J.P. Wiser's Triple Barrel Rye

One cannot discuss Canadian spirits without looking to Canada's most versatile producer, by far; Windsor's Hiram Walker Distillery. More than just whisky, this truly massive distillery churns out millions upon millions of bottles every year ranging from brown to clear to all kinds of coloured liqueurs. There are few bottle shops on earth that don't sell something which passed through a still, warehouse, or bottling line in this mild corner of Southwestern Ontario. 

As a Canadian distillery, though, the public focus is invariably on the whisky they make here, and they make a lot of it too. Whiskies from Canadian Club, Gibson's Finest, and other brands are made here, but today the distillery is first and foremost the home of J.P. Wiser's wide portfolio of whisky.

Founded in 1857, Wiser's can make the claim to be Canada's oldest extant whisky brand, beating out Canadian Club by one year! As with the namesake of the distillery, John Philip Wiser was an American who crossed into what would become Canada to distill whisky. He started in Prescott, Ontario and grew the distillery into a massive produced at home and for export. As Wiser's distillery grew, they became trailblazers in offering whisky for sale by the bottle at a time when whole-cask sales were common. In time, the distillery would be incorporated into Canadian spirits company Corby and, along with Gooderham and Worts, moved production to Windsor. 

 

From entry level bottlings like Special Blend and Deluxe up to increasingly audacious efforts (a 23 year old blend at cask strength!), this age old brand has repositioned itself at the forefront of innovation in the country. Frequent one-off and regional releases tend to garner critical praise as the brand has wholeheartedly embraced the new direction of the whisky market. Much of this is due to the work of Master Blender, Dr. Don Livermore, who has taken on a public role as ambassador not only for his distillery but for Canadian whisky in general. 

Toward the value end of the Wiser's lineup, Triple Barrel Rye is a response to ballooning demand for rye-forward whisky. Variations of this bottling exist for Europe, Australia, and the US, but here at home this is a blend of pot- and column-distilled rye. The former highlights the spicy side of rye with the latter more grain-forward. The namesake three barrels are new American oak with a relatively light char, first fill ex-Bourbon casks (meaning they were used once in Kentucky before being sent to Canada), and older multiuse barrels from amongst the millions on hand. The blend is bottled at the slightly elevated 43.4% and comes in a thoughtfully ergonomic bottle perfect for gripping and pouring. It's an entry level big rye and is a terrific jumping off point for those looking to explore the grain.

J.P. Wiser's Triple Barrel Rye 

(Canadian edition)

43.4% alc./vol.

$33 at LCBO

The nose is oaky with pronounced sweet prune. Grainy rye, biscuit notes, and florality are also in there. There's a warm spiciness and some honey to round out the luscious bouquet.

On the palate, there is initial manuka honey bringing floral sweetness and a warming, oaky rye spice undertone. That sweet honey note becomes delicately floral, suggesting rose petals. Beneath, the rye becomes sharper and hotter, graduating to a flash of white hot pepper. This is slightly tempered by well-integrated oak and it's subtle vanilla sweetness. It's all set against the florality and subtle honeydew and clove notes.

The finish is short but focused, with plenty of hot rye. Cinnamon and white pepper bring the heat, set against tannic oak that imparts almost a red wine richness. The finish fades quickly but has already brought plenty of heat.

All in all, Triple Barrel is a straightforward, but very well balanced whisky that doesn't shy away from big rye flavours. It has that raw electricity that only rye can give, but it's so nicely integrated. It would be my go-to for rye cocktails, with its dusty heat and subtle sweetness. As a sipper, this will please those who enjoy their rye on the hot side, like Alberta Springs 10 year.

Compared to that bottle, Triple Barrel is more floral but less tart. The two compare quite nicely; I'd definitely recommend tasting them side by side. Compared to Canadian Club 100% Rye, Triple Barrel has less of a bitter citrus note. The sweetness here is more subtly fruity and floral, rather than the butterscotch of the CC. 

This is a very nice, budget friendly, rye-forward bottling from J.P. Wiser's. It's a go-to for cocktailing but also an enjoyable sipper for those who like their rye sharp and hot. Not terribly complex, but balanced and focused, this is a great budget bottle that I'd keep on hand any time.

Heatseeker Score: 85

Category Score: 88

Characteristic: Spicy and Floral

^ Customised transport trucks bring barrels to the Walkerville bottling facility from the warehouses in the suburb of Pike Creek, and back again.

Crown Royal Northern Harvest

As with the iconic purple-bagged Crown Royal De Luxe, no Canadian whisky discussion can ignore Crown's Northern Harvest Rye bottling. Or at least not since 2016, when it was awarded World Whisky of the Year in Jim Murray's Whisky Bible, the foremost authority on whisky rankings. Enthusiasts were surprised, to say the least, that a $30 whisky from Canada beat out ancient single malts. In Scotland, there were howls of outrage that Mr. Murray had betrayed his nation and whisky fans worldwide greeted the decision with anything from excitement to indignation. 

Still, Northern Harvest flew off every shelf across Canada and bottles were listed for resale on the international secondary market for tens of thousands of dollars. Now, there's something to be said, and that's the reality that the first release which Jim Murray tried is not the same as subsequent releases in which Crown Royal scrambled to meet unlimited demand. Though this bottle didn't start the trend toward big, rye-forward Canadian whisky, it certainly kicked it into high gear.

The bottle now widely available is 90% rye and retails Canada-wide for under $40. Is this bottling the best whisky in the world? Probably not. But is it the best whisky in the world under $40? That's quite possible. 

