Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye

Two years ago, Jim Murray made waves, as he is wont to do, by naming Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye as his whiskey of the year. I'm only now just getting around to trying it.

Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye, 45% abv ($28)

This has a nice nose with spicy rye notes and a touch of mint. On the palate it's minty with bubblegum but then quite bitter. The finish is spicy with some medicinal notes.

This one starts nicely but then turns bitter and flat.

Thanks to Reid Bechtle for the sample and photo. 

Canadian Club 100% Rye

I'm still looking for good, affordable, available whiskey and it's hard to get more affordable than this. Canadian Club's 100% rye is distilled at Alberta Distillers (the distillery that makes most of the Canadian rye available in the US - Whistlepig, Masterson's, Jefferson's, Alberta Premium Dark Batch, etc.). This one comes from the actual owner of the distillery: Beam Suntory, and I picked it up for a whopping $13.

Canadian Club 100% Rye, 40% abv ($13)

The nose is botanical with lots of herbal notes and some honey sweetness. The palate is very light with some black tea, a very slight mint note and pepper leading into a peppery finish.  Overall it's quite bland.

This is a very light and soft compared to the bold mint and pickle notes in the American bottlings of Alberta rye. My guess would be that this is a blend. (You can have a 100% rye blend because Canadian blends combine base whiskies distilled to a very high proof with lower proof, more flavorful whiskeys). This could even be one of those base whiskeys. There's just not much to it. The saving grace is that I'm only out $13, as opposed to the $85 I frittered away on the WhistlePig Farmstock.

Vermont Whiskey at Last: WhistlePig Farmstock Rye

Seven years or so after coming onto the market, WhistlePig finally has made some of their own whiskey. Since its founding, most of WhistlePig's product has been Canadian rye made at Alberta Distillers, though they have also bottled some MGP rye from Indiana. Farmstock, their newest product, includes both of these but also some Vermont rye, presumably made at their own farm distillery.

WhistlePig's Farmstock whiskey is made up of 49% five year old Alberta rye, 31% 12 year old MGP rye and 20% one year old Vermont rye (and kudos to WhistlePig for disclosing all of this right on the label).

WhistlePig Farmstock Rye, Crop 001, 43% abv ($85)

The nose is typical WhistlePig and very nice, spicy with some pickle juice notes. The palate starts with some spice but very quickly turns bitter with raw wood notes which lead to a bitter finish.

This stuff is pretty bad. The nose has some nice qualities but the palate is flat and bitter like many craft whiskeys.  If you are going to drink it, give it lots of air, which takes off some of the rougher edges.

Dear WhistlePig, if this is what your Vermont distillate tastes like, please go back to sourcing your whiskey.

Sincerely,

Sku

Whiskey Law: Kentucky Whiskey...from Canada

I recently Tweeted about a new label approved for Kentucky Select Club whiskey, a Canadian blend from Houston based Mexcor (I've written previously about these state-themed bottles which were formerly called Crown Club).

Regarding this Canadian Whiskey, I was asked, doesn't the use of the name "Kentucky" on the label violate the Kentucky law stating that any whiskey using Kentucky on the label must be aged in Kentucky for at least a year?  The answer is no, and here is why.

As I've discussed before, Kentucky has a state law regulating the use of the term "Kentucky" on whiskey labels. Kentucky Revised Statute section 244.370 states:

No whiskey produced in Kentucky, except whiskey the barrel containing which is branded "Corn Whiskey" under the internal revenue laws, shall be bottled in Kentucky or removed from this state unless such whiskey has been aged in oak barrels for a period of not less than one (1) full year; provided, however, that whiskey aged less than one (1) year may be removed from the state and bottled, or bottled in Kentucky, if the word "Kentucky" or any word or phrase implying Kentucky origin does not appear on the front label or elsewhere on the retail container or package except in the name and address of the distiller as required by federal regulation. For violations of this section, the department shall revoke the permit of the licensee from whose warehouse or premises such whiskey shall have been removed or in which such whiskey shall have been bottled.

