> 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. ★★★★☆
> Bison Ridge Special Reserve 8 Year Old (40% alc/vol)
Buttery caramels with refreshing bitters in an oaky, peppery, and weighty dram. Mouth warming, spicy and smooth as the proverbial silk. Simple, straight forward, and richly flavourful. ★★★★
> 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 Dock No. 57 (40% alc/vol)
A typical fruity, rye-forward Canadian Club nose becomes sweet, hot, and spicy on the tongue. The most whisky like of the spiced whiskies with added notes of black licorice, Mom’s baking vanilla and a touch of clean oak.
> 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. ★★★★☆
> Crown Royal XR – Extra Rare (40% alc./vol.)
A rich, weighty, hugely complex and skillfully structured whisky displaying ripe red fruit, fresh-cut oak, hot spices, dry grain, and violets. Rich & Oaky. ★★★★☆
> 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 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. ★★★★☆
> Proof Whisky (42% alc./vol) – Canadian Whisky Preview
Introducing Proof Whisky, a new Canadian whisky from Toronto’s Proof Brands, that has been showing up quietly on LCBO shelves for the past couple of weeks.
> 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. ★★★
> Shelter Point 5 Year Old Single Grain Rye 46% alc/vol
A complex synthesis of maple sugar, licorice cough drops, ripe black fruits, sweet flowers, and sizzling pepper painted in oils on an artist’s canvas. ★★★★
> 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. ★★★★
> Still Waters 1+11 Canadian Whisky (40% alc/vol)
A tingling effervescence turns initially buttery, mouth-filling, toffee indulgences into clear, clean refreshment. Ever-present hot pepper is restrained by a richness of body and crisp cleansing pith. ★★★★☆
> WhistlePig 10 year old Straight 100% Rye Whiskey
Dave Pickerell is a true icon of the American whisky industry so when he declares Canada as the source of the world’s very best rye whisky, that’s news to be shouted from the rooftops.
> 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. ★★★★★
Hi Davin.
Thanks very much for this review.
Wow!
I’d had Gibson’s many times, thanks to my father-in-law, but only as a mixed cocktail.
Just recently though, a friend of mine who knows I’ve begun to branch out from being a straight scotch enthusiast to explore all whiskies invited me over for a Gibson’s. The aroma of butterscotch and flavour of creme brulee you mention just bowled me over and I was smitten.
Much to my wife’s dismay
I’m going to have to keep trying it to discover all those other flavours and aromas.
Thanks again.
Stephen
Hi Stephen,
I am glad you enjoyed the review.
Yeah, I am a big Scotch lover too but there is something special about some of our own Canadian whiskies as well, and Gibson’s is one of the greats (three of the greats if you include their 18 year old and the Sterling). If you want something Scotch like (at Canadian whisky prices) you might want to try Canadian Club Sherry Cask. It reminds me of some of the wine finished Bruichladdichs.
Enjoy your discoveries!
Davin
I live in Arizona. Good Canadian rye is hard to find. I have to drive to Texas to get Wiser’s. I’d like to know if Gibson’s has a distributor in the U.S. Does anyone know?
Hi,
Sorry to say, there is not enough Gibson’s to go around yet, so it is not exported to the U.S. I know they are working on getting the supply up, but it takes 12 years to make 12-yer-old whisky. I know they would like to expand into the U.S. as soon as they can assure a steady supply.
what a fine whiskey but can’t get in u.s.
help,
joe
i have one botle of gibsons whiskey 12 but buyed 1981. so 42 years old.
Hi Aleksandar,
Yes, there seem to be a lot of older bottlings floating around out there. Unfortunately, with whisky, the only years that count are the ones before the whisky is put in the bottle, so even though you bought it in 1981, it is still 12 years old. Now if it was wine, that would be a different matter!
Gibson’s make great whisky, so I hope you will enjoy it some day.
Davin
This is interesting. I don’t know if I like it or not.
I followed through this review on my 3 session with it and IMO it’s pretty accurate.
I bought a mickey of this to try, I was more curious of the 18yo and may still get it. I just think that the nose on this 12yo is weak. Davin does a good job at describing it but its seems dominated at times by pure alcohol. It takes more patience to get to the wood and fruits.
On the other hand the palate has these big spices that I like! I don’t remember having a whisky with spices quite like these and lasts throughout the finish (as noted in the review of course).
I’m still uncertain.
