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Posts Tagged ‘Highwood Distillers’

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2019 Rum Howler Favourite 20 Canadian Whiskies: #1 – Ninety “Decades of Richness” 20 Year Old Canadian Rye Whisky

Posted by Arctic Wolf on December 22, 2019

I have a particular fondness for the Highwood Distillery. Part of the reason, is that it was the first major Canadian Distillery that visited, and when I was there, I was treated so well that I could not help but have good thoughts towards them. Another part of the reason is that Highwood is 100 % Canadian owned and operated and that means something to me. But the main reason I am fond of the the Highwood Distillery is that they make some of the best whisky in Canada if not the entire world.

Ninety “Decades of Richness” 20 Year Old Canadian Rye Whisky is one of their truly great whiskies. Made from 100 % corn it is a single grain whisky aged for a full 20 years and bottled at 45 % alcohol or 90 proof. And … I can usually find a bottle for about $40.00.  This makes the 20 year old whisky from Highwood perhaps the best whisky bargain in the entire country.

All of these factors, make the Ninety “Decades of Richness” 20 Year Old my favourite whisky to recommend to friends and family. And for that reason, it tops my list as my favourite Canadian Whisky of 2019.

Here is a link to my review:

Review: Ninety “Decades of Richness” 20 Year Old

“… Tasting notes do not adequately reflect how good this whisky actually is. The words which I wrote down a year ago to describe the flavour are correct: oak, cedar, corn, butterscotch, vanilla, orange peel, marmalade, almond and tobacco, but they do not adequately convey how rich and flavourful this whisky is …”

Chimo!

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2019 Rum Howler Favourite 20 Canadian Whiskies: #18 – Highwood Canadian Rye Whisky

Posted by Arctic Wolf on December 5, 2019

Highwood Canadian Rye Whisky is the least expensive whisky on this list. In fact, it is usually sold in a Plastic PET bottle and found on the bottom shelf at the liquor store. But don’t let looks deceive you. Behind that ordinary looking label and inside that unassuming plastic bottle is a remarkable whisky.

It is surprisingly smooth for a young whisky (about 5 years old) with melded flavours of butterscotch and honey, rye and wood spices, and a light dab of vanilla, and with a simple ice-cube added the whisky is delicious. Add a splash of ginger -ale and you have perhaps the best Canadian whisky high ball in the entire nation.

The whisky is in fact my go to whisky for back deck rye and gingers. I love rye and ginger ale, so it is easy to see how this unassuming whisky made my list of my 20 favourites of 2019.

Here is a link to my review:

Review: Highwood Canadian Rye Whisky

“… Honeycomb, ginger, wood spice, and a light dab of vanilla all support a wonderfully clean, dusty rye flavour. There is polish in evidence here, but a little rough and tumble too, as the wood spices liven the mouth-feel and take me back in time to when rye was the King of Canadian Spirits …”

Enjoy Everybody Chimo!

 

Posted in Canadian Whisky, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review | Tagged: , , , | Comments Off on 2019 Rum Howler Favourite 20 Canadian Whiskies: #18 – Highwood Canadian Rye Whisky

Review: Hundred Volt Canadian Whisky

Posted by Arctic Wolf on April 25, 2018

The Highwood Distillery is the only large locally (Albertan) owned distillery in Canada. It sits in the heart of the High River community, producing more than 300,000 cases of bottled spirits per year. Although the bulk of their production goes towards Vodka, Flavoured Vodka, and Premixes, they also produce a sizable (and growing) amount of Canadian Whisky each year. I consider the whisky produced at their distillery to be a unique product unlike anything else on the Canadian whisky landscape (I also find it very tasty). What is so original about the Highwood Whisky is the batch process they employ (see here).

Highwood’s  Hundred Volt Whisky is produced from prairie grains (corn and rye) in a batch style distillation (the grains are distilled and aged separately). The different styles of whisky are aged 3 to 5 years in charred American white oak barrels (without the addition of additives), and when they are mature, they is blended to produce that distinctive Canadian ‘rye’ flavour profile consistent with Canadian Whisky. The Hundred Volt Whisky is bottled at 50 % alcohol by volume, (One Hundred Proof).

