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Archive for the ‘Whisk(e)y’ Category

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#6 Canadian Whisky – Crown Royal Cask No. 16

Posted by Arctic Wolf on December 20, 2013

rum_howler_badge- 25WHISKYCrown Royal® Canadian Whisky was originally introduced in 1939 (by Samuel Bronfman of Seagrams) as a special whisky bottling to commemorate the Royal tour of Canada by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in that year. Until 1964, the whisky was only available in Canada; however, today it is available world-wide and is in fact the number one Canadian whisky brand sold in the USA. Crown Royal is currently produced in Gimli Manitoba, at the Crown Royal Distillery which (since the dissolution of the Seagrams portfolio in 2000) is owned by the spirits conglomerate Diageo.

cask-16-bottleCask No. 16 was introduced in 2007; but was apparently discontinued in 2012. However, the whisky is still readily available (at least in the Alberta market), and when I checked the Crown Royal Website, I found it was still listed as part of the Crown Royal family.

According to the information found on their website, The Cask No. 16 is,

“Handcrafted from more than 50 different aged Canadian whiskies and then finished in Cognac Oak casks from the Limousin forest in France for another layer of richness and complexity.”

This spirit represents the second entry from Crown Royal in my Top 25 Canadian Whisky Countdown and it arrives at Number 6. Here is a link to my February 2010 review:

#6 Canadian Whisky – Crown Royal Cask No. 16

“…   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 …”

For those who prefer a more subdued corn profile and a milder rye like burn, this is probably the perfect Canadian whisky.  It is wonderfully luxurious and rich, yet full of character and complexity. Sip it neat, or on the rocks and you will not be disappointed.

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Note: You may follow my Countdown list of the 25 Best Canadian Whiskies here:   The Rum Howler 2013 – Top 25 Canadian Whiskies

Posted in Awards, Canadian Whisky, Extras, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review | Tagged: , , , , , , | Comments Off on #6 Canadian Whisky – Crown Royal Cask No. 16

#7 Canadian Whisky – Pendleton 1910

Posted by Arctic Wolf on December 19, 2013

rum_howler_badge- 25WHISKYPendleton Whisky is named to honour The Pendleton Round-up, a rodeo in Pendleton Oregon, and in fact, Pendleton Whisky sponsors numerous other rodeos, including the aforementioned  the Pendleton Round-Up, the Cheyenne Frontier Days, and the Walla Walla Frontier Days.

Their premium whisky, Pendleton 1910 Canadian Whisky, is definitely a spirit with a western flair. It is crafted from a 100 % rye blend, distilled and oak-aged in Canada for 12 years. After the spirit is fully matured, it is transported to Oregon in bulk where it is brought to bottling proof by Hood River Distillers using the glacial fed waters from Mt. Hood.

a1910Note: I was able to confirm that the whisky is distilled by Alberta Distillers Limited (ADL) in Calgary, Alberta. ADL is the largest distiller of rye whisky in the world.

The folks down at Hood River are onto something good as their 12-year-old 100 % rye whisky checks into my Top 25 Canadian Whisky Countdown in the Number 7 position. Here is a link to my September 2012 Review:

#7 Canadian Whisky – Pendleton 1910

“… The Pendleton 1910 is sweet and spicy. It displays sweet honey and butterscotch complimented beautifully by a spicy oak and rye presence. I taste real cereal grain in the glass, mostly rye grain, but also hints of sweeter corn. Fresh tobacco, sandalwood, cardamom and ginger add to the spicy rye flavour. A delicate dusting of cinnamon heats up the palate further while the honey, maple and butterscotch continue to provide just the right amount of sweetness …”

Pendleton 1910 reminds me of why I love rye whisky!  The combination of spicy rye and sweet butterscotch is just about perfect.

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Note: You may follow my Countdown list of the 25 Best Canadian Whiskies here:   The Rum Howler 2013 – Top 25 Canadian Whiskies

Posted in Awards, Canadian Whisky, Extras, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Comments Off on #7 Canadian Whisky – Pendleton 1910

#8 Canadian Whisky – Centennial 10 Year Old Canadian Whisky

Posted by Arctic Wolf on December 18, 2013

rum_howler_badge- 25WHISKYFor those who are not familiar with our Canadian Whisky; it is, for the most part, distilled from three grains: corn, barley and rye. However, one distillery in Western Canada, Highwood Distillers, has been doing things a bit differently. Highwood uses local Canadian prairie wheat as the distillation base for all of their Highwood branded whisky. According to the folks at the distillery, wheat alcohol rather than barley or corn alcohol, has less heavy non-digestible components which makes for an extremely smooth easy to drink whisky. The brand which sits at the top of the ladder as Highwood’s premier wheat based whisky is their Centennial 10 Year Old Canadian Whisky.

Centennial_RyeWhen I first encountered this spirit in early winter of 2009 I was quite smitten the whisky’s smooth character and lovely flavour nuances. I was pleased, when after I wrote my review, that almost everyone who commented upon my website seemed to echo my sentiments. This year, in the fall of 2013, my judging panel echoed those sentiments as well, and when the scores were tallied, the Centennial 10 Year Old Canadian Whisky was found to be ranked Number 8 in my Top 25 Canadian Whisky Countdown.

You may read my original review by clicking the link below:

#8 Canadian Whisky – Centennial 10 Year Old Canadian Whisky

“A clean crisp rye which fairly oozes honey and spice. This is polished and subdued, with the hard rye buffed and smoothed. The spices are light and enjoyable, and I find the balance to be superb. A purist of Canadian rye may complain that the rye flavour sits too far backward in the taste profile, but I disagree. The entire presentation is smooth and mellow. No awkward heavy notes spoil the parade …”

The entire experience of this rye whisky is completely enjoyable. The only possible flaw would be that I would consider the spirit to be a mood whisky. The mood is mellow and smooth almost to the point of suave. It is possible that the consumer may occasionally want a little harder kick in the throat when he (or she) chooses rye whisky to drink. But for a more sublime rye experience, this is one of the best!

