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For Father’s Day – Canadian Whisky on a Budget

Posted by Arctic Wolf on June 11, 2012

My wife asked me the other day which whisky I would like for Father’s Day. I thought about it for a few moments, and I decided that rather than giving her only one choice, I would give her a list of Canadian Whiskies to choose from. I decided this list should be easy on her wallet, but just as important, each whisky on the list would be one which I would be happy to receive.

The list I cam up with was a selection of twelve budget-priced Canadian Whiskies, all of which are under thirty dollars in my locale, Receiving any whisky from this selection as a father’s day gift, will suit me just fine.

And so in no particular order, I give you my list of 12 great budget priced Canadian Whiskies for Father’s Day. Beside each whisky is the approximate price here in Edmonton.
(You may click each selection to read my reviews of each particular whisky if you wish.)

Centennial 10 Year Old Canadian Rye Whisky   ($25.95)

Black Velvet Deluxe    ($20.95)

Alberta Springs Canadian Whisky   ($22.50)

Highwood Canadian Rye Whisky    ($19.95)

Wiser’s Small Batch   ($25.95)

Gibson’s Finest Sterling Whisky   ($24.95)

Century Reserve 21 Year Old   ($29.95)

Potters Special Old Rye Whisky   ($19.95)

Wiser’s De Luxe   ($29.95)

Gibson’s Finest 12 Year Old   ($29.95)

Schenley OFC Canadian Whisky   ($20.95)

Hiram Walker Special Old   ($23.00)

Happy shopping!

Cheers and Happy Father’s Day!


Posted in Canadian Whisky, Howls, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review | Tagged: , , , | 3 Comments »

Review: Old Lahaina Gold Rum

Posted by Arctic Wolf on June 10, 2012

Just before last Christmas some friends of mine visited Hawaii. Because they are friends, and they know I like to try rums from different parts of the world, they brought back a bottle of rum for me called Old Lahaina Gold Rum from Maui Distillers. It is an authentic Hawaiian rum made from sugar and molasses from Hawaii’s HC&S Maui Plantation.

Maui Distillers was originally conceived in 1999, and the work to build a distillery within the site of the Old Paia Sugar Mill began in 2003. In 2009, the new distillery was producing rum which was sold throughout the state of Hawaii. According to the distillers website, their rum is produced on two 500 gallon, steam fired, Badger “pot stills”, which were originally constructed in 1946. One of these stills has been fitted with a “multi-tray fractioning column”, and this still is used to produce their base rum.

This Old Lahaina Gold Rum is described as both a mixer and a sipper on the Maui Distillers Website

Here is an excerpt from my review:

“… Caramel and toffee lead out with a light spiciness that heats up the mouth just a little. I taste a light influence of cinnamon and tobacco as well as imprints of charred sugars…”

Here is a link to my full review:

Review: Old Lahaina Gold Rum

I have included a nice cocktail with the review which I call, the Chinook.

Please enjoy the review and my cocktail recipe!

Posted in Cocktails & Recipes, Dark Rums, Rum, Rum Reviews | Tagged: , , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Old Lahaina Gold Rum

A Comment about Comments

Posted by Arctic Wolf on June 9, 2012

I have received feedback lately from some of my friends that they sometimes are asked for a “WordPress Password” in order to leave comments on my website. It is frustrating for them as they have always been able to comment in the past, and they really do not want to go to the trouble of obtaining a WordPress account. I was mystified by this development as I never changed any settings and really welcome the comments from all of my friends.

I got to the bottom of the mystery today and discovered that WordPress has become concerned that certain nefarious persons may be trying to hijack the identity of others in order to place comments upon certain blogs. I understand this concern completely as I have discovered that some persons have indeed been doing this upon my website. It seems that there always are some people who have nothing better to do than cause others grief. These actions are probably illegal; but stopping someone from using someone else’s email address to leave a comment is extremely difficult to police. The WordPress solution at this point is a system of verification in which they scan each commenting email address and if it is on their system as a WordPress user, a password is automatically asked for to verify the identity of the commenter.

