White Owl Whisky

White Owl Whisky 40% alc./vol.

October 6, 2011

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Sprite™, citrus fruit cooler, anise, soft baking spices, butterscotch, hot cayenne, hints of oak tannins. Probably the tastiest white whisky anywhere in the world.

This White Owl is one odd bird. Just as micro-distillers in the USA, desperate for cash, start selling virtually un-aged spirit as “white whisky” (read “raw whisky”), Alberta’s Highwood Distillers, a well-established Canadian producer, comes along with a fully matured amber whisky and starts charcoal filtering the colour out of it.

Yes, American micro-distillers are selling grain spirit that has spent only hours in a barrel, calling it white whisky. It’s still clear as crystal when it comes out of the barrel, but hey, U.S. regulations say it’s whisky so that’s what they put on the label.

Canadian distillers don’t have that advantage. In Canada, spirit cannot be sold as whisky until it has spent at least three years ageing in white oak. But even at that, the whisky that goes into making the White Owl blend is no mere three-year-old.

No, several well-aged whiskies, including some ten-year-old wheat whiskies, have been blended together then filtered to make this whisky as clear as vodka. Highwood tried it first with corn whisky, but couldn’t get the whisky profile they were looking for. Then after several dozen attempts they finally came up with a wheat blend they could filter clear without losing all the whisky flavour.

So is this some kind of weird concoction dreamed up in the hazy aftermath of a white dog tailgate party? Clearly the intention was to tap into the growing consumer interest in clear spirits for cocktails. And is this the first time Canadian whisky makers have done something so heretical? No, not by a long shot.

White Owl whisky certainly is the only white Canadian whisky on the market today, and the only white whisky anywhere in North America that has been aged long enough to qualify as whisky in Canada. But Hiram Walker and Sons used to make aged white whisky as a regular part of the line-up at their Windsor, Ontario plant. They called it whisky blanc, and sold it to a ready market in Quebec.

The demand for whisky blanc was steady in Quebec until the 1980s when the bottom fell out of the whisky market. Ironically, whisky – a “brown spirit” – was displaced by so-called “white spirits.” And white though it was, poor old whisky blanc just got lost in the shuffle. That is, until now. The very innovative Highwood has resurrected it, though perhaps unknowingly. The back label calls White Owl “the original white whisky.”

Nose: The first impression is of Sprite™ or citrus cooler until the sweet spices kick in along with some soft fruit, hints of grain, cereal and mash, limes and sweet lemons, mild spirit, and a hint of anise. There’s a kind of creamy fruitiness to it.

Palate: Anise, lots of citric flavours, especially lime and a slight citric bitterness. Butterscotch but not much sweetness, and hot cayenne & hot spices that linger a long time. Hints of oak tannins and cereal grain. This is whisky alright, but only just.

Finish: Medium-long, citric, and fading out on pepper.

Empty Glass: Almost nothing but vague hints of wood.

Owls hunt geese, don’t they?

With the character of whisky and the mixability of vodka, White Owl has been created for the upscale cocktail crowd. In a blind tasting, over 30 female drinkers consistently preferred cocktails made with White Owl to the same drinks made with Grey Goose vodka. And that’s where the market for this new whisky blanc is: among young, upscale, trendy professionals who don’t mind paying a little more to get the best, and who want to be seen to have the best. As a sippin’ whisky, frankly, White Owl comes up short. But as a whisky-flavoured mixer, it’s pretty hard to beat, unless of course, you go back to the amber liquid itself.

But most good mixing whiskies don’t come in such an impressive bottle – it looks and feels expensive – and most mixing whiskies don’t cost $40.00 either. No, serving White Owl makes as much a statement that you have arrived as it does about your skills in adding a little extra octane to a clear mixed drink.

It might say whisky on the bottle, but it’s also the best vodka you’ll ever taste. Clearly consumers agree. The folks at Highwood are calling it their most successful new launch ever. They can barely keep up with demand from Canada’s four western provinces. Goodness knows what they will do in September when White Owl arrives in Ontario and Quebec.

$40.00 at B.C. Liquors and throughout western Canada.

Worth a try.

Update:  There is a new White Owl in the pipeline.  White Owl Spiced Canadian Whisky available for Christmas 2011 in Alberta.

White Owl Spiced Whisky is reviewed here.

Comments

26 Responses to “White Owl Whisky 40% alc./vol.”

  1. Mike:
    August 30, 2010 at 12:07 pm

    I wonder how this stacks up against Still Waters single malt vodka from Ontario. The vodka has a surprising amount of malt character, and indeed might taste almost as much like whisky as White Owl (which I haven’t tried).

    Reply
    • Davin:
      September 3, 2010 at 1:22 am

      Hi Mike,
      I’ve tasted both, and after your comment tasted them heat to head. Actually each has a lot of flavour but they are quite different from each other. The Still Waters vodka is a so-called “vodka with character” and it’s fruity but not whisky like. White Owl, on the other hand, is more flavourful and has whisky characteristics (like wood, for instance) that are not present in the Still Waters. I found apple cider notes in the Still Waters, and a slight sourness, but not a whole lot of malt. Either one is enjoyable to sip on the deck, but I think both benefit from a splash of gingerale.

      Reply
  2. Canadian Whisky » Canadian Whisky Awards 2010:
    December 6, 2010 at 5:02 am

    [...] Innovation of the Year: Highwood Distillery, White Owl Whisky White Owl Whisky has no peer in Canada or anywhere else in the world for that matter. The first ever fully oak-matured white whisky, White Owl retains the flavours of Canadian rye whisky, while adding the cocktail-mixability of white spirits. In so doing, it successfully introduces the flavours of Canadian whisky to a whole new demographic. [...]

    Reply
  3. chad:
    January 22, 2011 at 11:41 pm

    Best whiskey available in manitoba. By far worth the extra 10 bucks a bottle. Wont be buying anything else when white owl is available

    Reply
  4. Al:
    February 1, 2011 at 9:15 pm

    Just tried it and I love it. Amazing straight up on the rocks. very unique. might be nice to try it with a hint of coconut aroma..umm.

    Reply
    • Davin:
      February 1, 2011 at 9:29 pm

      Hi Al,
      A dash of Malibu perhaps?

      Reply
      • Darko Vusir:
        February 14, 2011 at 2:26 am

        I tried that. It doesn’t quite work for me. What the problem is IMO, White Owl has too much flavour, and the whisky tends to overpower the coconut flavour of
        malibu.

        Reply
  5. Darko Vusir:
    February 13, 2011 at 6:46 pm

    Just bought a bottle yesterday. First time I saw it at the local LCBO. I must say, I like it, but it’s almost difficult to categorize. I’m having a hard time with it just because I’m not expecting that much flavour and smoothness from a clear spirit. All I know is that White Owl will replace Vodka and white rum in my supply!

    Reply
  6. Chip Dykstra:
    April 8, 2011 at 3:02 am

    Hi Davin:

    I just talked to the fellows at Highwood again yesterday. White Owl Whisky is as you say by far the most successful new product launch in their history, and you are right, they cannot keep up with the demand now that the product has reached Ontario. A great Canadian success story.

    (PS: I’m stalking up on this one)

    Reply
    • Davin:
      April 8, 2011 at 3:31 am

      Hi Chip,
      Yeah, this stuff just goes from strength to strength. What a great idea it was.
      Davin

      Reply
  7. Scott Ferguson:
    April 10, 2011 at 11:35 am

    Hello and thank you for the recent updates on the White Owl. I am so looking forward to seeing this product in Atlantic Canada… I understand from the folks at Highwood that they currently have their product in front of the NBLCC board but they (NBLCC) have not yet approved their application for distribution in New Brunswick. Keeping my fingers crossed that someone will either send me a sample or pick one up for me in their travels in Ontario! Grrr..c’mon NBLCC — get it on the shelves!

    Reply
  8. Mike:
    May 6, 2011 at 7:44 pm

    I keep looking at this on the shelf but I can’t get myself to spend the forty bones when Century Reserve 1525 is $10 cheaper. I can’t get past the idea of paying more for less (less age, and presumably less flavour). It strikes me that they are marketing it in the same way as “ultra-premium” vodka: fancy bottle, relatively high price. On the other hand, if it tastes good and stands apart from other whiskies that alone might justify the cost.

    Any comments?

    Reply
  9. sam k:
    July 18, 2011 at 3:22 am

    Man, this is tough for me to take seriously. I’m with Mike here…let’s take several “well-aged” whiskies and run them through a filter so that the color (conveniently no mention of flavor here) is removed, then sell it as whisky.