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Note: You may follow my Countdown list of the 25 Best Canadian Whiskies here:   The Rum Howler 2013 – Top 25 Canadian Whiskies

Posted in Awards, Canadian Whisky, Extras, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review | Tagged: , , , , , | Comments Off on #8 Canadian Whisky – Centennial 10 Year Old Canadian Whisky

# 9 Canadian Whisky – Ninety 5 Year Old Canadian Rye Whisky (Century Distillers)

Posted by Arctic Wolf on December 17, 2013

rum_howler_badge- 25WHISKYJust before the disruptions caused by flooding this past summer in Southern Alberta, Highwood Distillers released a limited quantity of their new “Ninety” branded whiskies under their Century Distillers banner. The news of these whisky releases was unfortunately drowned out (quite literally) by the waters that engulfed Southern Alberta. If you followed the news regarding the aftermath of the flood  (see story here) you will know that it took more than a few weeks for the company to bring itself back onto its feet. In fact, all of the bottled inventory in Highwood’s warehouse had to be destroyed due to potential contamination from the water that penetrated the distillery.

Ninety_5_Year_Old_An unfortunate victim of all this disruption was those “Ninety” branded whiskies which all but disappeared from liquor store shelves as Highwood had to temporarily abandon production of this new brand in order to focus on re-establishing their other major brands across Canada. The good news is that the Ninety branded whiskies are about to be relaunched. Sometime in early 2014, both the Ninety 5 Year Old and the Ninety 20 Year Old should be making a re-appearance in Alberta and British Columbia, and their first appearance in Ontario.

When these brands return, consumers are in for a treat as my Rum Chums and I (after tasting 45 of the best whiskies Canada has to offer) have determined that the Ninety (Premium cask Aged) 5 Year Old Whisky ranks Number 9 in my Top 25 Canadian Whisky Countdown.

You may read my first complete review of this marvelous whisky here;

# 9 Canadian Whisky – Ninety 5 Year Old Canadian Rye Whisky (Century Distillers)

“… The mouth-feel is soft as the whisky crosses the palate with flavours of wood spice, dusty rye, and very light flavours of butterscotch and corn syrup. Although the whisky is aged for only five years, the oak spiciness it brings forward is firm with impressions of citrus peel and tobacco growing in the glass. I taste a hint of honey sweetness, a gentle sweep of vanilla, and a vague mustiness of baby corns underlying the other flavours within the whisky …”

Although the Ninety (Premium cask Aged) 5 Year Old Whisky is a relatively young whisky, it has character and smoothness well beyond its years.

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Note: You may follow my Countdown list of the 25 Best Canadian Whiskies here:   The Rum Howler 2013 – Top 25 Canadian Whiskies

Posted in Awards, Canadian Whisky, Extras, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review | Tagged: , , , , , | Comments Off on # 9 Canadian Whisky – Ninety 5 Year Old Canadian Rye Whisky (Century Distillers)

# 10 Canadian Whisky – Forty Creek Portwood Reserve 2012

Posted by Arctic Wolf on December 16, 2013

rum_howler_badge- 25WHISKYForty Creek Whisky (as you know if you have been following this countdown) has for the past several years produced a special limited release whisky and allowed the public to participate in its release by offering to let those who pre-order the whisky to choose their own numbered bottle(s). These special release whiskies are built upon the foundation of the company’s flagship whisky, Forty Creek Barrel Select, and are actually versions of this whisky which have spent additional time finishing in certain selected oak barrels. Last year’s special release was the Forty Creek Portwood Reserve – 2012 Whisky.

PortwoodWhat makes this whisky special is that this edition of Forty Creek Whisky has been finished in Port Wine Barrels. The whisky was produced at 45 % alcohol by volume and was limited to only 6600 bottles.

I almost decided not to include the Portwood Reserve in my Countdown, not because I felt it wasn’t worthy (it definitely is); but rather because this particular bottling is almost gone. When I checked the AGLC and LCBO listings, I discovered that the Portwood Reserve is only available in very limited quantities as this whisky is almost sold out. My suggestion to those who are fans of Forty Creek Whisky is that if you do not have this whisky or if you want to gift a bottle this Christmas, you had better act fast. The Number 10 Canadian Whisky in my Christmas Advent Countdown, the Forty Creek Portwood Reserve (2012), will be all but gone by the end of this year.

You may read my 2012 review here:

# 10 Canadian Whisky – Forty Creek Portwood Reserve 2012

“… The scents and smells rising into the breezes above the glass remind me of dark ripe BC cherries, blackberries and raspberries. Some dry fruit sensations (reminiscent of raisins and prunes) are part of the overall fruit and berry aroma. Subtle but firm impressions of cinnamon and cloves join in with a bit of sweet Demerara sugar thrown in for good measure …

Glowing embers of cinnamon and cloves seem to take hold of the whisky in the exit. Rye spices, ginger and cardamom join in with vanilla and Demerara sugar chasing them.This is a beautiful sipping whisky!

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Note: You may follow my Countdown list of the 25 Best Canadian Whiskies here:   The Rum Howler 2013 – Top 25 Canadian Whiskies

Posted in Awards, Canadian Whisky, Extras, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review | Tagged: , , , , , , | Comments Off on # 10 Canadian Whisky – Forty Creek Portwood Reserve 2012

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