The complication is that Gravatar Accounts are also WordPress Accounts. This means you may have a WordPress Account without even knowing it. If you are commenting using the email address which is attached to your Gravatar account, then you will be asked for a WordPress Password. Fortunately, your Gravatar Password is also your WordPress Password, and if you supply that password you are allowed to comment. I am truly sorry for the inconvenience, but I understand why WordPress felt they had to take action. Hopefully a better solution will be forthcoming.

Cheers!

Posted in Howls | Comments Off on A Comment about Comments

Chinook Whisky Revisited

Posted by Arctic Wolf on June 7, 2012

If you look at the picture to the left, you can see that Chinook Canadian Whisky has undergone a bit of a facelift since I reviewed it last year (Click here for the 2011 review). It arrives in a new PET Bottle, and it has a brand new label. Gone is the 5-Year age statement, and gone as well is the reference to being distilled, aged and blended in Calgary, Alberta. Rather, the label now simply says “aged and blended in Southern Alberta” with no reference to where the whisky is distilled.

When I first saw the new bottle, I was surprised, and of course my first question was, “Has the blend changed?”

To help me answer that question, I was sent a new bottle for review from the brand owner Mcbsw Sales Company Inc., such that I could revisit the Chinook Whisky here on my website.

Here is an excerpt from my review:

“… My first impression as the new whisky crossed my palate for the first time, was that the sweetness and the fruitiness have been ramped up in this blend. Stronger caramel flavours were obvious as was a spicy green pepper lingering in the background. Caramel apples, slightly sour purple grapes, canned apricots, and canned pears all seem to find their way across my palate in what is a real mixture of fruit flavour. I taste some rye-like spiciness which resembles ginger and cloves with maybe just a dash of cinnamon …”

You may read my full review here:

Review: Chinook Whisky (2012)

I have included a nice recipe which works well with the Chinook Whisky called the Buckeroo.

Please enjoy the review, and do try a Buckeroo.  Cheers!

Posted in Canadian Whisky, Cocktails & Recipes, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review | Tagged: , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Review: London No. 1 Original Blue Gin

Posted by Arctic Wolf on June 6, 2012

London No. 1 Original Blue Gin is a product of Gonzalas Byass who are a Spanish wine/cellars company which also produces a variety of distilled spirits including brandy, anisette, botanical vodka and of course gin. Their gin is triple distilled (from English grain in London, England) on a traditional pot still in small batches by Master Distiller, Charles Maxwell. According to the London No. 1 website the gin is distilled with 12 key botanicals which include: Juniper from Croatia; Angelica root and Savory from France; Coriander from Morocco; Cassia bark from China, Liquorice from Turkey, Cinnamon from Ceylon, Almond from Greece; and Lemon peel, Orange peel, Lily root and Bergamot from Italy.

The product was first test marketed in Spain, and is now being launched in limited quantities internationally. It is bottled at 47 % alcohol by volume ensuring a more concentrated flavour than more traditional distilled spirits which are bottled at 40 % alcohol by volume.

I was given a bottle for review by Woodman Wines and Spirits Inc. who have informed me that this product is now available in limited quantities in Ontario, Canada.

Here is an excerpt from my review:

“… The aroma from the glass is intensely floral. It has a sharp quality which similar to freshly bloomed lilacs. The more familiar gin aromas of earthy juniper, spicy cardamom, lemon peel and orange citrus lie somewhat behind that floral intensity …”

You may read my full review here:

Review: London No. 1 Original Blue Gin

I included a classic cocktail recipe, The Pegu Club Cocktail, with this review. Please enjoy the review and of course my included recipe.

Cheers!

Posted in Cocktails & Recipes, Gin, Gin Review | Tagged: , , , , , | Comments Off on Review: London No. 1 Original Blue Gin

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