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Archive for the ‘Whisk(e)y’ Category

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Whisky Review: Crown Royal XR Canadian Whisky

Posted by Arctic Wolf on March 21, 2010

This is the last review in the series of reviews I am doing for the Crown Royal Family of Whiskies.  My previous reviews were for the regular Crown Royal Whisky, The Crown Royal Reserve, and The Crown Royal Cask No. 16.  I missed the Crown Royal Limited Edition but that’s the way things go sometimes, and unless I receive a sample bottle for review it shall remain omitted, as I think everyone can get a good feeling for the Crown Royal family based upon the four completed reviews.

Here is an excerpt from the latest review:

“…The XR has a rich oak filled nose with a definite bourbon flair accented by vanilla and toffee scents.    A swirl of my glass reveals all kinds of legs.  An army of long skinny legs first trails quickly back into the glass followed by fat droopy legs which gather as droplets on the sides of the glass…”

You can read more here:


Review: Crown Royal XR (Extra Rare) Canadian Whisky

 

Please enjoy the review and the premium cocktails provided!


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

Whisky Review: McClellands Highland Single Malt

Posted by Arctic Wolf on March 18, 2010

The McClelland’s whisky brand is comprised of four main expressions, each associated with a particular region, or maybe I should say style, of Scottish whisky.  The Brand is owned by Morrison Bowmore Distillers, but each whisky in the line up is distilled separately in the region for which it is named.  For example, the McClelland’s Highland Single Malt Whisky, is distilled in the Highland region of Scotland and selected to represent the character and essence of that particular whisky region and style.

In this respect the McClelland’s Single Malt Whiskies have been constructed very well as in a blind taste test I was able without much difficulty to determine the Scotch whisky region each bottle represented.

Over the next several weeks I shall be examining the McClelland range of whiskies doing a separate review for each regional whisky.  Here is an excerpt from the first review for the McClelland Highland Single Malt Scotch:

“The whisky is somewhat of a pale orange/gold colour in the glass.   When I swirl the glass I notice only a light oil and very skinny legs on the sides of the glass.  I receive distinct floral notes combined with laid back malty sugars . Rising up immediately after wards are scents of elderberries…”

The complete review may be read here….


Review: McClellands Highland Single Malt

Please enjoy the review!

Posted in Cocktails & Recipes, Scotch Whisky, Single Malt Whisky, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review | Tagged: , , , , , | Comments Off on Whisky Review: McClellands Highland Single Malt

Whisky Review: (Highwood Distillers) White Owl Whisky

Posted by Arctic Wolf on March 4, 2010

There is a new whisky in Canada, and  it is completely different from any other whisky I have seen. The distillation mash for the whisky is based on wheat, not barley or corn, which is not as surprising as you may think, as the distillers of White Owl Whisky are Highwood Distillers, based in High River, Alberta. They have, after all, been distilling their very wonderful Centennial Whisky with a wheat based mash for many years. It is the next feature of the whisky which I found most interesting and unusual. This is a clear aged  whiskey! In fact if the bottle did not say whisky on the front you might think you were buying Vodka…until you opened the bottle, at which time you would realize that the spirit in the bottle is unmistakably whisky!  The whisky achieves its clear form by the means of carbon filtration. Highwood crafts and blends an aged whisky, and then runs it through a filtration process to remove all colour and smooth out the taste profile. This is a first for me, and I believe a first for Canadian Whisky! In fact Highwood makes the claim that this may be the first clear well aged whisky ever produced.

White Owl Whisky is the creation of Master Blender Glen Hopkins.  The whisky produced in High River is from locally supplied wheat which Hopkins claims “is the best source” for whisky in the entire world.  So without further ado, let me introduce Highwood’s  White Owl Whisky.

Here is an excerpt from my review:

“As I take the first sip, the first impression I have is of a soft whisky flavour accented by a hint of licorice.  The oak flavours are mild and there is no harsh tannin or unbridled spice.  Yet in the background, if you let it develop, that true Canadian rye whisky spice and flavour present themselves.  Butterscotch rises and falls as does the hint of licorice and even a touch of cereal grain.  It is all very mellow and very good…”

You may read the full review here:

Review: (Highwood Distillers) White Owl Canadian Whisky

Of course I have provided a few nice cocktails which follow the review.

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Highwood Distillers of High River, Alberta was created as Sunnyvale Distillers in 1974.  During the first 35 years, the company saw moderate but steady growth.  A new management team was put in place in 1997, and in 2005 that the company asserted itself as a dominant player in the Canadian whisky industry with the acquisition of the Potters brand (Andres Wines).   With this new growth came the need for physical expansion of the facility, new equipment for packaging and a new warehouse directly across the street from the Distillery.  I had the opportunity to tour this new facility on February 17, 2010, and you can find my write up on this tour here:

The Highwood Distillery Tour

Highwood is now a major player in the Canadian Whisky category.  They are the only independent, Alberta owned, distillery in the world.  Boasting aged whisky stocks of up to 30 years, the company is poised to continue its success story into the future.

