Posts Tagged ‘Ninety’
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:
“… 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!
Like this:
Like Loading...
Posted in Canadian Whisky, Whisk(e)y, Whisky Review | Tagged: 2019 Rum Howler Favourite 20 Canadian Whiskies, Canadian Whisky, Decades of Richness, Highwood Distillers, Ninety, Review | Comments Off on 2019 Rum Howler Favourite 20 Canadian Whiskies: #1 – Ninety “Decades of Richness” 20 Year Old Canadian Rye Whisky
Posted by Arctic Wolf on December 23, 2016
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. 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.
Highwood Distillers chose the brand name ‘Ninety’ for their new corn grain whiskies because these 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 number 2 ranked whisky in my 2016 Rum Howler Canadian Whisky Countdown:
“… The different aspects of the aroma (the wood and rye spiciness and the corn and butterscotch sweetness) are melded together beautifully creating a very enticing aroma in the air above the glass. As I enjoy those breezes, I also notice impressions of creamy vanilla pudding, hints of almond turning to sweeter marzipan, zesty orange peel turning to sticky marmalade, and lightly sweetened cereal grain …”
Stay tuned as the countdown continues tomorrow with the Number 1 Canadian Whisky.
Chimo!
_______________________________________________________
* You may follow my 2016 Canadian Whisky Countdown by bookmarking this link:
The Rum Howler – Top 50 Canadian Whiskies of 2016
Like this:
Like Loading...
Posted in Awards, Canadian Whisky, Extras, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review | Tagged: 20 Year Old, 2016 Rum Howler Canadian Whisky Countdown, Canadian Whisky, Century Distillers, Decades of Richness, Highwood Distillers, Ninety, Review, Top 50 Canadain Whisky | 2 Comments »
Posted by Arctic Wolf on December 3, 2016
Just before the massive disruption caused by flooding during the summer of 2013 in Southern Alberta, Highwood Distillers released a limited quantity of their new “Ninety” branded whiskies under their Century Distillers banner. The news of these whisky releases was unfortunately drowned out (quite literally) by the waters that engulfed Southern Alberta. If you followed the news regarding the aftermath of the flood (see story here) you will know that it took more than a few weeks for the company to bring itself back onto its feet. In fact, all of the bottled inventory in Highwood’s warehouse had to be destroyed due to potential contamination from the water that penetrated the distillery.
An unfortunate victim of all this disruption was those “Ninety” branded whiskies which temporarily disappeared from liquor store shelves as Highwood had to suspend production of this new brand in order to focus on re-establishing their other major brands across Canada. Fortunately for everyone, the brand was re-established a 5 and a 20 Year Old version.
Here is a link to my review of the number 22 spirit on my Rum Howler 2016 Top 50 Canadian Whisky Countdown:
“… As the glass breathes, the wood spice and corn each seem to build with equal intensity. Although the mouth becomes heated with impressions of citrus zest, ginger and spice; the whisky remains soft and sippable with the underlying sweetness of corn and butterscotch providing a perfect complement to the spice …”
Stay tuned as the countdown continues on tomorrow with the number 21 Canadian Whisky. Chimo!
_______________________________________________________
* You may follow my Canadian Whisky Countdown by bookmarking this link:
The Rum Howler – Top 50 Canadian Whiskies of 2016
Like this:
Like Loading...
Posted in Awards, Canadian Whisky, Extras, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review | Tagged: 2016 Rum Howler Canadian Whisky Countdown, 2016 Top 50, 5 Year Old, Canadian Whisky, Highwood Distillers, Ninety, Review, Rum howler, Whisky | Comments Off on Rum Howler 2016 Top 50 Canadian Whisky Countdown: #22 – Ninety 5 Year Old
Posted by Arctic Wolf on December 21, 2015
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 #4 Canadian Whisky of 2015:
“… The different aspects of the aroma (the wood and rye spiciness and the corn and butterscotch sweetness) are melded together beautifully creating a very enticing aroma in the air above the glass. As I enjoy those breezes, I also notice impressions of creamy vanilla pudding, hints of almond turning to sweeter marzipan, zesty orange peel turning to sticky marmalade, and lightly sweetened cereal grain (which actually reminds me of Post Honeycomb cereal) …”
__________________________________________________________
You may read about the Top 25 Canadian Whisky Countdown here:
The Rum Howler 2015 Top 25 Canadian Whiskies
Like this:
Like Loading...
Posted in Awards, Canadian Whisky, Extras, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review | Tagged: 2015 Top 25 Canadian Whiskies, Canadian Whisky, Century Distillers, Decades of Richness, Highwood, Ninety, Review, Rum howler, Whisky | 4 Comments »
Posted by Arctic Wolf on October 29, 2015
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.
Here is a link to the review of the #57 spirit on my Rum Howler Top 100 Spirits Countdown.
“… The different aspects of the aroma (the wood and rye spiciness and the corn and butterscotch sweetness) are melded together beautifully creating a very enticing aroma in the air above the glass. As I enjoy those breezes, I also notice impressions of creamy vanilla pudding, hints of almond turning to sweeter marzipan, zesty orange peel turning to sticky marmalade, and lightly sweetened cereal grain …”
________________________________________________________________
You may follow my Countdown list of the 100 Best Spirits here: The Rum Howler 2015 – Top 100 Spirits
Like this:
Like Loading...
Posted in Awards, Canadian Whisky, Extras, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review | Tagged: 20 Year Old, Canadian Whisky, Century Distillers, Highwood Distillers, Ninety, Review, Rum howler, Top 100 Spirits, Whisky | Comments Off on #57 Ninety “Decades of Richness” 20 Year Old Canadian Whisky
The Rum Howler Blog 