The Rum Howler Blog

(A Website for Spirited Reviews)

  • Copyright

    Copyright is inherent when an original work is created. This means that the producer of original work is automatically granted copyright protection. This copyright protection not only exists in North America, but extends to other countries as well. Thus, all of the work produced on this blog is protected by copyright, including all of the pictures and all of the articles. These original works may not be copied or reused in any way whatsoever without the permission of the author, Chip Dykstra.

  • Cocktails and Recipes

    Click Image for Awesome Recipes

  • Industry Interviews

    Interviews

    Click the Image for Great Interviews with the Movers of Industry

  • The Rum Howler Interview (Good Food Revolution)

    Click on the Image to see my interview on Good Food Revolution

  • The Rum Howler Blog

    Unknown's avatar

  • Rum Reviews

  • Whisky Reviews

  • Gin Reviews

  • Tequila Reviews

  • Vodka Reviews

  • Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

    Join 1,090 other subscribers

  • Subscribe

  • Visitors

    • 15,373,108 pageviews since inception

  • Archives

  • Follow The Rum Howler Blog on WordPress.com

Posts Tagged ‘Canadian Whisky’

« Previous Entries
Next Entries »

Review: Laird of Fintry Single Malt (Okanagan Spirits)

Posted by Arctic Wolf on August 5, 2022

Laird of Fintry Single Malt is produced in small batches at the Okanagan Spirits Craft Distillery. This whisky came to my attention when I was acting as a juror for the 2022 Canadian Whisky Awards. I ear marked my blind sample (No. 28 by the way) as one which stood out in its grouping and after the judging was complete and the whiskies were unblinded, I decided I should take the remainder of my sample and write up more detailed tasting notes. I was not surprised that Okanagan Spirits Craft Distillery was named 2022 Canadian Whisky Awards Craft Distillery of the Year based on the strength of this and the other whiskies in their growing portfolio.

Laird of Fintry Single Malt  is a bit of a unicorn. The spirit is available only once per year via a lottery drawing at the Distillery. It is produced using 100% B.C. malted barley and aged in both French and American Oak casks.

Here is a link to my full review:

Review: Laird of Fintry Single Malt (Okanagan Spirits)

“… Heather, meadow grass and flowers, willow with a light sweetness riding the wind currents.  Mint, hints of vanilla and almond. The scents and smells are pleasant and engaging with a lightly herbal character accented by floral impressions. I like the nose which demonstrates nuance and finesse …”

Please enjoy my review which concludes with my serving suggestion, the Laird of the Fintry Cocktail.

Chimo!

Posted in Canadian Whisky, Single Malt Whisky, Whisk(e)y | Tagged: , , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Laird of Fintry Single Malt (Okanagan Spirits)

Review: Shelter Point Single Cask Rye Whisky (Cask No. 6)

Posted by Arctic Wolf on June 10, 2022

The Shelter Point Farm and Distillery was established in 2011. It is located on 380 acres in Oyster River, BC, about halfway up the eastern side of Vancouver Island. The farm and distillery contains 2 kilometers of oceanfront, a natural mosaic of streams, a salmon-bearing river, wetlands, forests and fields which are all shared with native wildlife. This land has been farmed for generations and remains one of the last seaside farms on the Island.

Shelter Point Single Cask Rye is a Distillery Exclusive available at the distillery as well as online as new casks are bottled. The whisky is made from 100% rye grain and bottled with its natural colour (non-chill filtering) at cask strength (usually between 58 % and 60 % alcohol by volume).

Here is a link to my full review:

Review: Shelter Point Single Cask Rye Whisky (Cask No. 6)

“… Big beautiful oak notes complimented by vanilla and butterscotch. There is a robust grain and rye combination followed by graham wafers, hints of maple and almond extract. The oak and rye notes just keep growing reminding me of a waving grain fields set beside an expanse of forest …”

Please enjoy my review!

Chimo!

 

Posted in Canadian Whisky, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review, Whisky Review | Tagged: , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Shelter Point Single Cask Rye Whisky (Cask No. 6)

Review: J.P. Wiser’s Triple Barrel Rye

Posted by Arctic Wolf on June 3, 2022

John Philip (J.P.) Wiser, purchased a distillery in Prescott Ontario in 1857, and began to produce Wiser’s Whisky.  In fact, it may have been J.P. Wiser who first used the term “Canadian Whiskey” on a whisky label when he introduced his spirit to the World at the Chicago’s World Fair in 1893. From the beginning J.P. Wiser established his brand as a quality whisky with high standards of production. As a result, the distillery grew side by side with the popularity of Wiser’s style of whisky, and by the early 1900′s Wiser’s was the third largest distiller of whisky in Canada.