Posted in Canadian Whisky, Cocktails & Recipes, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review | Tagged: , , , , | 23 Comments »

Whisky Review: Crown Royal Cask No. 16 Canadian Whisky

Posted by Arctic Wolf on February 17, 2010

I have completed my third review of the Crown Royal Family  of Canadian Whiskies.    With the Crown Royal Cask No. 16 we have one of the truly great Canadian Whiskies. A blend of over 50 individual whiskies, (all of them well aged), and the ‘piece de resistance’ , the final blend is refinished in french oak cognac casks.  While I was reviewing the cask No. 16 I found it to be a huge leap forward in the Crown Royal Family. Here is an excerpt from my review:

“…The first sensation in my mouth was of an incredible softness that this whisky presents.  It is almost chewy soft.  A mellow corn whisky is up front on the palate, but rich soft butterscotch and caramel and sweet brown sugar sit under the corn flavour supporting and enhancing the experience.  A nice spicy bite which has the hallmarks of pears and grapes grabs at the taste buds.   Carrying all of this flavour forward is a wonderful mild oak presence that never dominates.  The oak acts as it should, as a garnish which heightens the other flavours with its presence….”

You may read the full review and find my new cocktail recipe called  Sweet No. 16 here:

Review: Crown Royal Cask No. 16 Canadian Whisky

Posted in Canadian Whisky, Cocktails & Recipes, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review | Tagged: , , , , | Comments Off on Whisky Review: Crown Royal Cask No. 16 Canadian Whisky

Howling Highlight: Interview with James Robertson

Posted by Arctic Wolf on February 10, 2010

An Interview with James Robertson
by Chip Dykstra (Aka Arctic Wolf)

At the Edmonton Food and Wine Festival.

At the Rocky Mountain Food and Wind Festival, I had the privilege of meeting up with James  Robertson, the International Brand Manager for Tulllibardine Distillery. This distillery is one of many that had been mothballed, by previous ownership, and was now being resurrected and brought back on stream by a dedicated group of businessmen. James, who treated me with what I can only describe as with the utmost class and respect, agreed to a small interview.

I thought I would try to capture some of the  story of the excitement surrounding the reopening of the distillery for my readers.

Question # 1

How long have you worked for theTullibardine Distillery, and what is your role within the company?

Since April 2008 and I am the International Sales Manager looking after key markets around the world. I cover both sales and brand ambassadorial roles.

Question # 2

Exactly when was the Tullibardine distillery closed, and why?

White and Mackay closed Tullibardine in 1995 due to over production in the whisky industry at the time and also due to the fact that Tullibardine was not a core part of their portfolio.

Question #3

Do you know how the decision came about to reopen the Distillery?

A group of businessmen some connected with the whisky industry saw the potential for Tullibardine and approached W&M to sell it to them including all the old stock.

Question #4

It must have been exciting to unlock the gates/doors to the distillery for the first time when it reopened.  Can you tell me something about that feeling if you were there?

I was not there but I do know that there was an amazing feeling of purchasing a part of Scotland’s Heritage and also realizing a dream.

Question #5

I really can’t imagine the old barrels of whiskey, which were part of the repurchase.  Were they still inside the distillery or had they been stored offsite and cared for elsewhere?

All the casks were here under lock and key in the original warehouse where they had been put once filled. The oldest due to be bottled sometime soon is a quarter cask from 1952, then there are casks from the 1960’s, 1970’s and 1980’s.

Question #6

Tullibardine seems to be following the model of Bruichladdich, with a variety of new cask finishes coming to market.  Is this fair? How is Tullibardine different, and how are you maintaining the old traditions of the distillery?

Bruichladdich reopened 2 years before us having also been closed by W&M. we have followed what they have done closely as they have a similar problem of no stock for the period when the stills were closed. We have not followed their model totally as they have issued over 100 different bottlings whilst we have been probably more selective but they have an advantage in that Islay is very popular whilst we as a distillery were never known for our Single Malts in the past. That said we have proved that we can produce good Single Malt and our new production with the quality of the casks that we have been buying has improved our product immeasurably.

Question #7

Tell me about Tullibardine’s new Whiskeys coming to market.

We have just bottled the Tullibardine Aged Oak which is predominantly single malt from 2004, so post re-opening with a small amount of older Tullibardine added to give it some complexity. We will continue with our Wood Finish Range and there should be a Rum Finish out in the first part of 2010, along with a few single cask bottlings.

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I would like to thank James Robertson and the Tulllibardine Distillery for taking the time for this interview. For those interested I have completed a review of the Tullibardine 1988 Vintage bottling, and that review can be found here:

Review: Tullibardine 1988 Vintage Edition

Posted in Interviews, Whisk(e)y | Tagged: , , , , | Comments Off on Howling Highlight: Interview with James Robertson

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