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Archive for the ‘Canadian Whisky’ Category

Review: Liberator Rye Whisky 

Posted by Arctic Wolf on May 20, 2022

The Liberator brand is an authentic small batch craft spirits brand produced by Highwood Distillers to honor the WWII RCAF base that was located in their home town of High River as well as to honor the brave men and women who fought in WWII. This is a small volume craft offering created such that Highwood Distillers would have a line-up of 100% Alberta made craft spirits produced for the local market.

According to Michael Nychyk, Operations Manager at the Distillery:

This is a small volume brand in our portfolio; but we are proud it honours the RCAF and their connection to High River. And not to mention the spirits are great quality!

Liberator Rye is distilled using locally sourced wheat in small batches. Highwood uses water from a Rocky Mountain fed aquifer to bring the distillate to 75 % abv. and then ages the whisky in a single fill used bourbon barrel for five years. Once the whisky is mature it is blended with aged rye grain whisky to achieve the desired rye-forward whisky flavour profile. At that point the whisky is processed through a multi stage filtration system to polish the final product, after which it is bottled at 42 % alcohol by volume with hand applied closures and labels.

Here is a link to the full review of Highwood’s hand crafted Rye Whisky:

Review: Liberator Rye Whisky 

“… Things begin with a nice push of fine oak spices and rye-like grain spices. There is a lovely toffee sweetness with almond and vanilla emerging as well. A somewhat grassy tobacco aroma lifts out of the glass with hints of ginger spice and perhaps a touch of cinnamon, nutmeg and milk chocolate …”

Please enjoy my review which concludes with my serving suggestion, the Rye Whisky Splash.

Chimo!

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Review: Canadian Club Chronicles Issue 4 – 44 Year Old (The Whisky Sixes)

Posted by Arctic Wolf on May 13, 2022

For each of the past four years Canadian Club has been releasing Canada’s oldest age stated Whisky. And each year, that release has been getting one year older. It started in 2017 with the Canadian Club 40 Year Old. According to my sources, that 40 year old Whisky was produced from a selection of American Oak barrels which contained 100% corn whisky.

Each year since then that original whisky has been getting older. You see the folks at Canadian Club didn’t release all of that spirit, they held back much more than they released. And so the following year they again released part of that original whisky but aged one more year. And they have done so every year since. Each year they tinker just a little with that portion of that original liquid they release to make each year’s release unique from the other by more than just one year of aging.

This year’s release pays tribute to the notorious bootleggers and the roadsters they used to whisk across the Detroit River bring whisky to other side during the winter freeze. It also celebrates Canadian Club, the unofficial whisky of the prohibition era. This homage is in the form of the tagline given to the spirit, The Whiskey Sixes.

Here is a link to my full review:

Review: Canadian Club Chronicles Issue 4 – 44 Year Old (The Whisky Sixes)   

“…. The build-up continues, and now I notice marzipan forming from the vanilla, butterscotch and almond. Rich toffee has been created fine oak and rye spices. When the final evolution is complete the nose seems to hint that this spirit was not intended for mortals …”

Please enjoy my review of the oldest expression of Canadian Whisky that I have ever tasted.

Chimo!

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Review: Last Straw Distillery Stout Whisky (Lot No. SW001)  

Posted by Arctic Wolf on May 6, 2022

The Last Straw Distillery is Ontario’s smallest production micro-distillery located at 40 Pippin Rd. in Vaughan, Ontario (a wee bit north of Toronto) just off Highway 400 and around the corner from Vaughan Mills Shopping Centre

Last Straw Distillery Stout Whisky is the result of a collaboration between Vaughan’s Lake Wilcox Brewing Co. and the distillery, and it can be said to be the distilled essence of the Lake Wilcox Stout Beer. According to the distillery website the stout whisky  is produced in small batches, bottled at 45 % alcohol by volume, is non-chill filtered with no colour added and aged for 3 years in a #3 re-charred ex-wine cask.

Here is a link to my full review:

Review: Last Straw Distillery Stout Whisky (Lot No. SW001)

“… heated oak spices combined with maple and chocolate. There is also a light underlying bitterness which compliments rather than clashes with the implied sweetness of maple. The second sip brings more flavours and nuances forward, graham wafers dipped in maple syrup, vanilla and baking spices, nutty barley and again hints of treacle which remind me of dark rum …

Please enjoy my review of this remarkable whisky from the Last Straw Distillery.

Chimo!

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Review: Rupert’s Exceptional Canadian Whisky

Posted by Arctic Wolf on April 29, 2022

The folks at Eau Claire pride themselves in sourcing locally farmed ingredients, including grains and potatoes from neighbouring farms. Each ingredient is secured from suppliers who are known and respected in Alberta’s agriculture profession. In addition to the direct from the farm suppliers, Eau Claire has a special connection to the land through its own, unique stable of plough horses. Horse farmed grain is a part of the Eau Claire story and culture. It was founder David Farran’s weekend pursuit of traditional horse farming that led him to establish Eau Claire in the first place. A number of the distillery’s products have been made with ‘horse farmed grain’ using agricultural methods dating back to the settlement of Alberta.

Here is a link to my full review of their Rupert’s Exceptional Canadian Whisky.

Review: Rupert’s Exceptional Canadian Whisky

“… Fine oak spices with hints of butterscotch, mild vanilla and almond.  Light baking spices in the form of ginger, nutmeg and orange peel begin to climb up, and perhaps we have a few indication of banana as well …”

I hope you enjoy my review, as well as the recipe suggestion which follows, the Canadian Cooler.

Chimo!

 

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Review:  Lot No. 40 Dark Oak 100 % Rye Whisky  

Posted by Arctic Wolf on April 20, 2022

Last year Corby, owners of the J.P. Wiser’s Brand offered us a brand extension to their popular Lot No. 40 Rye Whisky line-up with the introduction of two new additions, Lot No. 40 Dark Oak and Lot No. 40 18 Year Old Cask Strength. Lot No. 40 was first released in the 1990’s as an upscale connoisseur’s whisky for the North American market. Alas, timing is everything, and according to Don Livermore (Master Blender for Corby and J.P. Wiser’s branded whiskies), the whisky never really caught on as the market wasn’t quite ready for this new style of Canadian Whisky. However, with an upsurge of interest in Canadian Whisky across North America (and in particular at the premium end of the market), Corby (the owner of the Wiser’s Brand), relaunched the whisky in 2012.

Lot No. 40 Dark Oak has apparently been released a bigger, bolder version of Lot No. 40 Rye Whisky. This is a 100% rye grain whisky, distilled upon a pot still, and aged first in new American Oak barrels and then finished in a second new oak barrel however this finishing barrel is this time heavily charred (Char No. 4) to add more flavour and colour.

Here is a link to my full review:

Review: Lot No. 40 Dark Oak

“… Woody notes filled with sap and tannin. Honeycomb and raisin with canned peaches and apricots clinging in the background. Allspice and nutmeg with hints of clove and cinnamon. Bitter vanillans, Macintosh Apples, bittersweet chocolate and wiffs of charcoal smoke …

I hope you enjoy my review. I will be visiting more of the Lot No. 40 Line-up in the coming weeks.

Chimo!

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