Since Northern Harvest won its 2016 award, the trend toward big rye-forward whisky has only picked up steam, and there are now plenty of options at this price point and above. Some will point to Lot 40 as being the superior affordable big rye, but Northern Harvest continues to win legions of fans and global awards alike. Whether or not it's the best whisky on Earth, it's absolutely worth picking up and enjoying, so that every rye fan can judge for themself. 

Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye

40% alc./vol.

$36 at LCBO

On the nose, Northern Harvest doesn't open with the spice notes you might expect from such a prominent rye. Instead, dark stone fruit, sweet butterscotch, pear, and even bright citrus. The rye comes in a little later as a dry, sharp heat and the suggestion of dill, but it isn't the dominant note by any stretch. 

The palate is quite buttery and viscous. Strong butterscotch flavours emerge first before the awaited rye explodes in a flash of heat. I don't find this burst of rye to be as complex as in Alberta Springs, for example, it's mostly just hot at first. It's quite a jarring start to a tasting but Northern Harvest soon settles in and rewards our patience. 

Compelling ginger and baking spices lead the reinvention of this whisky as a balanced, complex dram. The heat quickly dims to a background glow and the butterscotch falls into balance as a nice undertone to vanilla and oak. The now-restrained spice is complimented by nutmeg, clove, black liquorice, and dried orange - it's Christmas!  

The heat picks up again on the finish. Mostly that's in the form of cinnamon but there is a slight, off-putting alcohol burn. Very slight though. The oak comes to the fore alongside dry grain character, which finally brings the dusty, dry Prairie character you might expect throughout. A touch of bitter citrus rind joins in but the finish is mostly a drying, hot, and long one, and it leaves you wanting another sip.

So, is this the best whisky in the world? Probably not. It's not even the best whisky in Canada. But it's easily one of the best whiskies in the world under $40. And it's certainly one of the biggest, most intense drams you can find. If you can get past the challenging first sip, you're in for a rewarding rye bursting with warmth and midwinter flavour. 

So it may not be the best in the world, but it is fantastic whisky. Most people think 'smooth' when they think Crown, which makes sense. This bottle, though, is the exact opposite; there's none of Crown's devotion to smoothness, only to the intensity of flavour readily on display. This is a demanding and rewarding whisky and for less than $40, I dont know of any bottle packing in quite so much. For the drinker looking to awaken their tastebuds, this is your whisky. Such big, brash flavours usually only come to those who shell out for cask strength bottlings, certainly not value-priced bottles like this one.

If Crown Royal decided one day to release an older Northern Harvest with more time to smooth out the youthful brashness then look out world, you may have found the real best in show. But until then, this is the affordable whisky that delivers massive flavour to those ready for it.

Heatseeker Score: 87

Category Score: 93

Characteristic: Warming

Canadian Club 1858

Canadian Club needs no introduction as one of Canada's best known exports and a staple of bars across the country. Alongside Crown Royal, 'CC' is a wildly popular brand based around a value blend. It's history goes back to the 1850s in Detroit, Michigan. Hiram Walker, a grocer, began distilling but was forced out when the state, along with many others, enacted Prohibition. Not wishing to see his burgeoning enterprise thwarted, Mr. Walker moved his distillery across the river - and across the border. 

He founded Windsor's Walkerville neighbourhood and opened what would eventually become one of the world's largest distilleries. It's location just across the river from the United States meant it was a perfect place for rum runners to smuggle barrels into Michigan, and onto the rest of the country.

His whisky eventually became known as 'Club Whisky' due to its popularity in gentlemen's clubs across North America. Distillers in the States grew angry at the lost market share and convinced the government to force Mr. Walker to label his whisky as 'Canadian,' in hopes American customers would reject it. The move backfired, however, and both Canadian Club's new name and Canada's whisky style became the symbol of smooth, enjoyable whisky for millions of fans. Interestingly, and in spite of its Royally-named rival, Canadian Club remains the only whisky from outside the UK to have been granted Royal Warrants, having enjoyed them from Queen Victoria onward to Queen Elizabeth.

The world-famous flagship bottling is known as '1858' though most simply know it as Canadian Club. A recent redesign cleaned up the label and highlights the '1858' name, but this will always be what comes when you call for a CC at the bar.

However you order it, this whisky consists of a blend of malted and unmalted rye, malted barley, and corn, aged for about six years in multiuse American oak barrels, some of which can be many decades old. The cask influence is not going to be particularly strong on this whisky, but the added couple years in oak compensates for that.

The Canadian Club brand is now enjoyed in over 150 countries and has always been a Canadian staple. Its popular in Australia and Japan (extremely so, apparently), and has enjoyed a big boost in the States due to its prevalence on TV's Mad Men. It's one of those whiskies that forms the bedrock of the Canadian category as an affordable, smooth blend with the requisite hint of rye spice. It will work in any whisky cocktail and is perfectly enjoyable as an easy sipper too - a solid bet at bars anywhere in the world.

Canadian Club 1858
40% alc./vol.
$25-$29 widely available across Canada

The nose opens sweet with linalool (like Froot Loops) and lots of florality, not unlike a light, citrusy gin. There's some peppery oak, dark fruit, and butterscotch. I get some marmalade and a whisper of rye spice. 

