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!
Recently, I was sent a few samples of Diageo’s new ‘Blonde’ Whiskey which is currently being sold in Texas and Michigan. The Whiskey, Cascade Blonde American Whiskey, is produced in Tennessee at Diageo’s Cascade Hollow Distilling Co. (formerly the George Dickel Distillery). The spirit takes its name from it light colour which is a result of a double chill filtering process the whiskey undergoes prior to being brought down to bottling proof (40 % alcohol by volume) with Tennessee limestone filtered water.
Yesterday, Sazerac unveiled Mister Sam which pays homage to Sam Bronfman, who is considered to be the pioneer who founded of the modern-day distilled spirits industry. Bronfman immigrated to Canada from Imperial Russia in the late 1800s, and went on to propel Seagram’s into the largest and most successful distilled spirits company in the world at that time. Sam was apparently focused on making and blending the finest whiskies possible, and maintaining the highest quality standards in the industry. “Mister Sam” as he was affectionately known created some of the world’s most iconic spirit brands while at the helm of the Seagram’s empire until his death in 1971. As a tribute to Sam Bronfman and the vast contribution he made to the spirits industry, the Sazerac Company has developed a highly limited blended whiskey expression made with some of Sazerac’s finest American and Canadian Whiskeys.
Woodford Reserve Double Oaked is a Straight Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey, distilled and bottled at the Woodford Reserve Distillery in Versailles Kentucky. The folks at 
Woodford Reserve Distiller’s Select Rye is a Straight Kentucky Rye Whiskey, distilled and bottled at the Woodford Reserve Distillery in Versailles Kentucky. The folks at 
The Rum Howler Blog 