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Archive for the ‘Whisk(e)y’ Category

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Review: Chinook Canadian Whisky

Posted by Arctic Wolf on August 7, 2011

Chinook Canadian Whisky is produced by Alberta Distillers Limited (ADL) in Calgary, Alberta. I do not know much about this whisky. It appears to be a relatively new brand on the Canadian Whisky landscape. The bottle tells me it is a five-year old Canadian Whisky bottled at 40 per cent alcohol by volume.  I received the bottle for review from Ravinder Minhas, of Mcbsw Sales Company Inc. who is the distributor of this spirit  where I live.

Here is an excerpt from my review:

“…The nose from the glass is a pure expression of dusty dry Canadian rye whisky. There are a few hints of oak and vanilla but the rye is first and foremost. It is almost as if you can smell the field of ripening grain right there in the glass. I even smell bits of straw and chaff as if the autumn harvest is about to begin…”

Here is a link to the full review:

Review: Chinook Canadian Whisky

Of course I have offered a suggested recipe at the end of the review and have included a link to that recipe here:

The Canadian Cooler

Please enjoy the review and the included recipe.

Cheers!!

Posted in Canadian Whisky, Cocktails & Recipes, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review | Tagged: , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Chinook Canadian Whisky

Review: Canadian Mist Whisky

Posted by Arctic Wolf on July 31, 2011

Canadian Mist has been on the landscape of Canadian Whisky since the 1960’s when Barton Brands, Inc. of Chicago, contracted with a Quebec distillery, (Melcher’s), to supply bulk whisky to the United States for bottling and marketing. Based upon the potential of the new brand, Barton established their own plant in Collingwood, Ontario. Sales caught on south of the border very quickly, and Canadian Mist was soon the second most popular Canadian Whisky brand bottled stateside. In 1971, Brown-Forman Corporation bought Canadian Mist, and with further investments in marketing and promotion, Canadian Mist’s sales quadrupled in the ’70s and ’80s, to more than four million cases.

The brand is still owned by Brown-Forman, and it is still produced in Collingwood, Ontario. The whisky has always been produced for the American market where sales have remained strong. It is a triple distilled blended grain whisky made from corn, malted barley and rye. The water source for the distillery is the waters of Georgian Bay, part of Lake Huron, one of the largest (and purest) fresh water lakes in the world. The whisky is aged in charred oak barrels and blended in Collingwood, Ontario under the supervision of the Canadian Government.

Here is an excerpt from my review:

“…The initial entry in the mouth is mellow with a flavour of soft, lightly dank corn leading the way. There is a sweet tinge to the whisky with a honeyed spiciness quickly following making the whisky lively in the mouth but not sharp or uncomfortable…”

Here is a link to the full review:

Review: Canadian Mist Whisky

As well I have included a nice cocktail suggestion, the Buckeroo.

Please enjoy the review!

Posted in Canadian Whisky, Cocktails & Recipes, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review | Tagged: , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Canadian Mist Whisky

Review: Pendleton (Let ‘er Buck) Canadian Whisky

Posted by Arctic Wolf on July 24, 2011

Pendleton (Let ‘er Buck) Canadian Whisky is distilled and aged in Canada. The spirit is then transported to Oregon where it is brought to bottling proof by Hood River Distillers using the glacial fed waters from Mt. Hood. The whisky is named to honour the Pendleton Round-up, a well-respected rodeo in Pendleton, Oregon, and in fact, Pendleton Whisky sponsors numerous rodeos, including the aforementioned  the Pendleton Round-Up, the Cheyenne Frontier Days, and the Walla Walla Frontier Days.

A few websites mention that the spirit is aged for 10 years in American Oak barrels, but I could find no age statement on my whisky bottle or confirmation of a minimum age on the Hood River Distillers website. I think it is probably more correct to assume the brand is blended to a specific taste profile and the actual age of the blend may vary from batch to batch.

Here is an excerpt from my review:

“…The whisky has a crisp and smooth delivery. Rye and light oak spices lead out in front. Sweeter flavours of honey and toffee follow which are rounded out by ginger and a light touch of vanilla. I also taste hints of grain and straw, and a light touch of corn…”

Here is a link to the full review:

Review: Pendleton (Let ‘er Buck) Canadian Whisky

I have also included a nice cocktail suggestion at the end of the review called, The Canadian Mammy.

