This Holiday season, a new rare Canadian whisky will be on the wish lists of whisky connoisseurs and Canadian Club fans alike. After 40 years of resting in American oak barrels in Windsor, Ontario, Canadian Club will release Canadian Club 40 Year Old – its oldest age expression released to date and possibly the oldest in Canadian whisky history.
According to Rob Tucker, Senior Brand Manager, Canadian & American Whiskies at Beam Suntory:
“With 160 years of great whisky making, Canadian Club’s numerous gold medal awards won in recent spirit competitions, and with our storied past as the preeminent club whisky in speakeasies which were known for stylish, stirring times, and a little mischief in mixed company, it only makes sense that a historic brand like Canadian Club gets to treat Canadians with such a delicious one-of-a-kind whisky like Canadian Club 40 Year Old,”
TASTING NOTES (From Canadian Club)
Aroma: Dark plum, rich vanilla, rye spiciness against a backdrop of toasted toffee and sweet oak.
Palate: Slightly sweet with hints of nutmeg, clove, dark berries, savoury dried fruit and orchard fruit, highlighted by a hint of caramelized sugar.
Finish: Ultra smooth and lingering that is warm, creamy and spicy sweet.
Tish Harcus, Canadian Club Global Brand Ambassador, adds:
“This whisky has the characteristic Canadian Club smoothness; yet it’s complex, with Christmas spices, butter tarts and finely refined barrel notes. You can taste the oak but it’s not overpowering.”
According to my sources, Canadian Club 40 Year Old will be available with full distribution in Ontario this week, and available across Canada in early November in very limited quantities. The Whisky aged a full 40 years in American Oak and bottled at 45 % alcohol by volume will retail at $249.95 per 750 ml bottle.
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If you are wondering whether this once in a lifetime whisky from Canadian Club will make an appearance in my #Top100CanadianWhisky Countdown of 2017? I can only say that I did leave room in my countdown list for samples which I knew would be arriving late, and as my sample is scheduled to be delivered today, it may well make an appearance.
John & Cathy Windsor manage the family owned and operated de Vine Vineyards on Vancouver Island (near Victoria British Columbia). As well as growing grapes for wine making the vineyard houses a small still from which they distill both grapes and grains producing a variety of spirits including Vodka, Gin and Single Malt Whisky.
Note: As indicated earlier, I will not be creating a posting for every whisky in my countdown on this website; but I am going to try to highlight every Canadian spirit that I have not reviewed previously.
Shelter Point Artisanal Single Malt Whiskies are distilled in small batches on Vancouver Island (British Columbia). The distillery uses a single grain approach, and the Canadian barley used for distillation is grown right on their own family farm (in Oyster River) and never blended with other grains. The water source is the spring water that comes from the mountain-fed aquifer directly beneath the Island. Perhaps the only things that aren’t sourced locally are the oak barrels, which were sourced from Kentucky bourbon distillers, and the massive copper pot stills which came from Scotland.
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