The palate brings a typically sweet butterscotch opening but things get interesting afterward. When recording tasting notes, I found myself drawing an upward trendline and that's exactly how I'd describe the experience once sipped. Everything builds upward toward a rising, brisk rye finish. Along the way, orange zest, caramel, tobacco, bitter citrus rind, and a fleeting fresh forest-y note. Then the rye hits with brief, scorching flash of habanero heat before settling only a little into the finish.

The medium length of the finish brings more bitter notes, some caramel, and tongue-tingling heat from the rye. 

For a basic, massively-produced whisky, this is surprisingly complex and bold. Actually looking back, I suspect the recipe may have been tweaked somewhat in recent years to amp up some of the clean oak and rye spice. Whether or not that's true, this is terrific whisky. 

You could call it smooth if you wanted to, as a compliment, but you wouldn't use smooth to insult this whisky. What do I mean by that? In the enthusiast community, smooth often means simplistic and overly sweet; easy to drink because it doesn't challenge the palate. It's more often a term of derision than anything, and one that might be leveled at CC's shelfmates (Crown, Black Velvet, Canadian Mist, VO) rightly or wrongly. But Canadian Club isn't too simplistic or sweet. It actually provides a sipping experience that is more intriguing than you'd expect for a ubiquitous entry-level bottle. 

Let's not overstate It; this doesn't pack the bargain basement punch of Alberta Springs nor the complexity of decades-old bottlings - and of course it doesn't. But it is a very enjoyable whisky that offers substantially more intrigue than you'd expect. For that reason, it's a bottle I'll always keep on hand, just like every bar in the country.

Heatseeker Score: 84

Category Score: 88

Characteristic: Floral

Please also enjoy our reviews of Canadian Club 100% Rye and Classic 12 Year.

Forty Creek Double Barrel Reserve

Forty Creek holds a special place in the history of Canadian whisky. Founded in 1992, at a global low point for whisky, the plucky startup had to take on the big Canadian players and the crushing LCBO monopoly without any support from today's craft spirits industry. Being located on the wine producing Niagara Peninsula, the distillery originally focused on grape spirits. Kittling Ridge, as it was exclusively known then, undertook a rebranding and pivoted to whisky, and the rest became history. Forty Creek can rightly claim to be something of a pioneer in small-batch whisky not only in Canada but in the world. 

Today, the distillery is owned by Campari, largely as a North American production facility for global spirits brands. Led by founder John Hall and blender Bill Ashburn, a range of whiskies from everyday to rare releases have come from Forty Creek in recent years earning them the plaudits they well deserve. They produce a number of non-whisky spirits including Kingsgate fortified wines; a super cheap guilty pleasure. 

Forty Creek's whisky lineup steps up nicely from base level Barrel Select to intermediate whiskies like Double Barrel, then up to the high end bottlings like Confederation Oak, Unity, and Victory. At this intermediate level, Double Barrel Reserve takes the standard three grain whiskies (rye, corn, and barley) and gives them a second aging period in ex-Bourbon barrels. These barrels are specifically selected for the taste profile required and John Hall apparently spends time in Kentucky every year picking out barrels just for this whisky.

Appropriately for a distillery in wine country,  blender John Hall refers to those three grains as his 'meritage' when he blends them in these barrels and allows them to spend time picking up subtle oak influences and marrying their grain flavours.  With the differing barrels for each batch of this whisky, there can be some subtle variation in flavour, so if you're interested, the lot number I sampled is 240. Either way the taste profile should be relatively similar year to year. 

Forty Creek Double Barrel Reserve

40% alc./vol.

$40 at LCBO

The nose immediately presents rich and oily with strong oak and dark fruit. I detect prune alongside a subtle caramel and dry baking spices that crescendo with the briefest hit of tinglingly spicy rye. 

The oily viscosity continues on the palate with an initial impression of creaminess and a grainy character. Restrained rye comes across with notes of dill and caraway. There's a nice caramel that doesn't feel like the cheap butterscotch note you can sometimes get. In comes a pronounced vegetal note that reminds me of fresh corn on the cob. It's met with quite tannic oak and warming rye, all quite smooth without any rough edges.

The finish continues to be warming and is long with a few subtleties; bitter citrus, a red apple note, some cinnamon, and caramel. Mainly it's the warming oakiness present on the tail though. 

I'm really a fan of the interplay between cask and grain influences. There are some reviews online which deride this bottle as a one-trick pony of Bourbon-y sweetness, but I'm not finding that at all, at least in this batch. It's flavourful but extremely smooth.

The extra time spent marrying in the Bourbon casks went a long way to providing balance. There's not too much spice, grain, or oak but there are good amounts of each. I'm a fan. At its slightly elevated price, Double Barrel begins to compete with some very good whiskies and, while it's not the most complex bottle at this price point, it's a definite crowd pleaser for its lush creaminess and smoothly integrated flavours. I can't find anything wrong with this dram and would describe it in a word as pleasant. This is a definite daily sipper that will wow novice rye drinkers but still keep experience whisky fans interested. 

Heatseeker Score: 86

Category Score: 86

Characteristic: Creamy

Black Velvet

Perhaps it shouldn't be surprising that only about 9% of Canadian whisky produced is consumed within Canada. As with Scotland and Ireland, the vast majority of what we make goes abroad and in our case, mainly to the US. The majority of our exported whisky, by far, is value-oriented, light, 'bottom shelf' stuff and interestingly, much of it leaves the country by tanker train rather than in a bottle. A trip to an American liquor store often exposes Canadians to brands of Canadian whisky they've never heard of, but that are absolutely massive in sales volume; Windsor, Ensign Red, Canadian Mist, and Ellington are just some examples. And then there's Fireball cinnamon-flavoured whisky, which has risen to become the most popular drink in almost every state. To satisfy the exploding demand for that drink, industrial-scale stills in Quebec churn out as much basic whisky as physically possible, to be loaded onto trains and sent to the US in bulk.