Notice that the law begins with the phrase "No whiskey produced in Kentucky." Kentucky  Club is produced in Canada, not Kentucky.  Therefore, it is presumably exempt from this law.  Why would Kentucky leave such a giant loophole in its law?  Well, keep in mind that the state of Kentucky, like all states, only has the power to legislate within its borders. It has no ability to regulate activities outside of the state. Of course, if it so desired, Kentucky could extend this law to include not just whiskey produced in Kentucky but whiskey sold there as well, but for now, the law does not appear to do that, so Kentuckians may have to deal with Kentucky whiskey from Canada on their shelves.

While it may not violate Kentucky law, there are also TTB regulations which prohibit misleading labels which convey an erroneous impression as to the whiskey's origin, though presumably, in this case, since the TTB approved the label, they found no such erroneous impression. 27 CFR § 5.34(a).

Only in Canada: Gibson's Finest Rare & Alberta Premium Dark Horse

While the US gets more Canadian Whiskey than it used to, there are tons of well respected Canadians that still never make it down south.  Today, I will review two Canadian blends that are only available in Canada (though one is now in the US under a different name).

Gibson's Finest Rare, 18 yo, 40% abv ($65 Canadian)

A former American brand that moved north during prohibition, Gibson's is currently owned by William Grant and distilled at Hiram Walker. The older Gibson's expressions, like this one, were distilled at an old Schenley distillery in Quebec.

The nose is very light with green grapes and rubbing alcohol. On the palate, it is quite light and sweet with strong alcohol notes. The finish is short and a bit medicinal with a touch of anise. Yuck!  It's light and alcoholy and just unpleasant.  Too bad, as I had heard a lot of good things about it and was really looking forward to trying it.


Alberta Premium Dark Horse, 45% abv ($30 Canadian)

Beam Suntory's Alberta Distillers is one of the most well regarded distilleries in Canada.  Aside from being responsible for most of the Canadian straight rye that makes it to the US (WhistlePig, Masterson's, Jefferson's, etc.), they make a Canada-only line of blended whiskeys under the Alberta Premium label.

Dark Horse is a blend of a 12 year old high proof rye (i.e., the base whiskey), a six year old lower proof rye (the flavor whiskey), 8% bourbon (Old Grand-Dad) and a small measure of sherry. While Dark Horse is not available in the US, Beam recently introduced a whiskey called Alberta Rye Dark Batch to the US market which appears to be the same stuff.

The nose is fruity, and the palate, at first taste, is light and fruity. Light wine notes emerge in the middle and then a strong grain whiskey profile dominates the later palate and finish. It's not terrible, but very grainy; more of a light horse, if you ask me.


I have to say, every time I taste one of these well regarded Candian blends, I feel disappointed.  The light, grainy notes that seem to characterize them just aren't my cup of tea.

Crown Royal Hand Selected Barrel

This is the newest expression from Crown Royal, a single barrel whisky bottled at 103 proof.  Most Canadian Whiskies are blends, and while there have been some single barrel bottlings by independents, this is one of the first by one of the major Canadian distilleries.  Canadian Whisky guru Davin DeKergommeaux covers all the details over at Whisky Advocate, though American readers should be aware that he uses the term "rye" in the Canadian sense, to mean any Canadian Whiskey.  This Crown Royal is actually majority corn with rye as the secondary grain. 

Crown Royal Hand Selected Barrel, 51.5% abv ($55)

The nose has a sort of soapy bourbon note. The palate has some nice rye spice along with those soapy bourbon notes; the different notes alternate through the tasting.  The finish is spicy on the palate but soapy on the nose.  With some air, the soapy notes fade a bit into just a vague sweetness.

While I'm glad to see a single barrel, high proof Canadian Whisky, this one doesn't excite me much.  There's just not that much to it.  Of course, I'm not a huge fan of Crown Royal, so I suppose it makes sense that I wouldn't be impressed with one of its component whiskies.  That being said, these are single barrels, so the barrels will vary.  This one came from a store owned by the Goody Goody chain in Texas.

Crown Royal Hand Selected is mostly available in Texas now but should see wider release soon.

Pike Creek Whisky: Then and Now

Like Lot 40, one of my favorite new whiskies from last year, Pike Creek is a Canadian Whisky distilled at Hiram Walker and bottled by Corby Distillers.  As with Lot 40, the brand was reintroduced last year after more than a decade long absence. It's a non age statement whisky finished in port casks.  I'll also try a sample of its earlier incarnation from the 1990s.

