Potter’s Special Old Rye Whisky was originally produced by Potter’s Distilleries (founded by Ernie Potter in 1958). When Highwood Distillers finalized the purchase of Potter’s Distilleries in 2005, they brought all of the aging whisky stocks from the Potter’s warehouse facilities in Kelowna, British Colombia to their new warehouse facility in High River, Alberta and continued to let them age at their site in the foothills just east of the Rocky Mountains. From these aging whisky stocks Highwood has kept the Potter’s Whisky brands alive, incorporating them into their portfolio of whisky products.

Potter’s Special Old Rye Whisky is primarily a corn-based whisky which has been aged in charred American White Oak barrels for 4 – 5 years.  As per Canadian tradition, the whisky is labeled as a “Rye Whisky” because of the rye flavour profile which has been imparted by adding a percentage of aged rye grain whisky to the blend.  The bottle I am reviewing was given to me by Allan Owen, the Highwood Distillers Sales Rep in my area.

Here is an excerpt from my review:

“…A clean spicy rye is out in front carried by light oak and the combination delivers a nice wonderful mouth-feel full of what I can only term as old-time traditional Canadian Whisky flavour. In fact this might just be the closest that I have come to recapturing the Canadian Whisky flavour that I remember from my younger days…”

You may read the full review here:

Review: Potters Special Old Rye Whisky

Please enjoy the review and the cocktail that follows.

The Highwood Distillery is the only locally (Albertan) owned distillery in the world. 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 amount of Canadian Whisky each year. I guess you could say that I am partial to a success story that has occurred right in my own back yard, and I love to sample and review the spirits which Highwood Distillers produce.

I consider the Highwood Canadian Whisky to be a unique product unlike anything else on the whisky landscape (I also find it very tasty). What is so original about the Highwood Whisky is the grain from which it is distilled. Highwood uses local Canadian prairie wheat for the distillation base of all of their Highwood branded whisky. This is because wheat alcohol, rather than barley or corn alcohol, has less heavy non-digestible components. This makes for an extremely smooth easy to drink whisky. After sampling most of the Highwood Whisky range, I have come to the conclusion that they are making some of the smoothest whisky in the world.

At the recent Rocky Mountain Wine and Food Festival, I reconnected with Allan Owen, the Highwood sales Rep in my area. We had a nice chat, and he offered to drop a few more samples of whisky for me to review. The first of these samples was the Highwood Canadian Rye Whisky.

This is a Canadian whisky made from wheat grain which has been aged for at least five years in charred American white oak barrels. It is blended with an aged rye grain whisky to produce that distinctive Canadian ‘rye’ flavour profile.  Here is an excerpt from my review:

“…The first thing I noticed about the Highwood Whisky as I sipped it was that it is a smooth, gentle, and mellow whisky which has the soft sensation in the mouth of a much older whisky. Honeycomb, ginger, wood spice, and a light dab of vanilla all support a wonderfully clean, dusty rye flavour….”

You may read the full review by clicking this link:

Review: Highwood Canadian Rye Whisky

I was inside the Highwood warehouse this past February, and I captured a few pictures of the aging barrels stacked four levels high standing row upon row. I remember the wonderful aroma of the ‘angels share’ permeating the facility, offering me a gentle intoxication if only I were to stay a little longer. Wisely, I headed to the door before I was subdued completely. Perhaps, one day I will return and stay just a little longer; but, for now I am content to carry the memory of that heady aroma in my mind.

Here is an excerpt from my review of the Review: Century Reserve (Lot 1525) Canadian Rye Whisky:

“…Smooth, clean and luxurious right through to the finish.  The faintest touches of honey and bourbon vanilla trail down the throat followed by the gentle burn of rye and oak spice.  This is one of the most luxurious, mellow finishes in all of Canadian whisky…”

You may read the full review here:

Review: Century Reserve (Lot 1525) Canadian Rye Whisky

There is a new whisky in Canada, and  it is completely different from any other whisky I have seen. The distillation mash for the whisky is based on wheat, not barley or corn, which is not as surprising as you may think, as the distillers of White Owl Whisky are Highwood Distillers, based in High River, Alberta. They have, after all, been distilling their very wonderful Centennial Whisky with a wheat based mash for many years. It is the next feature of the whisky which I found most interesting and unusual. This is a clear aged  whiskey! In fact if the bottle did not say whisky on the front you might think you were buying Vodka…until you opened the bottle, at which time you would realize that the spirit in the bottle is unmistakably whisky!  The whisky achieves its clear form by the means of carbon filtration. Highwood crafts and blends an aged whisky, and then runs it through a filtration process to remove all colour and smooth out the taste profile. This is a first for me, and I believe a first for Canadian Whisky! In fact Highwood makes the claim that this may be the first clear well aged whisky ever produced.

White Owl Whisky is the creation of Master Blender Glen Hopkins.  The whisky produced in High River is from locally supplied wheat which Hopkins claims “is the best source” for whisky in the entire world.  So without further ado, let me introduce Highwood’s  White Owl Whisky.

Here is an excerpt from my review:

“As I take the first sip, the first impression I have is of a soft whisky flavour accented by a hint of licorice.  The oak flavours are mild and there is no harsh tannin or unbridled spice.  Yet in the background, if you let it develop, that true Canadian rye whisky spice and flavour present themselves.  Butterscotch rises and falls as does the hint of licorice and even a touch of cereal grain.  It is all very mellow and very good…”

You may read the full review here:

Review: (Highwood Distillers) White Owl Canadian Whisky

Of course I have provided a few nice cocktails which follow the review.

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Highwood Distillers of High River, Alberta was created as Sunnyvale Distillers in 1974.  During the first 35 years, the company saw moderate but steady growth.  A new management team was put in place in 1997, and in 2005 that the company asserted itself as a dominant player in the Canadian whisky industry with the acquisition of the Potters brand (Andres Wines).   With this new growth came the need for physical expansion of the facility, new equipment for packaging and a new warehouse directly across the street from the Distillery.  I had the opportunity to tour this new facility on February 17, 2010, and you can find my write up on this tour here:

The Highwood Distillery Tour

Highwood is now a major player in the Canadian Whisky category.  They are the only independent, Alberta owned, distillery in the world.  Boasting aged whisky stocks of up to 30 years, the company is poised to continue its success story into the future.