Many of the large distilleries employ the tanker train method to get product to their largest market. Once their whiskies hit three years of age, some of Canada's best known brands ship off millions of litres by rail for bottling in Kentucky, Illinois, Connecticut, and elsewhere. Black Velvet is perhaps the best example of this phenomenon. 

Although the brand can be found in Canada, Europe, and elsewhere, it's relatively unknown here. But in the States it's a phenomenon, and has been for decades. Over ten million litres are exported to two American bottling facilities annually! In fact, it's the second largest Canadian whisky brand there after Crown Royal. It's ubiquitous, to say the least, and is extremely valuable in spite of its limited recognition in its own country. 

Black Velvet's origins go back to the 1940s where it was produced at Quebec's Valleyfield Distillery (which today produces such whiskies as Seagram's VO Gold and Gibson's Finest Bold). It became known for its smoothness and for its popularity in the American Navy during World War Two. Production eventually moved to Lethbridge, Alberta and the Palliser Distillery. 

As the popular whisky brand took over production at Palliser, the distillery was renamed Black Velvet Distillery and became managed by Constellation Brands, a big name in wine. But as tastes in whisky changed dramatically in recent decades, Black Velvet had been somewhat slow to evolve, not unlike its major Canadian peers. So in late 2019, Black Velvet was purchased by Bourbon conglomerate Heaven Hill. This continues a trend of large American and Scottish distillers acquiring legacy Canadian brands and injecting needed marketing energy to revitalise them. Falling sales at the big value-oriented Canadian distilleries prove this wake up call is sorely needed.

In terms of the whisky itself, Black Velvet's aging strategy is unique. Whereas Canadian blends traditionally age each grain distillate separately before blending at the end, Black Velvet blends their new, light corn distillate right off the still into bolder two year old rye. The combined barrels then age for another three years (to bring the corn to the legal minimum age), allowing the rye component to reach five years in oak. This is a novel take on the Canadian blending tradition of light base whisky with bolder flavouring rye. 

The result is a light, simple whisky for blending or easy sipping, presented in a nicely weighty, ergonomic bottle that feels nice in the hand. It remains extremely popular (and insanely cheap) in the States but it will be interesting to see what changes, if any, Heaven Hill will make with this legacy brand. For now, it's the perfect whisky for mixing warm-weather drinks on either side of the border. 

Black Velvet Imported (US bottling)

40% alc./vol.

USD$9 at LBK Liquors in Florida

(C$12.25 at time of writing)

Once Canadian readers catch their breaths after seeing how cheap alcohol is in the States, the nose is very much that of sweet corn whisky but pleasantly so. Honey is driving the profile alongside a sugar cereal-like graininess. There is an earthy, soily component with dark stone fruit and even nuttiness. This is a surprisingly complex nose.

The palate is quite a bit simpler, tending toward 'smooth' and 'light,' which were the magic words in whisky for a century, and still are for the silent majority of whisky consumers. There's lots more honey and some red apple acidity. Lots of sweet corn, almost vodka-esque, keeps this whisky light as air. Butterscotch is met by a tepid rye spice that is more overshadowed by the young ethanol heat. Bitter grapefruit builds along with some more butterscotch and nutmeg late. The whole thing is extremely simple; I had to strain to pick out complexities beyond the corn sweetness. 

The finish is short and oaky with bitter citrus, but nothing lingers particularly long at all.

Well, it's extremely simple whisky; straightforward light corn with just a touch of the rye, all floating in a candy floss cloud. It's not a dram for brooding with by the fire on a storm-lashed coast; it's a friendly mixer or an easy-as sipper, and not at all unpleasant. It's free of the off notes you can find in cheap whisky; no doubt they've been worked out after so many decades. This whisky has reached the popularity it has by being light, approachable, and fundamentally sound.

And let's not forget something here; even by American standards, a bottle of this whisky is super cheap, and its fine; simple, but unflawed. If Canadians had access to Black Velvet for a tenner, we'd be lacing everything we drank with it, mixing it into sauces, feeding it to the dog...

So lets not pretend this is some kind of premium dram for nosing in a Glencairn. America, please continue enjoying this stuff however you like, so long as it's without pretension. 

Heatseeker Score: 79

Category Score: 91

Characteristic: Light

Stalk and Barrel 100% Rye

Despite its name, Vaughan, Ontario's Still Waters Distillery has been making waves since they first fired their still in 2009. Run by the 'two Barry's;' Barry Stein and Barry Bernstein, this distillery forged the trail toward craft brewing in Ontario through dogged determination. As one of the first craft distillers in the province, they ran headlong into the web of outdated regulations surrounding distilling and alcohol sales. And while far too many of those regulations continue to hamper Ontario distillers, the tireless work of the Still Waters team blazed a path that is slowly getting clearer. 

The distillery is now also home to a large contract distilling operation for some well known vodka and gin brands, and proprietary 'Purtrak' software they've developed is employed by numerous other Canadian distilleries. 

In terms of their whiskies, though, they're already a decade into doing special things. Their single malt has won loads of plaudits and their cask strength ryes the same. Initially, these high end single cask releases were augmented by two classic Canadian blends, but they helpfully added this single rye at a lower strength and price point. A recent switch to a less weighty bottle design helped the distillery bring prices into the range where you could casually pick up a bottle for everyday sipping. And this whisky brings quite a bit to the table when compared to its shelf mates at under $40. 

