Review: Gibson’s Finest Sterling Canadian Whisky

Posted by Arctic Wolf on August 14, 2011

Gibson’s Finest Whisky has an unusual heritage which stretches back to 1856 when John Gibson purchased 40 acres and set out to build a distillery along the shores of the Monongahela River in Pennsylvania. In fact in the early 1900’s, the Gibson’s Distilling Company was the largest distiller of rye whisky in North America. Of course, we all know what happened to American distilleries at that time in history; it was called prohibition, and unfortunately in 1923, Gibson’s Distilling Company was bankrupt and was forced to sell all of its assets ( Sheriff’s auction) to the highest bidder. The highest bidder turned out to be Schenley Industries of New York. It took 50 years, but Gibson’s whisky, formerly an American whisky, was re-introduced as a Canadian Whisky in the 1970’s at the Schenley Distillery in Valleyfield, Quebec. Thirty years later, in 2002, the Gibson’s Whisky was sold to William Grant & Sons who acquired the brand to strengthen their position in the Canadian spirits marketplace. William Grant & Sons has moved the production of Gibson’s Whisky from the Schenley plant in Valleyview Quebec to the Hiram Walker Distillery in Windsor, Ontario.

Here is an excerpt from my review:

“…The initial nose from the glass is of light rye spices and sandalwood. There are hints of butterscotch in the air which gives the whisky a light sweetness and a few dashes of ginger and cardamom. The nose invites me to sip, and I quite contentedly oblige…”

Here is a link to the full review: