig to me their favourite whisky.
There are numerous examples of North American whiskey that does not belong to a place and cannot create the same emotions as Scottish single malt(Pappy van Winkle and Buffalo Trace Antique Collection come to mind).
The classical case of this lack of “belonging” is the the recent case of WhistlePig Straight Rye Whiskey.
I tried to get excited about Canadian Whiskey (I am Canadian after all) but it is difficult. I know that many would say that the only important aspect of drinking whisky is the taste but for many (me included), there is much more to it.
Hi Michael,
There certainly is an element of romance to the idea of old distilleries, like Hiram Walker’s, even though it has been completely re-built over the years. At the same time, the way Canadian whisky makers separate the distillate into streams, age them separately, then re-constitute them, makes it much more likely to get consistency (assuming you have a good blender).
Like you, I am curious about where WhistlePig came from, but I also kind of like the idea of an aura of mystique. I spoke to the guy who made Bush Pilot’s once, and even though it was off the market by then, he refused to disclose the source saying he wanted to maintain the mystique. I kind of like that, despite my burning curiosity.
Hi Davin,
Thank you for your reply. I am wondering if you can clarify for me the following part of your recent post:
“the way Canadian whisky makers separate the distillate into streams, age them separately, then re-constitute them, makes it much more likely to get consistency”
Is it always the case? I thought that Canadian Club 30YO, for instance, was aged after blending new makes(different grains) and not blended later.
Thank you,
Michael
Hi Michael,
There are exceptions to every rule and in making whisky, often more
exceptions than rules. You are correct, all of the Canadian Club
whiskies are “barrel blended” meaning the spirit is blended before it
is put to age. There is a little tweak on that sometimes – see my
upcoming review of Canadian Club 10 year old. Black Velvet also
blends before aging, but they too have their own twists, which make it
different from the CC process.
Thanks for reading the website and for your comments.
I’d like to follow up on Michael’s comments. CW, in general, doesn’t have the big mystique of “place” built around it like the Jack Daniel’s marketing campaign, for example. However, I think you’d be mistaken to assume that not everyone seeks out certain “Holy Grail” distillery output.
The Canadian Club that came out of the Okanagan distillery near Kelowna, B.C. is legend in the tiny circle of CW enthusiasts. I’ve done some dusty hunting in California for old stocks of Canadian Club Classic and I can assure you that it is not the same as it’s contemporary counterpart from Windsor.
Waterloo was another, Valleyfield also has a history of excellence. I think what you may be reacting to is that the industry would rather you think that no matter where your Crown Royal comes from, it will always be the same. Also there are very few books written on the history of Canadian whisky-making, so the “lore” surrounding it is not as a colorful as some Scottish or US distilleries. There was an excellent book written about 10 years go by a female author as part of a project to celebrate a milestone on Canadian whisky. Maybe Davin could enlighten us?
Yes, George, I’m with you on this. It’s just that most people don’t know what whisky came from where.
The Canadian Club distillery in Kelowna (actually it was just up the road in Winfield) was build to the same specs as the distillery in Walkerville. They had the same equipment and so on, but the whisky aged a little bit differently because it is so arid in the Okanagan. They also used western rye which tastes slightly different from that used in Walkerville. Nevertheless, they were able to replicate the Walkerville flavour profile pretty well in the newly-blended spirit and in the 6-year-old mature whisky. But you are correct, many people say it tasted different from the Walkerville bottles.
On the other hand, at one time consideration was given to having Valleyfield produce flavouring whisky for Crown Royal, but they could never get it past the quality panel. That is one of the great things about the way they make Canadian whisky. Every component is tasted blind, over and over, and if it doesn’t pass it doesn’t get used. And with virtually no independent bottlers, the less-desirable just whisky gets re-distilled and never makes it onto the shelves.
While the XR is good, Michael would benefit researching the Bourbon county Kentucky whiskey distillers. The history is deep and storied, the bourbon…unsurpassed and amazing. They don’t move around, you can trace these whiskeys to their impetus! American excellence.
Hi JJ,
Yes, you are right, there are some really wonderful Bourbons out there and their stories are known because almost all of them go back to 1933 and no further. Anything earlier than that is often just that, a story. The Bourbon industry and its production methods were completely overhauled after Prohibition. The post-Prohibition distilleries rely almost exclusively on column stills, which just goes to show what great spirit you can get from a column. Whatever they are doing, they certainly are making some wonderful whiskies.
It seems the XR is being discontinued at the LC…
Cask no. 16 is being discontinued as well….are you working on a review for this one for the near future Davin?
This might just be the LCBO working things through the system.
As far as I know, at current sales volumes in Canada and the U.S., Diageo has enough whisky left for about two years’ supply of Crown XR. Cask 16 is also still in production. They do a new batch every February. Eventually I plan to review every Canadian whisky I can lay my hands on, but in the next little while I have Caribou Crossing, Canadian Club Sherry Cask & 30 year old, and 4 Glen Bretons in the queue. Yes, I will review Cask 16 as time allows. I probably have enough tastings already to write a review of it.
Thats good to know Davin, and reviewing those whiskies in that queue would indeed be better to do first.
Davin – just completed a cruise where they served the XR in a number of their bars and sold it in their duty free store. I enjoyed a dram one evening in the cigar lounge and was impressed with the whiskey. I ended up picking up a bottle in St. Marteen for a reasonable price (along with other whiskey goodies).
Greg, you are a lucky man indeed! Supplies of XR are starting to disappear.
I tried this on Canada day. A friend of mine found a single bottle in texas for $120. It was very good from what I remember…unfortunately I was too many beers deep at the pool party….hehehe but I tried to remember this.
My friend claims to know a Diageo rep and alhough (as Davin mentioned earlier here) that they have 2 years of XR from Waterloo they are changing it up and rebranding the whisky they used for the XR. The rep didnt know what profiles they plan on making with some of the leftovers or how they are going to do it.
That sounds like good new to me. I haven’t spoken to them about their plans for XR recently but I do know it was running out more quickly than theyhad expected.
its so good u can get it at the liquor store near me winthrop liquors for 125$ a bottle..its a great deal!
Just noticed the lobo released a large batch od XR. I had to add it to my collection so I bought myself a bottle for 180. Just wondering if this is older than the last batch of XR? Hopefully it is. How old is this stuff anyway?
I do not know. However . . . The last whisky was made in Waterloo in November 1992 so some of the whisky in XR could be 19 years old. There may also be some that is a lot older than that in the blend as well. Seagram’s blended to taste rather than by a strict age formula and Diageo has continued that practice, since they bought the brand. There probably is some younger whisky in there as well to maintain the flavour profile. But, as I said, I am just guessing.
Bought my bottle of crown xr today. think i will choose x-mas eve for my first tasting of this canadian classic.
ok. i’m weak. confession i tasted it tonight couldn’t hold out. it was as great drink still savory it’s richness unable to describe. one comment on bottling. the plug used is very tight and caused me to spill a tiny bit when removing. all be it precious little i found the force needed excessive/ unexpected.no angles shares gonna escape this bottle.
absolutely heaven in a whisky glass.
Paul