It's still bottled at an elevated 46% which notably allows for the use of non-chill filtration. This is a less invasive filtration method in terms of preserving subtle flavour complexities.  There's also no added colour, so what you see us what you get, and the flavour isn't unduly diminished. The liquid itself is a mix of malted and unmalted rye aged for a little over three years in ex-bourbon barrels. 

Stalk and Barrel 100% Rye

46% alc./vol.

$36 at the distillery

The nose on this whisky - incredible! Waves of new oak and hard, dry rye spice wash over deep, jammy red wine. Dried apple rings, green grass, freshly dried hay, they're all here. There's some maple hiding underneath alongside honey, prunes, sultanas, and oatcakes. There's also underlying bitterness and sliced almond. The oak influence is massive and pulls you into the glass yet brilliantly balanced with the spice and deep sweetness. Wow, if you could bottle the scent it would be a great perfume. I simply want to keep sniffing this but my mouth is watering.

The palate doesn't have the same complexity, but is pleasingly tannic. The bourbon influence from the cask presents first with a sweet, corn profile. There's lots of oak alongside, though it's held in nice balance, without overpowering the grain. Throughout, a pronounced citrus bitterness grows and persists into the finish.

The higher bottling strength yields a rich, oily mouthfeel and there is a fulsome warming character even though this isn't a particularly spicy dram. What spice there is comes from a youthful, slightly alcoholic heat. Though that heat isn't too overpowering, it does momentarily drown out some of the grain character and subtlety. As the heat subsides, there's some dry straw and also mint, not unlike Lot 40. Lovely grainy rye and spices - caraway and clove - round out the palate. 

The finish is very clean and 'foresty.' Lots of mint and resinous, earthy pine. There's a bit of spice at the start as well as the bitterness, but what lingers for some time is the very clean, green spearmint profile, alongside the grainy rye. This is quite pleasing; the oaky warming sensation on the palate has been replaced by a profoundly fresh cooling sensation on the finish. I feel as though I've just had some mouthwash and everything is light and clean. 

Quite a nice dram at this price. The nose carries such tremendous complexity that the palate can't entirely match (though it is quite good in its own right), but all is redeemed by the wonderful warm-cool progression.

I'm very excited by the thought of trying this whisky, and it's cask-aged siblings, as they age some more. The intriguing green, almost alpine freshness through the finish is delightful; a departure from expectation. At its sub-$40 price, this is a very, very smart buy. If nothing else, it's a great after-dinner mint, but when tasting this whisky you'll feel you're drinking something in a higher price range. It's easy to see why this distillery has garnered so much praise in its first decade.

Heatseeker Score: 87

Category Score: 92

Characteristic: Fresh

Gibson's Finest Bold

Gibson's Finest is one of those Canadian labels you see everywhere, whether out or at someone's home. And for good reason, they were the first to focus specifically on longer aging for their blends and made it the centrepiece of the Gibson's brand. Some great TV commercials, especially during CFL broadcasts, have made the "taste, fully aged" slogan a memorable one. With the distinctive and attractive bottle designs, Gibson's products lend a masculine feel to a whisky bar.

In fact, Gibson's history goes back to the 1850s when Irish spirits merchant John Gibson opened his own distillery in Pennsylvania. Like many of the distillers who's names now grace Canadian whisky history, Mr. Gibson's fortunes were shattered by the onset of Prohibition in the United States. Rather than move his operations to Canada, like many of his contemporaries, he was forced to shut down entirely. 

By 1945, the Gibson's Finest brand had been purchased by American spirits conglomerate Schenley Industries. At the time they were constructing the Valleyfield Distillery in Quebec, and later began producing whisky with the Gibson's name from there. That distillery grew, eventually becoming one of North America's largest, home to the Seagram's VO label (check out our review of VO Gold here).

Eventually, the brand was bought by Scotch giant William Grant and Sons and production of most bottles moved to the Hiram Walker Distillery in Windsor, North America's largest. 

Bold, their newest release, is 8 years old and is still sourced from Valleyfield barrels. It was designed especially for mixing with cola, which apparently accounts for a significant amount of rye sales. To that end, the whisky has an amped up flavour profile at 46% which allows it to stand out in an overwhelmingly sweet cola mixed drink. 46% is a notable strength for whisky, as it tends to be the lowest strength for non-chill filtered whiskies (a practice primarily used for higher quality bottles to preserve complexity). So far as I can tell Gibson's doesn't make use of this practice, which is fair as subtleties are usually lost in a sweet mixed drink anyway. 

Still, the higher strength adds mouthfeel and flavour. And though this whisky included a new oak-aged component, it's exaggerated dark colour is surely achieved through liberal use of caramel colour rather than barrel char. As for the liquid itself, it's a blend of light corn base and some rich rye and malted barley flavouring whiskies. 

Like the other Gibson's whiskies, this is a perfectly solid dram. Unlike its younger and older brothers, Bold is targeted at a specific mixed drink, and perhaps sacrifices some balance in order to achieve that profile. It remains, however, an enjoyable and easy sipper in its own right, and at an attractive price point to boot. 

Gibson's Finest Bold

46% alc./vol.

$34 at LCBO (750mL)

The nose begins with suggestions of cola; vanilla, brown sugar, some orange even. A rich molasses and hints of new oak take over with some maple sweetness too.