Pike Creek Whisky, Current Bottling, 40% ($30)

The nose is mostly antiseptic.  The palate is slightly sweet and medicinal with a touch of spice and wood before devolving into pure alcohol notes with a kiss of malt.  The finish has a mild sweetness but is dominated by bitterness and alcohol notes on the palate.  Between the heavy medicinal and bitter notes, this stuff is pretty horrible.  

Pike Creek Whisky, 1990s, 40%

The nose on this is quite a contrast to the new version.  It's mild and lightly fruity like a Sauvignon Blanc. The palate is very light but has rye spice, wood and some medicinal notes, trailing off with some beer like notes, like a light lager.  The finish has some rye on the nose and medicinal notes on the palate.  This one's okay.

The difference between these whiskies is surprisingly stark. While the '90s version isn't great, it's fine to drink, whereas the current version is not something I would want to drink.  Whatever they did to it, they should undo it.     

Bender's Rye: A New Canadian Rye

Bender's Rye Whiskey is a seven year old Canadian rye bottled on San Francisco's Treasure Island. When I received this bottle from the company, my initial thought was, do we really need another Canadian rye?  The US has been inundated with Canadian ryes lately, but it turns out, this one is a bit different.  Unlike the 100% rye mashbill of Jefferson's, Masterson's, Whistlepig and others, this one is 85% rye and 15% corn.

The website states that it was "sourced from an independently owned distillery just south of Calgary."  That eliminates Alberta Distillers, the probable source of all of those other ryes, which is in Calgary and not independently owned (it's part of the Beam Suntory empire).

I could have done the hard work of figuring out the sourcing myself, but why reinvent the wheel when I can just call Davin de Kergommeaux, blogger of CanadianWhisky.org, author of Canadian Whisky, the Portable Expert or, as I sometimes call him, that guy who cares about Canadian Whisky.  Usually, when I write about Canadian Whisky, I get a long email from Davin listing the many things I got wrong, so I figured maybe I could head that off by calling him before writing anything.

Davin helpfully informed me that Highwood Distillers, makers of White Owl and Centennial Rye, is located just south of Calgary.  Given that Bender's lists the Highwood River as one of its water sources, that sounds like a direct hit.  Thanks Davin!

I tasted the first batch of Bender's which combines a seven year old rye with an eight year old corn whiskey.  The second batch, which is on its way, will combine a nine year old rye and a thirteen year old corn whiskey and will have a higher percentage of rye, around 92%.  (In Canada, unlike the US, whiskey made from different grains is usually distilled and aged separately and then combined as opposed to the US method of distilling from a mash combining different grains).


Bender's Rye, 7 yo, Batch 1, 48% abv ($45)

The nose is light with nice rye notes and vanilla.  The palate has bold rye spice, juniper, then some sweetness.  It's strong for the abv.  The finish turns a bit bitter with gin notes and some cotton candy sweetness in the background; the bitterness lingers, almost like an amaro. I'm generally sensitive to bitterness, but this one didn't bother me as it played well with the bold rye notes.

This is decent stuff and a welcome addition to the Canadian ryes that are available in the US as it has a very different profile from those other Canadian ryes.  The spicy/bitter contrast would probably make it work well in cocktails as well.

Right now, Bender's is only available in California and Oregon, but it is sold by a number of on-line retailers, including BevMo and K&L.

WhistlePig Boss Hog: Have You Seen the Little Piggies?

A lot of times when I write about craft whiskeys, I really like the people who make the whiskey, but I don't like the whiskey itself.  With WhistlePig, a non-craft whiskey dressed up in craft clothing, it's the opposite. I like the whiskey, but the guy who sells the stuff is a real piece of work. The owner of the brand is Raj Bhakta, a reality TV star and failed politician who was mentored by Donald Trump, which explains a lot. Bhakta recently gave an embarrassing interview to Bloomberg News in which he came out with gems like, "If you look at American whiskeys, traditionally speaking, you don't see an age statement on the bottle."  Er, what?  And in the whole interview, he talks a lot about American whiskey but never mentions that his whiskey is made in Canada.

