When the Alberta Premium 30 Year Old Limited Edition Rye Whisky hit the store shelves in June of 2011 it caused quite a furor. A fully aged 30 Year Old whisky (the oldest 100 % Rye Whisky ever produced) and it was on sale in most retail locations for a ridiculously low $49.95. Within weeks of its release the 30 Year Old Whisky was sold out almost everywhere.
I still have a few bottles which I treasure, and although they were inexpensive, I prize them as highly (or perhaps maybe even more highly) than my much more expensive well aged Single Malt scotches. That is because this whisky is simply better than almost every one of them. Price does not dictate quality, care and attention do. And this whisky is the proof of that.
Here is a link to my review of the #11 Spirit in my Rum Howler 2015 Top 100 Spirits Countdown:
#11 – Alberta Premium 30 Year Old Limited Edition Rye Whisky
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You may follow my Countdown list of the 100 Best Spirits here: The Rum Howler 2015 – Top 100 Spirit
Canadian Club Whisky
Forty Creek’s Whisky Maker John Hall, ages rye, barley and corn whiskies in their own special barrels, and then brings them together for an unspecified amount of time in re-used sherry barrels to marry the flavours of each whisky together. The result is his flagship whisky, Forty Creek Barrel Select. When making the Forty Creek Double Barrel Reserve, he decided to place the three whiskies into seasoned bourbon barrels. This double barreling allows the subtle qualities offered by the bourbon barrel to enhance the finishing of the whisky.
The Bruichladdich 1989 Black Art is just such a bottling. Master Blender, Jim McEwan, used 1989 Vintage whisky stocks and a secret combination of wine finishing casks to create this unusual Vintage Single Malt Whisky. Although I have tried to find out which types of wine casks were used to finish this whisky, my research was to no avail. Apparently, Mr McEwan didn’t allow anybody to see. All we know is what is written on the bottle …
Alberta Springs is produced by Alberta Distillers Ltd. (owned by Beam-Suntory) in the City of Calgary at the ADL Distillery which is renowned for producing the largest quantity of rye grain whisky in the world. This means that Alberta Springs is very much a rye based whisky. However, Rick Murphy, the Production Superintendent at ADL did tell me that the blend is subject to economic dictates, and therefore the distillery will also use varying amounts of corn in the blended whisky.
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