On the palate, the higher strength is evident in an oaky, intensely rich rye that rises from a spiced rum-like sweetness. The sweet component of this palate is a good echo of the nose; some orange, some sugar, lots of vanilla, and more cola flavour. The rye is not overpoweingly spicy but relentlessly drives forward the sweeter flavours with its rich, peppery, oaky force.

The finish is medium length and straightforward, with warming rye and pronounced bitter citrus.

After writing this, I looked at the reviews on some other blogs and was surprised to see that they were all extremely similar. What I tasted quite closely agrees with multiple other bloggers and even the official description from Gibson's. Rarely do multiple tasters agree on the description and almost never with what the marketing team provide, but this is the rare exception. That, and the fact the taste profile would seem to work well with a cola mix, suggests the blending here is absolutely spot on. In short, this whisky achieves exactly what its creators set out to do. 

Gibson's Finest Bold is a sipper with a luscious, oaky rye heart surrounded by a bottle of Coke. I like to taste this alongside Pike Creek 10 year, which is finished in rum casks. It's a great taste analogue. Whether or not you choose to mix it, it's a big and finely balanced dram at a terrific price. It's not the most complex whisky on the market, and that colour is still quite aggresive, but from the first taste it's evident this is a distinctive, high-quality bottling that would do Mr. Gibson proud.

Heatseeker Score: 86

Category Score: 94              

Characteristic: Sweet and Rich

Please also enjoy our review of Gibson's Finest Rare.

Small Talk

We're branching out a little today, with a look at a BC craft single malt. It's not a rye, but playing a little fast and loose with the rules has long been the Canadian way to make whisky, and it might as well apply to this blog as well. Rye or not, this is one of the now many Canadian single malts forging a new tradition for an original whisky style.

Phillips Brewing, on Vancouver Island, joined the British Columbian distilling boom that came about after the province slashed red tape and taxes for craft distillers. Their distillery side operates under the cheeky name 'Fermentorium.' Unsurprisingly, BC now has the most distilleries of any province by far. Using local barley, Phillips' skill in brewing translates to some neat practices in whisky making. For one thing, they malt their barley in house. This entails heating to induce germination, and then arresting that process. The barley then becomes 'malted' and can provide the enzymes to convert starch to sugar in mashing. Most single malt distilleries in Scotland and elsewhere abandoned onsite malting decades ago, so it's refreshing to see a craft producer imparting some more control and customisation into their recipe.

The first whisky release from Fermentorium is Small Talk. It come in at 41% in an attractive bottle.

The artistic label design doesn't contain too much about the aging process but this whisky features a blend from Pinot Noir casks and ex-Bourbon casks that were briefly 'soaked' with Phillips' beer, presumably their cask aged Imperial Stout. The whisky spent five years in these casks according to a description on their website.

In terms of the bottle itself, the whisky comes only as 375mL. This can actually be a good thing as these small batch craft whiskies tend to be expensive. Indeed, the half size bottle is half the price (though a pricing mixup on The Strath's website led me to believe I had obtained a 750mL bottle for under $50 - that would really have been a steal). One thing I've noted is the cork seems to be quite high quality and is snug in the bottle, providing a satisfying pop as it's removed from the neck. 

This small batch release isn't available everywhere, and in fact can only be found on Vancouver Island and in the Lower Mainland. If you're in BC or (like me) you carefully cultivate friendships in provinces with better alcohol retail regimes than Ontario, this is a bottle that will stand out on your bar. It's a conversation piece for whisky lovers and a fine dram indeed, one that can compare favourably to any midrange single malt. 

Fermentorium Small Talk

41% alc./vol.

~$40 at The Strath bottle shop in Victoria

The nose is compelling, with pronounced sweetness in the form of apricot, fig, and honey. There's also an interesting briney smokiness I associate with Laphroaig 10 and describe as permanent marker. There's bourbon-y sweet oakiness and vanilla, but without the cloying corn sweetness that sometimes accompanies bourbon. A sweet grain note that to me recalls Cheerios takes over after a couple minutes in the Glencairn alongside dill. 

To taste, the youthfulness of this whisky is on display, though not to the detriment of the dram. It's very warming and in this regard is more like a rye than many single malts. The classic Canadian feel continues with caramel and butterscotch sweetness, and more honey, though there are intriguingly bitter citrus, caraway, and aniseeed notes that grow prominent on the palate. Sweet orange is also there in good measure as is some cinnamon heat. The mouthfeel is viscous and oily without much ethanol burn.

On the long finish, a number of flavours burst forward in an orderly procession. First up is a hot spice that gives way to more anise bitterness and a pronounced caraway flavour. This whisky departs very much like an akvavit! Dill and yeasty, malty notes come up alongside some very sweet orange and butterscotch. The Pinot cask now exerts its influence with a distinctive wine note. Finally the whisky leaves a lovely tongue-coating dryness that lingers for ages, just asking for another sip. Wow, this finish is one of the most intriguing and complex I've tried in a long time. It evolves continually, a beneficiary not only of its slightly higher bottling strength but of some thoughtful cask finishing. 

This is a lovely single malt. It gently suggests Speyside but has some of the smokiness of Islay, along with a spicy liveliness that reflects its origin in the land of rye. This whisky pairs well with the mild climate of the Pacific coast but for those of us outside BC who can get some, it is a bottle you'll want to show off. 