All of that being said, I very much liked the first iteration of WhistlePig, though that likely has very little to do with Mr. Bhakta and everything to do with WhistlePig "Master Distiller" Dave Pickerell, formerly of Maker's Mark, who is the brains behind many successful whiskey start-ups.

WhistlePig's latest release is the Boss Hog, a 12 year old cask strength, single barrel rye that is finished in bourbon barrels and sells for an eye popping price. As with all of the WhistlePig whiskeys, it's 100% rye, which indicates it is likely of Canadian provenance, though the bottle has no statement of origin.  The bottle lists a series as well as a barrel; keep in mind that as with all single barrel offerings, the different barrels may vary.


WhistlePig Boss Hog, 12 years old, Spice Dancer series, Barrel 3, 67.3% abv ($160)

The nose has a whiff of that pickle juice that's typical in these Canadian ryes but with a bit of  vanilla as well. The palate has a nice balance of sweet and spicy rye notes, caramel and plenty of brine but the brine overwhelms by late palate.  A drop of water brings out the vanilla notes and really enhances it, smoothing out some of the rough edges.  The finish is briny and slightly bitter.

This is very similar to the standard WhistlePig.  It's exactly what you would expect from a cask strength version.  I actually prefer the standard 10 year old which has more balance.  The brine in this one tends to take over.

While this is a good rye, it's hard to recommend at this price point.  I don't see many advantages of this over the regular ten year old, which is half the price.  Then again, if you really want a 10 to 15 year old cask strength rye, there aren't a lot of other options.

Whiskey Gifts

'Tis the season for holiday gifts (well mostly Christmas because someone made Chanukah start in November this year, but hey, there are still a few days left).  Here, then, are my whiskey gift suggestions.

American Whiskey

It was hard to come up with American Whiskey gift suggestions this year, not because there weren't a number of great new whiskeys released but because they are so hard to find.  I would love to recommend the new Elijah Craig Barrel Proof or either of the Four Roses Small Batch or Four Roses Single Barrel Limited Editions, but good luck finding those.  (And if you came here looking for Pappy Van Winkle, be sure to check out my post on Pappy Van Winkle alternatives).

There were, however, a number of new American whiskeys that are quite good but easier to find.  K&L's Faultline Bourbon, an MGP bourbon blended by Smooth Ambler, is a nice one at $40.  Similarly priced is High West's American Prairie Reserve, which blends MGP and Four Roses bourbons.  For something higher proof, Wild Turkey's Russell's Reserve Single Barrel is a spicy whiskey at 110 proof and around $55.

One of my favorite new whiskeys this year was the George Dickel 14 year old from Park Avenue Liquors.  The new Dickel retailer exclusives are a series of 9 and 14 year old bourbons selected by specific retailers.  The first Park Avenue release that I reviewed is sold out but they have a new one in stock ($90), and The Party Source also has good versions ($46 for the 9yo and $66 for the 14 yo, though they no longer ship out of Kentucky).  I love the dry, minerally profile of Dickel, and these more aged expressions have all of that along with a bit more oak that you'd expect from an older Dickel.

On the rye front, there wasn't as much action this year, but the new Angel's Envy Rye, finished in rum casks, is a sweeter take on MGP distilled rye, though it's a bit pricey at around $70.

Scotch

After a few years where sherry seemed to reign supreme, most of the best Scotch I had this year was peated.  Among those I'd recommend would be the Laphroaig Cask Strength Batch 004 ($60) and the New Laphroaig Cairdeas Port Wood Edition ($60).  On the higher end were Bruichladdich's Port Charlotte PC 10 ($150), the Springbank Calvados Finish ($110) and a new Kilchoman from Binny's ($80).  And for the budget recommendation, you'd be hard pressed to do better than the Smokey Joe Islay Malt ($35) available at Total Wines.

If you're looking to avoid all the smoke, I really enjoyed the  Mortlach 1990 bottled for Binny's ($100), a sherry cask aged malt that tastes more like a bourbon cask malt.

Canadian Whisky

I seldom recommend Canadian Whiskies during my gift posts, but I'm very fond of the new Lot 40 Canadian Rye ($60) that's just showing up on American shelves.  It's got some nice rye spice but it's not as aggressive as the WhistlePig/Masterson's/Jefferson's Canadian Ryes. It's one of the best Canadian Whiskies I've had.