Here is a link to my full review:

Review: Hundred Volt Canadian Whisky

“… The nose is just a touch astringent as the high alcohol proof shows itself in the breezes. A nice combination of soft butterscotch, vanilla and almond scents reveal themselves along with some fine oak spices which gives the whisky a dusty dry appealing quality. Light accents of orange peel, ginger and cigarette tobacco can be found within the oak spice …”

Please enjoy my review of this new Canadian Whisky from Highwood Distillers.

Chimo

Posted in Canadian Whisky, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review | Tagged: , , , , | 2 Comments »

Review: Canadian Rockies 21 Year Old Whisky

Posted by Arctic Wolf on April 19, 2018

Canadian Rockies 21 Year Old Whisky is produced for The Fountana Group Canada  by Highwood Distillers right here in my home Province of Alberta. The Fountana Group contracted Highwood to produce a well aged whisky for export to Asia where it apparently has been well received. The spirit is now a standard bottling (still owned by the Fountana Group) made also for the Canadian Market.

According to the information provided me, the spirit is (as it was before) distilled and aged by Highwood Distillers. It is a 100% corn whisky bottled at 46% alcohol by volume.

Here is a link to my recent review of what I believe was the best Canadian Whisky produced in 2017:

Review: Canadian Rockies 21 Year Old Whisky

“… The initial breezes above the glass brought me impressions of dusty grain fields and firm oak spices. Soon I began to notice orange peel and butterscotch scents moving together over time creating impressions of marmalade and caramel toffee. There were also lovely hints of cinnamon and vanilla weaving within the breezes …”

Please enjoy the review!

Chimo!

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#Top100CanadianWhisky #7: Ninety “Decades of Richness” 20 Year Old

Posted by Arctic Wolf on December 17, 2017

In November of 2005, Highwood Distillers finalized the purchase of Potters Distilleries (founded by Ernie Potter in 1958). Part of this acquisition, was the purchase of all of the remaining barrel aged stocks of whisky in the Potters facility. These barrels of whisky were transferred from the Potters warehouse facilities in Kelowna, B.C. to the newly constructed warehouse facility in High River, Alberta, where they were allowed to continue to age at the foot of the Rocky Mountains on the western edge of the Canadian Prairies. The whisky brands which Potters Distilleries had established (Century and Potters) were added to Highwood’s portfolio of spirits where they have not only been maintained but also expanded upon. Part of that expansion was the 2013 addition of the ‘Ninety’ branded whiskies to the Century Distillers line-up. Like the other whiskies in the Century portfolio, the Ninety branded spirits are corn-based rather than wheat-based blends. (Highwood Distillers uses the Highwood brand for all of its wheat based whiskies.)

Highwood chose the brand name ‘Ninety’ because these new whiskies are bottled at 90 proof (or 45 % alcohol by volume) rather than the usual 80 proof (40 % alcohol by volume). The higher bottling strength means that the final whisky will retain a character closer to the original cask strength whiskies from which they were blended. In the case of the Ninety “Decades of Richness” 20 Year Old Canadian Rye Whisky, the bulk of blend almost certainly has been drawn from Highwood’s treasured reserves of remaining Potters whisky stocks which are rumoured to contain barrels of whisky as old as 33 years.

Here is a link to the Rum Howler #7 Canadian Whisky in my list of the 100 Best of 2017:

Review: Ninety “Decades of Richness” 20 Year Old

“… Tasting notes do not adequately reflect how good this whisky actually is. The words which I wrote down a year ago to describe the flavour are correct: oak, cedar, corn, butterscotch, vanilla, orange peel, marmalade, almond and tobacco, but they do not adequately convey how rich and flavourful this whisky is …”

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Note: To follow the countdown list of the Top 100 Canadian Whiskies of 2017, you should follow me on twitter (Rum Howler on Twitter) using the hashtag #Top100CanadianWhisky.

Alternatively you can view the list as it grows by viewing my Reveal Page here on this website:

The Rum Howler – Top 100 Canadian Whiskies of 2017

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