I'm excited to see what else Fermentorium will turn out in the future. Hopefully there will be lots more Small Talk in years to come, and some to share with the rest of the country. It's a real winner of a malt and one I definitely recommend!

Heatseeker Score: 86

Category Score: 82

Characteristic: Grain-forward

Alberta Premium Cask Strength

- UPDATE: This bottle was named best in the world in Jim Murray's influential 2020 Whisky Bible. How fantastic to see Alberta Distillers getting the credit they've long deserved, but good luck finding a bottle of this for $65 now! -

Calgary's Alberta Distillers should be famous amongst whisky enthusiasts as the world's foremost distiller of rye. The grain, though it flourishes in Canada, is generally considered the most difficult and expensive to work with. It's strong husk and low starch content make rye hardy enough for the worst weather, but also increase the amount of doing needed to mash and ferment it. It frequently gums up equipment and it's yields are quite low relative to other whisky grains. Of course, what it lacks in efficiency it more than makes up for by packing the most substantial flavour of any grain.

Because of the relative difficulty of working with it, Alberta Distillers are doubly deserving the praise their whiskies often get. However, because a great deal of their best distillate is shipped to the US to be bottled by independent American brands, the credit often passes Alberta by. This humble approach has benefitted consumers, though, as we pay a pittance when we pick up bottles of whisky worth way more than they retail for. 

Finally, though, we are seeing some of Alberta Distillers' best whisky bottled with their own name on the package. The much-loved Alberta Premium has benefitted from premium brand extensions in the past (the Dark Horse bottling and some limited well-aged releases) but today's most coveted bottle joins the 'cask strength' trend that's worked it's way over from Scotland. 

Cask strength bottling is a simple concept that, like everything in whisky, can't actually be described without great complexity. In short, cask strength means the whisky is bottled without any dilution; it is bottled at the strength it comes out of the barrel at. As with age statements, though, this doesn't actually tell you everything. There's no law about which exact barrel is referred to, whether it's the barrel it spent years in, a finishing barrel, or a marrying vat. Really, we don't know these things, but we do know cask strength means this whisky is substantially stronger than most bottlings.

In this case, we get whisky presented at a whopping 65.1% , a great deal more potent than the standard 40% Alberta Premium. This means the same Alberta Premium flavours are massively amped up, without any dilution. But it can also be difficult to discern some of those flavours in the face of so much hot alcohol. For that reason, many choose to add water to cask strength whisky, but depending on the water used, the flavours can change in the glass. Reverse osmosis or distilled water would be the most "correct" to preserve flavours without adding minerals, but the most fun thing is to try and pair the whisky to water from its local area. Personally, I enjoy cask strength rye at cask strength, with no added water. Perhaps it's a mix of pain and pleasure, but so is much of drinking spirits. 

At this high strength and limited availability, this bottle is significantly more expensive than its standard Alberta Premium brother. Still, it's about the best deal on cask strength whisky anywhere, as you might expect from this distillery. Similarly potent bottlings from Scotland or Kentucky can easily run into the hundreds of dollars so at under $70, this is a real bargain. To pass savings on to us, the distillery packaged it in the standard Alberta Premium bottle, albeit presented in a cardboard box featuring tasting notes. It's a wollop of flavour that will only be appreciated by enthusiasts but wow, what a treat it is for us!

Alberta Premium Cask Strength Rye

65.1% alc./vol.

$65 at Co-Op World of Whisky in Calgary

First, a note of warning for those trying their first cask strength whisky: small sips! There's a lot of hot, hot alcohol here and this isn't a drink to quench your thirst. You've been warned!

Now, on the nose, the warmth rises up to greet with loads of oak, vanilla, and black pepper spice. The rich breezes seem almost to suck you in with their fullness.

Taking the first tentative sip, the first brief hit is maple sweetness for an instant before the heat begins to rise. Yeeeeooouuu that's a slap of hot rye! It's not just spice, though, like drinking hot sauce. It's an actual warming sensation on the tongue that almost takes your breath away for a moment. Now a new oak flavour profile comes in with lots of tannic influence, causing a drying sensation in the mouth. Here's some cinnamon coming in. Now the heat keeps building with a crashing wave of salt. The wave sweeps toward the back of the palate with blackberry, banana, and nutmeg. As the heat peaks, a new set of dill and caraway flavours arise along with fresh baked bread. A dollop of tobacco arrives late and, when combined with the heat, gives the feel of smoking a cigar.

The finish is, as is to be expected, lasts ages. It's still quite hot, but moreso puckeringly tannic. There's a rising bitter citrus and more caraway, all yielding eventually to some green apple sweetness, maple, oak, and grainy rye. And still lots more heat!

Well, basking in the lingering warm afterglow, it's time to try and decode the rollercoaster ride of this cask strength whisky. The heat is there, of course, but is perfectly complimented by the dusty, hot rye. It's complex heat rather than just ethanol like in most vodka. 

Like all cask strength whisky, there's tremendous potential for flavour and its all there. This whisky doesnt have any age statement and doesn't have the complexity of longer-aged drams, but it's not anything approaching simplistic. Like other cask strength whiskies, it demands respect. It must be sipped tentatively because it delivers its waves of flavour with tremendous force. Alberta ryes are rarely subtle even at 40% and here, even a half finger's pour can provide an hour's sipping. The enthusiast will enjoy the massive flavours but will also relish the opportunity to mentally deconstruct the experience of sipping, allowing for a healthy dose of amazement at how much flavour can exist in so little liquid.