Whiskey Books

This was a great year for whiskey books.  For anyone interested in bourbon, rye or American craft whiskey, Clay Risen's American Whiskey Bourbon & Rye is a must have.  For those with a historical interest, Michael Veach's Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey: An American History is a great survey course on bourbon history.  I haven't read it yet, but I have heard very good things about Fred Minnick's Whiskey Women:  The Untold Story of How Women Saved Bourbon, Scotch and Irish Whiskey.  And for those looking for more of a story, there's Rob Gard's engaging memoir Distilling Rob: Manly Lies and Whisky Truths.  So drink, but read too.

Later this week:  Brandy Gifts

Canada Week Part III: Lot 40 Canadian Rye

For my final Canadian Whisky of the week, I thought I'd sample Lot 40.  Lot 40 was a popular Canadian Whisky about a decade ago but was abruptly discontinued.  The whisky was rereleased in fall 2012 in Canada, and it was sent to the US shortly thereafter, but I've only recently started seeing it in California. According to Canadian Whisky blogger Davin de Kergommeaux, Lot 40 is produced by a bottler, Corby Distilleries, from whisky distilled at the Hiram Walker Distillery.  The mashbill is 90% rye and 10% malted rye and it is distilled in a pot still.  For the full story, as with any Canadian Whisky, check out Davin's CanadianWhisky.org (and buy his book too!).

Lot 40 Canadian Rye, 2012 Release, 43% abv ($60)

The nose on this has a strong rye, very reminiscent of the herbaceous rye notes on Whistlepig and the other Canadian straight ryes. Then some cocoa notes emerge.  The palate is both drier and less aggressive on the rye than I expected with some brandy notes, cherries, chocolate and a more muted rye than the nose.  The finish is the first time you get more traditional Canadian Whisky notes with some honey joining the rye spice.

This is a very nice whisky.  It has the nice, spicy rye notes of the Canadian straight ryes but with more complexity.  I've been skeptical of recent talk about a Canadian Whisky revival, at least based on we've seen in the US, but this whisky gives me hope that we will start to see some real gems coming out of Canada.

Canada Week Part II: Caribou Crossing

As my second in a week of Canadian Whiskeys, I thought I'd finally try Caribou Crossing.  This is a Canadian Whisky from an undisclosed distillery bottled by Buffalo Trace.  (Buffalo Trace is named for the path created by migrating buffalo, so the name "Caribou Crossing" is a bit of a play on that).  It's a single barrel whiskey that was first released in 2010. Buffalo Trace isn't revealing whether this is a single-grain Canadian "flavor whiskey" or a blend which was blended prior to barreling or rebarreled after blending. As always with single barrels, results may vary.  There is no barrel number or other identifier so you just have to take your chances, though I should note that I've had this particular bottle for a few years.

Caribou Crossing Single Barrel Canadian Whisky, 40% abv ($45)

This has a nice bourbony nose with caramel and some oak notes; nosing blind, I would certainly guess that it was a bourbon.  On the palate, it's more distinctly Canadian, but with a richness that isn't typical of Canadian blends (at least the ones we tend to see in the US).  There's chocolate, rye and some nice oak notes all backed up with some traditional Canadian sweetness.  The finish has muted rye spice and honey.

This is a nice whisky, certainly better than most Candian Whiskies I've had.

Canada Week Part I: Masterson's Barley and Wheat Whiskeys

It's been a while since I took a serious look at Canadian Whiskey, and there is a growing number of whiskeys coming out of the Great White North these days, so grab a bag of milk and some poutine, it's Canada week!

Last year, I reviewed Masterson's Rye from 35 Maple, a Sonoma, California company that bottled a ten year old Canadian rye whiskey, similar to those from WhistlePig and Jefferson's Rye.  It was very good stuff.

Now Masterson's has two new Canadian Whiskeys on the market, a straight barley and a straight wheat whiskey.  Presumably, as with the rye, these were originally intended to be components of a Canadian blend until 35 Maple purchased them and bottled them as straight whiskeys. While their rye was composed of 100% rye, there is no information about the mashbill of these whiskeys, so we don't know if they include other grains as well.