J.P. Wiser’s Triple Barrel Rye was recently released across Canada.

According to the J.P. Wiser’s website:

Our Triple Barrel Rye whisky is a unique blend of toasted grains, oak, and rich toffee.  It combines distillates from used whisky, first-fill bourbon, and virgin oak casks.

I reviewed the Triple Barrel Whisky from J.P. Wiser’s five years ago based on a small sample provided when I served as a juror for the 2017 Canadian Whisky Awards. Since so much time has passed, I thought I would revisit the whisky and provide fresh tasting notes and new scoring.

Here is a link to that my new review:

Review: J.P. Wiser’s Triple Barrel Rye

“… Backbone of oak with maple and vanilla providing support. Lots of rye and leather. Raisins, dark chocolate and baking spice (allspice and cinnamon). Tobacco and toasted walnuts come though as does a bourbon-like impression of fresh oak planks dripping with sap, glue and resin. …”

I hope you enjoy the fresh review as well as my serving suggestion including in the write-up.

Chimo!

Posted in Canadian Whisky, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review, Whisky Review | Tagged: , , , , | Comments Off on Review: J.P. Wiser’s Triple Barrel Rye

Review: Liberator Rye Whisky 

Posted by Arctic Wolf on May 20, 2022

The Liberator brand is an authentic small batch craft spirits brand produced by Highwood Distillers to honor the WWII RCAF base that was located in their home town of High River as well as to honor the brave men and women who fought in WWII. This is a small volume craft offering created such that Highwood Distillers would have a line-up of 100% Alberta made craft spirits produced for the local market.

According to Michael Nychyk, Operations Manager at the Distillery:

This is a small volume brand in our portfolio; but we are proud it honours the RCAF and their connection to High River. And not to mention the spirits are great quality!

Liberator Rye is distilled using locally sourced wheat in small batches. Highwood uses water from a Rocky Mountain fed aquifer to bring the distillate to 75 % abv. and then ages the whisky in a single fill used bourbon barrel for five years. Once the whisky is mature it is blended with aged rye grain whisky to achieve the desired rye-forward whisky flavour profile. At that point the whisky is processed through a multi stage filtration system to polish the final product, after which it is bottled at 42 % alcohol by volume with hand applied closures and labels.

Here is a link to the full review of Highwood’s hand crafted Rye Whisky:

Review: Liberator Rye Whisky 

“… Things begin with a nice push of fine oak spices and rye-like grain spices. There is a lovely toffee sweetness with almond and vanilla emerging as well. A somewhat grassy tobacco aroma lifts out of the glass with hints of ginger spice and perhaps a touch of cinnamon, nutmeg and milk chocolate …”

Please enjoy my review which concludes with my serving suggestion, the Rye Whisky Splash.

Chimo!

Posted in Canadian Whisky, Whisk(e)y, Whisky Review | Tagged: , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Liberator Rye Whisky 

Review: Canadian Club Chronicles Issue 4 – 44 Year Old (The Whisky Sixes)

Posted by Arctic Wolf on May 13, 2022

For each of the past four years Canadian Club has been releasing Canada’s oldest age stated Whisky. And each year, that release has been getting one year older. It started in 2017 with the Canadian Club 40 Year Old. According to my sources, that 40 year old Whisky was produced from a selection of American Oak barrels which contained 100% corn whisky.

Each year since then that original whisky has been getting older. You see the folks at Canadian Club didn’t release all of that spirit, they held back much more than they released. And so the following year they again released part of that original whisky but aged one more year. And they have done so every year since. Each year they tinker just a little with that portion of that original liquid they release to make each year’s release unique from the other by more than just one year of aging.

This year’s release pays tribute to the notorious bootleggers and the roadsters they used to whisk across the Detroit River bring whisky to other side during the winter freeze. It also celebrates Canadian Club, the unofficial whisky of the prohibition era. This homage is in the form of the tagline given to the spirit, The Whiskey Sixes.

Here is a link to my full review:

Review: Canadian Club Chronicles Issue 4 – 44 Year Old (The Whisky Sixes)   

“…. The build-up continues, and now I notice marzipan forming from the vanilla, butterscotch and almond. Rich toffee has been created fine oak and rye spices. When the final evolution is complete the nose seems to hint that this spirit was not intended for mortals …”

Please enjoy my review of the oldest expression of Canadian Whisky that I have ever tasted.

Chimo!

Posted in Canadian Whisky, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review, Whisky Review | Tagged: , , , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Canadian Club Chronicles Issue 4 – 44 Year Old (The Whisky Sixes)

« Previous Entries
Next Entries »