The most notable aspect of this dram is its structure; the heat washes over the palate, growing as it marshals an orderly parade of sweet, salty, spicy, fruity, and doughy. Coupled with a great finish, this cask strength version of Alberta Premium is a world apart from its standard sibling. It shares the trademark extreme value of so many whiskies from this province, though, and is a fantastic choice for the rye lover looking to reach a new level of flavour altogether.

Heatseeker Score: 93

Category Score: 94

Characteristic: Spicy

We're reviewing five different ryes produced at Alberta Distillers as part of a series. We invite you to check out the other reviews and find your favourite.

Alberta Springs 10 Year

Canadian Club 100% Rye

Snake River Stampede 8 year
Alberta Premium (standard bottling)

Alberta Premium

Calgary's Alberta Distillers should be regarded the world over as the last word when it comes to using the rye grain to make top notch whisky. Unfortunately, until very recently their glorious whiskies have been a well-kept secret, as much of their production has been bulk purchased and bottled by American brands. The result has been a lack of proper recognition for this tremendous distillery. Alberta Distillers became known in Canada for churning out bottom shelf whiskies, yet these whiskies attract fierce loyalty from their legions of fans, and with good reason.

Much of Canadian Whisky over the last two centuries has involved producing light corn, wheat, or barley whisky flavoured with a touch of spicy rye. But today's consumer looks beyond those light blends and demands bolder flavours. Canadian distilleries coast to coast are burning the boats as a result, trying to produce as much rye distillate as they possibly can. Alberta Distillers, however, have used rye almost exclusively for their entire existence. Simply put, there is plenty of rye growing in their part of the country.

Nowadays, well-aged, boutique Alberta bottlings have hit the market but at least one Alberta-branded whisky has long been recognised as well outperforming its price. Alberta Premium is a bottom shelf whisky that is probably better known as the favourite tipple of Jim Lahey, but enthusiasts have long known this whisky is much more than cheap plonk.

A single rye from before single rye was cool, Alberta Premium is the most widely available of the array of dramatically underpriced whiskies coming from the province (think Centennial or Alberta Springs, among many others). It consists of two rye distillates blended together after at least four years of aging in ex-bourbon oak. One of these is the lighter, base rye distilled to a high percentage and the other is a bolder 'flavouring' rye. These whiskies are 'married' for a final year before bottling, which would account for a five year age statement if one were added. The bottom shelf reputation of this whisky isn't only shattered by unvaryingly positive enthusiast reviews, it's also won plenty of awards including multiple 'Canadian Whisky of the Year' from Jim Murray's Whisky Bible. Rye's renaissance of late has certainly brought classier new bottles to the table but this whisky is by no means being left in the dust. 

Although it now has a growing family of high end (but still absurdly underpriced) brethren, Alberta Premium remains the standardbearer for entry level single rye. It's fairly straightforward in its sweet-spicy balance but, compared to its shelfmates, provides way more of what you'd expect when you ask for rye. Other brands have pivoted to showcase the kind of things this distillery's been doing for years, and as a result can command higher prices for their bottles. Alberta Distillers seem happy to keep selling for volume, avoiding today's inexorable rising prices, and for that we can be extremely thankful. Its worth comparing this bottle with its cask strength sibling, bottled at 65.1%, to get a more powerful look at what's in this bottle.

Bursting with spice and the distillery's signature bone dry character, those who don't yet have a bottle of Alberta Premium should grab one right away. It's the undisputed baseline for single rye and a steadfast ambassador for both the history and future of Canadian whisky. It costs less than almost all other whiskies but is an absolute staple for rye forward cocktails and happy sipping, reputation be damned.

Alberta Premium Canadian Rye Whisky

40% alc. / vol.

$28 at LCBO

Alberta Premium is marketed as a 'national treasure' and a whisky providing this much flavour for the price is a treasure indeed. On the nose, plenty of oak and rye spice, as you might expect. It's clean, crisp, and hot. Some butterscotch sweetness and lemon zest is present but big, sharp rye is at the fore.

The palate arrives with a little more sweetness than might be expected after the nose. Zesty lemon and orange joins butterscotch sweetness but oaky, spicy rye is the driver of flavour here. There is some earthy bitterness underneath all, tying things together nicely. This is a lighter rye, emphasis here is on the base whisky component. However, the mouthfeel is creamy and full.

The finish arrives with drying spice, glowing cinnamon heat, and dry oakiness. Though the finish is short, the drying aspect and lushly spicy profile suggest a higher strength than the 40% in the bottle.

Alberta Premium is dangerously easy to sip and, especially with its price point, demands to be poured liberally. There isn't a great deal of complexity here but everything is nicely balanced and there is no shortage of bold flavour. 

Loads of spicy rye and a compelling citrus character make this bold and warming but also extremely drinkable. This is a staple to have on hand and though this blog doesn't encourage Jim Lahey's bottoms up approach to Alberta Premium, no one denies the ease with which this bottle can be finished. Truly a Canadian flagship whisky and one that uniformly surprises those expecting a cheap dram. It may not be a showy bottle but forms the bedrock of a properly stocked bar for cocktails or casual sipping. This is a whisky worth drinking and worth much more than its blissfully low price.

Heatseeker Score: 86

Category Score: 93

Characteristic: Sweet and Spicy

We're reviewing five different ryes produced at Alberta Distillers as part of a series. We invite you to check out the other reviews and find your favourite.

Alberta Premium Cask Strength

Alberta Springs 10 Year

Canadian Club 100% Rye

Snake River Stampede 8 year