Masterson's 12 year old Straight Wheat Whiskey, Batch 001, 50% abv ($65)

As you can see from the picture, the wheat whiskey (on the right) is much lighter in color than the barley. The nose is alcoholy with a distinct sesame oil note.  The palate is light and sweet without much discernible flavor other than a touch of milk chocolate and a medicinal note toward the end with just a touch of graniness underneath it.  The finish is pretty much nonexistent.  There is very little substance to this; it reminds me of some of the not very good Scotch grain whiskeys I've had.  If the Masterson's Rye came from the flavor grain elements that they use in Canadian blends, I'm wondering if this is one of the base whiskeys they add to round the blends out.

Just for kicks, I did a side by side tasting of this and Heaven Hill's Bernheim Wheat Whiskey. The Bernheim had a depth of flavor, richness and balance that was totally lacking in the Masterson's.  Between the two, my guess is that the Masterson's has a lower proportion of corn (if any) in the mashbill.  Plain wheat is just not that flavorful.

Based on both flavor and color of Masterson's Wheat, it would surprise me if it was aged in new charred oak for 12 years.  Aging in new charred oak is a requirement for wheat whiskey in the US, and given that this is labeled "straight wheat whiskey" and not "Canadian Whisky," I would think that it would have to comply with that requirement, but you never know what exceptions the TTB will make.


Masterson's 10 year old Straight Barley Whiskey, Batch 001, 46% abv ($65)

The nose on this is very nice with fruit and spice as well as some strong floral notes.  On the palate, it's light and fruity in a pleasant way but also has the raw wood notes that are common in younger craft whiskeys (think Hudson Malt Whiskey).  The finish is mostly medicinal.  This is certainly better than the wheat whiskey, and it's not offensive, but it's not good either.


These whiskeys are a real let down after the very good Masterson's Rye.  The wheat whiskey is pretty bad. The barley is okay but nothing I'd recommend.   Selling either of these poor to mediocre whiskeys for $65 a bottle is downright scandalous! 

Fun with Labels: YOUR STATE HERE Crown Club

If you saw a bottle of Kentucky Crown Club whiskey on the shelf, complete with a picture of a racehorse, you probably wouldn't guess that it was Canadian blended whiskey, but lo and behold, Houston based Mexcor, Inc. has been approved for a label for just such a whiskey.  

And suppose you wanted a whiskey from your native Arkansas, Florida or Colorado.  Well, you're in luck, because Mexcor is planning to produce Canadian Whiskeys named for pretty much every state (though the Dakotas get just one between them). 

But lest you think this is just some bulk whiskey operation cynically cashing in on state pride, the back label for Tennessee Crown Club explains that the whiskey was crafted to "reflect and highlight the rich heritage of the great state of Tennessee" and that it "embodies the treasures that the majestic state of Tennessee possesses." Similarly, the label for South Carolina Crown Club reports that it was crafted to "reflect and highlight the rich heritage of the great state of South Carolina" and that it "embodies the treasures that the majestic state of South Carolina possesses."

Think of how much work Mexcor must have done to come up with a different whiskey that embodies the treasures of each of our majestic states.  This was clearly a massive undertaking in which skilled tasters had to contemplate questions like, "Does this Canadian blend more accurately embody the treasures of the majestic state of Connecticut or does it reflect and highlight the rich heritage of the great state of Indiana?"  Kudos to the great team at Mexcor that found these unique whiskeys.

Oh, and Jersyites take notice, the bottle for Jersey Crown Club makes no reference to the Garden State being either majestic or having a rich heritage.  I guess even Mexcor has its limits.

Jefferson's Rye

McLain & Kyne's Jefferson's Rye is the third of the trifecta of Canadian ten year old ryes that came out last year, the others being WhistlePig and Masterson's. Like the other two, Jefferson's is ten years old and made from 100% rye mash, but it's about $25 cheaper than its competitors.


Jefferson's Rye, 10 years old, 47% abv ($40)

The nose is sweet and piney, like a sugar coated pine needle. The palate is very similar to the aforementioned Canadian ryes with strong, earthy, piney notes and a bit of brine but some sweetness as well. The finish is decidedly spicy and briny.

These Canadian ryes came around at just the right time, during a shortage of aged American straight rye. In comparing Jefferson's to the other two Canadian ryes, WhistlePig is stronger, and Masterson's is slightly more nuanced. When it comes right down to it, though, they are strikingly similar. Given that similarity, you might as well buy the cheaper one, and that is clearly Jefferson's.