Hi YtM,
Ahh . . . you are picking up those same shellac and spirit notes that I did, but you’re not quite sure what to make of them. Some people think a little bit of spirit is quite desirable in a whisky. You’ll notice that some of them have a lot and some just a little. People who are most familiar with malt whisky sometimes take a bit of time to warm up to these notes.
I have had the good fortune to taste the base spirit for Gibson’s 12 year old before it was put into barrels. Anybody who thinks there is neutral spirit in Canadian whisky would have been shocked at how much rich flavour there was in it. It was drinkable (just) as is. The dominant notes of the higher abv base were bubblegum and chocolate fudge. Particularly, the chocolate was really powerful. It had a spirity feel, but not flavour. Somehow, the magic of 12 years in barrels has taken the edge right off those notes and replaced it with woody notes and something like shellac or maybe a hint of resin. Notes like these ones are not common in malt whisky, but they add yet another dimension to the palate and nose of many fine Canadians. I find that Gibson’s 12 is best revealed by a mini-Glencairn glass – the so called Perfect Dram. Another trick to get all the nuances – and the blenders use it all the time – is to dilute the whisky 50:50 with water and suddenly you can smell a whole range of aromas, including the whiffs of shellac and spirit. Keep an open mind; each new tasting experience only serves to expand your repertoire and your palate.
Davin
I might try some water in this as you suggest Davin. You are also correct that it takes time to warm up to certain whiskies. After a long break from CR deluxe, I am finding I kind of like it when years before it was amongst my least favourite whiskies and I stayed away from it.
As you compare to someone being used to malt whisky, there has been something else I noticed. In the past few weeks I have been drinking mostly Canadian whiskies. I always hear the phrase when speaking of a good Canadian whisky is praised: ‘it would be even better if it wasnt tasted amongst a bunch of scotches.’
A few days ago I noticed the opposite. I had a Dalmore 12 in between a few Canadians and I found it sub par for a highly respected single malt of how I remember it. I concluded I wasn’t used to that sort of ‘sweetness’ of Highland malt and why I was preferring Canadians more. Obviously similar instances happen when some people haven’t tasted a heavily peated malt in a while.
Hi again,
I’m not suggesting one style of whisky is better than another, just that when people have a lot of experience with a particular style there is a tendency to look for certain markers that may not be there in other styles. If that makes any sense
Davin
Hi again Davin,
Nah, I knew you werent implying that. I was on a different ‘experience’ concept.
I had it with some water yesterday and it had maple syrup on the nose. I agree with your rating on this one. I really like the spices. I’ll soon taste the 18 year.
Very interesting notes about the base spirits. It’s good to get some inside knowledge instead of a steady stream of erroneous assmuptions. Listening to some Scotch and bourbon connoiseurs, one might be led to believe that Canadian whisky is little more than cheap vodka with a bit of rye thrown in. Of course we know this is not the case…
Gibson’s does tend to come across as a little more “sprity” than some other Canadians, particularly the Sterling edition. That is one of my least favourite whiskies so far. But my last experience with the 12 year old was quite positive. Big on cream caramel notes. The 18 year old is really good, as I recall. Baked apple and brown sugar come to mind.
Hi,
I have a gibson’s finest 12 year old, 1979.
Do you have and idea for the price value.
Thank’s
Hi Sylvio,
It would be in the neighbourhood of $25 to $50.
Just curious about the recipe of the Gibson’s 12 vs the Sterling. I did a side by side tasting of both recently and as I’ve bought the 12 most times, I’m familiar with its sweeter side. When I’ve left the glass warm in my hand and nose it, I invariably get the scent of toasted marshmallows! That sweetness made me wonder if there’s more corn in the 12 than in the Sterling which had a cereal top note, a lightness and a spicy burn on the fade. Any ideas?
Hi Deborah,
These recipes are guarded quite closely and I do not know the details.
Davin
[...] Balvenie, and many other whisky and spirit brands), and direct those who would like to know more to this post on the excellent website Canadian Whisky that gives the whole [...]
I lived in Nitro 3 miles East of Schenley distillery …Back in the 50,s and 60,s we got strong smell of working grain from Schenleys at times…
Yeah, I used to live near a brewery. Sometimes you just wanted to stand outside and breathe.
Paid $16US (regularly $19) for the 1.14l duty-free bottling at Pac Can Duty Free in Blaine WA yesterday, crossing northbound into BC. That seems like an exceptional deal.
Davin I have only one word WOW for Gibson’s Finest. smooth is not the word whatever your doing keep it up.
i love gibson
Se em Portugal á alguma loja que tenha á venda whisky Gibson’s? se não como o poderei adquirir