I struggled with myself as to whether or not I should include Mister Sam on this list of my favourite Canadian Whiskies. There are two good reasons why it doesn’t belong. The first being that it technically is not a Canadian Whisky. It is instead a blend of Canadian and American Whiskies (although it is named for a great Canadian, Sam Bronfman). The second reason is that it is really hard to find, and a whisky which I purport to call one of my favourites, shouldn’t be one that I have so little access to.
On the other side of the coin is that this was perhaps the best whiskey I tasted all year, and in fact the one I enjoyed the most. Ever since receiving my sample bottle from Sazarac earlier this year, it has become that special bottle which I would sip on special occasions, or on a day where I just wanted to treat myself to something really special.
In the end, I decided that since the original Mister Sam (Sam Bronfman) was a Canadian, I could for the purposes of my 2019 list, make the Mister Sam Tribute Whiskey and honorary Canadian Whisky. And since it appears the whisky is about to be released in Alberta, and will be going forward a yearly release that should be easier to find, maybe it does belong on my list of favourites. (It is my list, so I can bend the rules if I want to.)
Here is a link to my review of the best whisky I tasted in 2019:
Review: Mister Sam Tribute Whiskey
I hope everyone enjoys the review as much I enjoyed the whiskey!
Chimo!
The 18 Year Old Canadian Whisky from J.P. Wiser’s has been on my list of favourites for years. In fact, not too many years ago, if someone would ask me what I thought the best whisky in Canada was, without hesitation I would say Wiser’s 18 Year Old. And you know what, that still might be true, because this is one really great whisky, full of fine oak spice. In fact, it is this fine oak spice that defines the whisky. You see, when a whisky ages or matures in oak, the first couple of years the whisky picks up vanillans and caramels from the barrel pretty easily, but once we get beyond those first few years, the major flavour attribute the barrel gives to the whisky is a fine spiciness that continues to grow the longer the whisky rests within.
Alberta Springs Canadian Whisky is the last of the so-called ‘economy’ whiskies on my 2019 list of favourites. It’s not really an ‘economy’ whisky, it’s really a 10 year old sipping whisky sold at an incredibly attractive price. The price is in fact so attractive, that this sipping whisky is a great choice for those who prefer high end mixers.
The Last Mountain Distillery is Saskatchewan’s first micro distillery. It is owned and operated by the husband and wife team of Colin and Meredith Schmidt. I have been following the Distillery ever since it opened in 2010. Last Mountain was in fact one of the very first Micro Distilleries to open its doors in Canada, and right from the very beginning the whisky they crafted caught my attention.
Canadian Club was, as advertised, my father’s favourite whisky. He loved the brand, and whenever we had some sort of important occasion he insisted that the only whisky we could serve was Canadian Club. So when I began to review spirits, and began to earn my reputation, the one person I could never win over with my reviews was my Dad. He didn’t care what I wrote, or how popular my reviews were, if I didn’t say that Canadian Club was the best whisky in Canada, then I obviously didn’t know what I was talking about.
The Rum Howler Blog 