Bottom Shelf Blends: Seagram's VO & 7 Crown

Today, I go further down the bottom shelf with a comparisons of two Seagram's whiskeys. Seagram's was once a mighty Canadian beverage company with distilleries in Canada and the US, including Four Roses and LDI. It owned numerous brands including Crown Royal and also marketed spirit-friendly soft drinks such as ginger ale and tonic water. In the late 1990s, however, the company was bought out and sold into many pieces. Today Pernod Ricard, Diageo and even the Coca-Cola company own pieces of this once proud company.

The only whiskeys that still include the Seagram's name are two diageo blends: Seagram's VO and Seagram's 7 Crown.


Seagram's VO, 40% abv ($16)

According to David de Kergommeaux at Canadianwhisky.org, Seagram's VO is "produced at Diageo’s distillery in Valleyfield, Quebec, with some spirit components coming from other plants."

The nose is extremely sweet. It smells like artificial maple syrup. It tastes about like that too. It's syrupy sweet with maybe a slight spice in the background giving way to a vaguely vodka-like alcohol quality. The finish has some ginger. This is sort of a caricature of what I think of as bad Canadian Whisky, sweet without much else going on.


Seagram's 7 Crown, 40% abv ($13)

Possibly because of the Canadian heritage of the company, most people seem to think Seagram's 7 is a Candian Whisky, but it's an American blended whiskey. American blended whiskey must contain 20% straight whiskey and the rest can be neutral spirits (i.e. vodka), coloring and flavoring. The distillery isn't disclosed but for years the whiskey was distilled at LDI, the former Seagram's distillery in Indiana.

The nose is very vaguely whiskey smelling. That's about it. The palate is just foul. It's sweet and only tastes very vaguely of whiskey. It's sort of a generic whiskey taste, though it's more spicy than sweet so tasting blind I might have guessed that it was a really bad rye, but it doesn't have any really distinctive qualities. The major flavor is just alcohol. The finish is like the taste in your mouth after a bad hangover. There's just no reason to drink this.


Well, based on these, I would say the once mighty Seagram's name has definitely fallen on hard times.

Happy Belated Canada Day: Crown Royal XR Waterloo

Damn, I missed Canada Day. I always mean to do a Canadian Whisky review for Canada Day, and I always seem to miss it. Maybe it's just too close to July 4th to enter the American consciousness. Well, let's consider this a belated Canada Day post.

Crown Royal XR Waterloo. Crown Royal's XR (Extra-Rare) series are blends that include whiskies from closed Canadian distilleries. The Waterloo was the first edition of the XR and includes whisky from the Waterloo distillery in Ontario which was closed in 1992. Crown Royal just released the second edition, featuring whisky from the shuttered LaSalle distillery in Quebec.


Crown Royal XR Waterloo, 40% abv ($130-$180)

The nose immediately gives a nice rye spice, so much so that tasting blind, I would easily mistake this for a straight rye. It's got good vegetal aromas. The palate is syrupy sweet with rye undertones. If Monin made a rye syrup, for rye cafe mochas or something, this is what it would taste like. The rye continues into the finish. While a bit on the sweet side, the rye and the sweet notes play well together.

I don't think of Crown Royal expressions as having much in the way of rye, but this one clearly does. It's quite pleasant and definitely worth drinking. In fact, it's probably the best thing I've had from Crown Royal, though for the price, I'd be more likely to opt for one of the Canadian straight ryes, like WhistlePig or Masterson's, that cost half as much.

Happy (belated) Canada Day!

Recent Reads: Canadian Whisky, the Portable Expert

A few years ago, I wanted to write up a very short blog post that could serve as a quick primer on Canadian Whisky. I searched the web high and low but couldn't find a decent site that could answer even very basic questions about Canadian Whisky. Having failed in new media, I turned to the old, hoping to find a reliable book about Canadian Whisky. The only thing I found was a thin advert-book commissioned by Seagram's in the mid-1990s. I was shocked that this major whisky category was so lacking in reliable information.