    I understand that the regulations prohibit you from calling white spirit “whisky,” but why go through all this trouble to remove whatever congeners were imparted by the barrel just to compete with vodka or rum, and need I point out that it’s being done at that most flavorsome (read: minimum) 40% alcohol?

    This is EXACTLY why our microdistillers bottle new make as whiskey…we want to avoid the malarkey that’s involved here and get a good unaged spirit on the shelves, often at 45% or higher (gasp!). For crying out loud, Canada, please give us something that peeks above that 40% threshold. Really…we can handle it!

    Reply
  10. Whisky Critic:
    July 18, 2011 at 11:17 pm

    It’s interesting, unusual stuff, and I’m also unsure what to think of it. It’s delicious, and it -is- whisky, but it’s the vodka in my cabinet that it’s replacing, and not the whisky. For that I’m also more likely to just buy my old amber and golden colored favorites.

    Reply
    • sam k:
      July 20, 2011 at 4:18 am

      As it should be, WC>

      Reply
  11. Rod K:
    September 8, 2011 at 3:06 am

    We had this at our monthly Whisky club meeting. Most didn’t like it but some like me enjoyed it enough to buy a bottle. I like it for sipping but then I appreciate new make as well. Don’t get me wrong, I have a cupboard always full of single malt, it’s just that I tend to enjoy all whiskys. If you like White Owl, try 40 Creek! It’s cheap at $25 here in BC and a great whisky. (Your mileage may vary)

    Reply
  12. Thomas Chen:
    October 7, 2011 at 3:16 am

    Wonderful review! thanks Davin!

    Reply
  13. Thom:
    October 14, 2011 at 4:17 pm

    Sprite?

    Reply
  14. Colin Goudie:
    October 24, 2011 at 10:22 pm

    I have sampled some White Owl whisky tonight in the UK and would love to buy a couple of bottles for Christmas for my guests, could you kindly advise where I could order some please.

    Many thanks

    Colin

    Reply
    • Davin:
      October 24, 2011 at 11:10 pm

      Hi Colin,

      Unfortunately Canadian liquor stores are not allowed to ship whisky by mail or courier.

      Reply
  15. Corey*tbay:
    October 31, 2011 at 8:09 pm

    Whiskey for sure is my favorite, and the other month I saw White Owl in the LCBO and thought i’d give it a try finding how awesome it is considering its not like your usual whiskey. Since then I havn’t drank anything else the flavour is amazing and is now my favorite whiskey by far, I drink nothing else. “Cheers to you Canada”

    Reply
  16. Julie:
    December 9, 2011 at 9:44 pm

    The new spiced one, soooo good. Defiantly will be getting some of that. I don’t even like whiskey, and both the regular white owl and the new spiced one are very good.

    Reply
    • Davin:
      December 9, 2011 at 10:22 pm

      Hi Julie, Yes, it is quite unique. They added spice to whisky like a good chef adds spice to food. It enhances the flavour without taking it over. Very nice stiff.

      Reply
  17. Canadian Whisky » The Twelve Whiskies of Christmas:
    December 12, 2011 at 1:40 am

    [...] 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. [...]

    Reply
  18. Jack:
    December 21, 2011 at 2:38 am

    Picked up a bottle to try (always supportive of the Canadian whisky industry) and I had high hopes. Have to say Im disappointed. I found it too sweet to really enjoy straight up. Hope they do well with it, but its not for me.

    Reply
  19. Justin:
    January 27, 2012 at 9:38 am

    Picked this up last week and I must say, not a fan at all. Although going into buying it, I had a feeling it would not be my thing, so this came as no surprise. From nose to finish, this whisky just doesn’t have the kick I desire. It tastes lifeless, without body, processed, whatever you want to call it, but it was definitely not for me. Was worth one try to at least say that I’m not denouncing it without trying. But as someone else here said, why spend $40 on this when you could get Century Reserve 1525 for $10 less, or, if you want to spend a little more, Wiser’s Legacy at $45. Heck, any of the Canadian whiskies priced around $25-$30 are better than this. I did not know of the fact that some American micro-distillers were selling un-aged spirits though. Glad to know we uphold our standards in Canada.

    Reply

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