Please enjoy the review!

Posted in Canadian Whisky, Cocktails & Recipes, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review | Tagged: , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Pendleton (Let ‘er Buck) Canadian Whisky

Review: Bowmore 18 Year Old Single Malt Whisky

Posted by Arctic Wolf on July 17, 2011

The Bowmore Distillery sits at the edge of Loch Indaal where the briny breezes of the sea blow directly across and into the warehouses full of Bowmore whisky barrels. This means that at least some of that salty brine is bound to make its way into the casks and set its imprint into the flavour.  The distillery itself contains two pairs of stills, six Oregon washbacks, and it is one of the few remaining Scottish distilleries to produce its own malt on its own malting floor. The location of the distillery next to Loch Indaal, and the peated barley produced under Bowmore’s own malt drying kiln have been linked to the unique flavour and character of the whisky know as Bowmore.

I should mention that due to the sheer volume of whisky produced by Morrison Bowmore, there is insufficient room to age all of the casks in the Bowmore seaside warehouse facility, nor does the facilities’ malt floor have the capacity to produce all of the malted barley to meet Bowmore’s requirements. However, both portion of whisky aged in the Bowmore warehouses, and the portion of malted barley produced on their malt drying floor are significant such that these unique characteristics of the Bowmore Distillery are well worth noting.

The Bowmore 18 Year Old Single Malt Whisky is part of the core range of Bowmore Single Malts. This whisky is matured in a combination of American Bourbon Casks and Spanish Sherry casks. I was given a small set of 3 200 ml sample bottles of the Bowmore 12, the Bowmore 15 (Darkest) and the Bowmore 18 year Old Single Malt Whisky for review here on my website. My review of the Bowmore 18 Year Old is the third review in the series.

Here is an excerpt from my review:

“…The Bowmore 18 leads out with the rich taste of chocolate toffee which permeates all of the other flavours I encountered. The peat and sherry smoke flavours become evident immediately as they ride in the currents of that chocolate accenting the flavour with herbal tones from the peat and dry fruits (like raisins and prunes) from the sherry. The oak is making things just a little heated in the mouth but a strong undercurrent of sweetness works with this heat making everything taste delicious…”

You may read the full review here:

Review: Bowmore 18 Year Old Single Malt Whisky

Please enjoy the Review!

Posted in Scotch Whisky, Single Malt Whisky, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review | Tagged: , , , | Comments Off on Review: Bowmore 18 Year Old Single Malt Whisky

Review: Bowmore 15 Year Old (Darkest)

Posted by Arctic Wolf on July 3, 2011

The Bowmore Distillery is the oldest of the Islay Distilleries in Scotland, (and it is one of the oldest distilleries in all of Scotland). It sits at the edge of the sea on the craggy coastline of the Hebridean Island, and has sat there since 1779. This location close to the sea and of course close to the rich Islay peat has been linked to the distinctive floral and smoky character of the Bowmore Whisky. This character is a result of rich peat flavours being absorbed by the barley as it dries under the peated fire of the malt drying kiln, and of the whisky aging in the famous Bowmore seaside vaults (which are below sea-level) as the briny seaside air is allowed to mingle with the oak aging casks.

The Bowmore Darkest 15 Year Old Single Malt Whisky is part of the core range of Bowmore Single Malts. This whisky is matured in American Bourbon Casks and then ‘finished’ for 3 more years in Spanish Sherry casks. I was given a small set of 3 200 ml sample bottles of the Bowmore 12, the Bowmore 15 (Darkest) and the Bowmore 18 year Old Single Malt Whiskies for review here on my website. My review of the Bowmore Darkest 15 Year Old is the second review in the series.

Here is an excerpt from the review:

“…As the glass breathes, scents of charred caramel build as do the individual aromas of oak and peat. I sense a bit of boggy willow thicket and a little bit of muddy creek bottom in the glass as well. The dried fruit and chocolate from the sherry cask continue to pour out of the nose enveloping the other scents, and the overall effect is quite nice…”

You may read the full review here:

Review: Bowmore 15 Year Old (Darkest)

Please enjoy the Review!

Posted in Scotch Whisky, Single Malt Whisky, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review | Tagged: , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Bowmore 15 Year Old (Darkest)

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