Not long after that, sommelier and Malt Maniac Davin De Kergommeaux came along with his blog Canadianwhisky.org which immediately became the go-to website for Canadian Whisky. Now, he had done one better with a new book: Canadian Whisky, the portable expert. Davin sent me an early release copy, but it officially publishes on May 8.

Not only is De Kergommeaux's book easily the best book on the market about Canadian Whisky, it is one of the best books about whisky period. More than an introduction, the book gives thorough coverage of the science of whisky, production techniques, the history of the industry in Canada, and profiles of the nine Canadian distilleries along with tasting notes for 100 Canadian whiskies interspersed throughout the book. Many of the sections on the science and production apply to other types of whisky as well, so it's an interesting read even if you're not a particular fan of Canadian Whisky.

It would not bean exaggeration to say that I learned something on nearly every one of the 336 pages. For instance, I've always wondered about the often cited rule that Canadian Whisky can be include up to 9.09% flavoring agents, but had not found any good sources for explaining the precise rules or the rationale. De Kergommeaux includes a detailed description of the rule (which only applies to whisky exported to the United States) and the reason for its existence.

While I've sometimes found De Kergommeaux's more informal writing to be overly dense, the prose in this volume is more direct and streamlined, making for a pleasant and to-the-point read.

For someone like me who craves accurate, specific information about my whisky, I could not have asked for more. De Kergommeaux has written what will undoubtedly be the definitive word on Canadian Whisky for years to come, and for $20 U.S., it's a better value than most actual whisky.

Canadian Whisky, the portable expert by Davin de Kergommeaux
McClelland & Stewart, 2012 ($20)

Ireland vs. Canada - And the winner is...

Ireland, by a mile. On Monday I proposed a whiskey apocalypse scenario in which you could only drink Irish or Canadian whiskey for the rest of your whiskey drinkin' days. I received answers on the blog and on Twitter, and Ireland was the clear winner with Canada receiving only a few measly votes (Note to Davin de Kergommeaux, you should have voted).

I used Canada and Ireland because, of the major whiskey producing nations, they are the underdogs. They both produce some good stuff but standouts are few and far between and few whiskey aficionados would put either nations' whiskeys at the top of their list. The oversized margin for Ireland may mean that they are closer to the hearts of whiskey lovers, but it may also reflect the fact that in the US, where most of my readership hails from, we don't get much in the way of good Canadian Whisky.

For my part, though, I cast my vote for Canada, and here's why.

Ireland's advantage is diversity. If you chose Ireland, you would have your pick of single malts (both peated and unpeated), blends, pure pot still and even single grain whiskey. What they have in variety, though, they lack in quality. Some of these whiskeys are good, but I'd say I have yet to be blown away by any Irish whiskey; Green Spot is probably my favorite. If I picked Ireland, I worry that I'd spend my days drinking Connemara and wishing it was Lagavulin.

Canada has less diversity. They have one single malt, which I really disliked, and a lot of blends, but recently, we have been seeing Canadian straight ryes that are quite good. Rye Whiskeys like WhistlePig and Masterson's are bold and flavorful, akin to American straight ryes. Now maybe this is cheating a bit because these are American style whiskeys bottled for American companies, but hey, it's my game and these are Canadian Whiskies so I say they count. I guess it comes down to the fact that I'd rather drink a small variety of very good whiskey than a wide variety of mediocre whiskey.

That was fun, I'll come up with some more reader polls for the future; maybe I'll even use the Blogger polling function to make it official. (Wales v. Sweden anyone?)

Reader Poll: Canada vs. Ireland

Okay, here's a game for everyone to play. Let's suppose that, for some reason, all major whiskey production in Kentucky, Scotland and Japan (as well as smaller whiskey producing areas) was wiped out due to...grain shortages, political upheavel, national prohibition, whatever.

In this post-apocalyptic whiskey world, the only countries still producing whiskey are Ireland and Canada. Because of...supply line difficulties, rationing, whatever, you must choose one of those two countries to be the source of all of the whiskey that will be able to drink for the rest of your life.

Assume for the purposes of the game that you will have access to any whiskey produced by that country (that you can afford), even if it's not now available to you, so if you live in the US and pick Ireland, for instance, you can have Green Spot. However, while currently available whiskeys will stay in production, no new products will be forthcoming.

So, Canada or Ireland, which will you choose?