Canadian Club 20 Year Old Whisky
Review: Canadian Club 20 Year Old Whisky 89.5/100
Review by Chip Dykstra (Aka Arctic Wolf)
Revised and Re-published December 03, 2017
Canadian Club Whisky (C.C. Whisky) is blended before it is aged, and this process, which has been called ‘Blended at Birth’, is the foundation for the entire portfolio of Canadian Club Whiskies. The particular whisky which is examined in this review is the Canadian Club 20 Year Old Whisky. It is a blend of rye, rye malt, corn, and barley malt spirits which were set down to age together 20 years ago. In fact, I believe that the actual blending formula of base spirits for the 20-year-old Whisky is the same as the blending formula used for Canadian Club’s flagship brand, Canadian Club Premium, which is of course the 6-year-old Whisky which anchors the Canadian Club brand.
Although the 20 Year Old was originally intended to be a specialty bottling when it was first introduced, the whisky became a standard bottling when Beam Global acquired the Canadian Club brand. It remains a Limited Edition whisky with each bottle individually numbered.
In the Bottle 4.5/5
As we move up the ladder in the Canadian Club line-up my standards for the presentation of the whisky become more stringent. It is my belief that a more expensive premium spirit should reflect its price and its higher quality in the bottle presentation. The Canadian Club 20 Year Old is pictured to the left in a tall clear bottle. When I first saw the whisky I was rather disappointed with the look of the bottle, hoping for something that would really set it apart from the rest of the CC line-up. Over time, however, the tall bottle with its classic look and feel has grown on me. So recently, when I revisited this review, I adjusted my scoring to reflect my new-found appreciation for the bottle design and presentation.
In the Glass 9/10
Toffee and caramel pour out of the glass with deep oak accents and rich baking spices. Rye scents follow as does that firm dank malt and grain aroma which is so typical of the Canadian Club line-up. When I wait 10 minutes or so for the glass to breathe , deep, dark brown sugars and a hint of charred marshmallow and burnt toast become evident as well as mildly sour citrus fruit. Vanilla and baking spices provide a nice accent ot the overall aroma and I am quite pleased the whisky has not changed appreciably over the past 7 years.
In The Mouth 53.5/60
The entry into the mouth offers a strong combination of dank Canadian Club corn and malt grain flavour. I also taste firm oak flavours, rich baking spices, treacle and an impression of lightly charred toast. The whisky is smooth with oak spice and hints of sap melded nicely into the other flavours. There is also a smoky quality with dry fruit flavours of raisins and prunes holding the whisky together. A peppery rye note bobs up to the surface, and somewhere in the mix, and I taste dabs of nutmeg and cinnamon as well as a dash of Apricot Brandy. There is a little nibble of sourness (kind of like baked apples) wandering around the edges of the flavour and a progression of light sweetness at the front of the delivery fading to light bitterness at the end. I quite enjoy the aged whisky.
In the Throat 13.5/15
The Canadian Club 20 Year Old finishes with a nice peppery swat at the tonsils as it goes down. The smokiness I noticed on the palate also finds a home in the finish. There are a few ghostly trails of dry fruit, cocoa, and tea leaves following that peppery heat. The finale includes fading flavours of oak spices and toasted brown sugars which leave my glass smelling wonderful and my throat sated.
The Afterburn 9/10
For myself, this whisky represents a huge step up from the flagship Canadian Club Premium (6-year-old), and is much richer and fuller than the Canadian Club Classic (12-year-old). I enjoyed the Canadian Club 20 Year Old immensely, and if you need a special gift for the Canadian Club aficionado this Christmas, this whisky certainly fits the bill.
You may read some of my other Whisky Reviews (click the link) if you wish to have some comparative reviews.
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As always you may interpret the scores I provide as follows.
0-25 A spirit with a rating this low would actually kill you.
26-49 Depending upon your fortitude you might actually survive this.
50 -59 You are safe to drink this…but you shouldn’t.
60-69 Substandard swill which you may offer to people you do not want to see again.
70-74 Now we have a fair mixing rum or whisky. Accept this but make sure it is mixed into a cocktail.
75-79 You may begin to serve this to friends, again probably still cocktail territory.
80-84 We begin to enjoy this spirit neat or on the rocks. (I will still primarily mix cocktails)
85-89 Excellent for sipping or for mixing!
90-94 Definitely a primary sipping spirit, in fact you may want to hoard this for yourself.
95-97.5 The Cream of the Crop
98+ I haven’t met this bottle yet…but I want to.
Very loosely we may put my scores into terms that you may be more familiar with on a Gold, Silver, and Bronze medal scale as follows:
70 – 79.5 Bronze Medal (Recommended only as a mixer)
80 – 89.5 Silver Medal (Recommended for sipping and or a high quality mixer)
90 – 95 Gold Medal (Highly recommended for sipping and for sublime cocktails.)
95.5+ Platinum Award (Highest Recommendation)
The Rum Howler Blog 
Chris Brown said
I’m not a CC fan but took a chance on the 20 and have never regretted it!
This, at least by Alberta pricing, is great bang for the buck -especially when you see the large jump the 25 takes.
I picked up a second bottle last time I was home so I’m good to go for the next while!
Arctic Wolf said
I find Canadian Club has a flavour profile which takes a little getting used to. However, once you become a fan, you are usually one for life. One thing I have noticed, about the CC line-up is that I always seem to score the CC whisky higher when I sample it blind, than when I score it knowing what it is. I suspect this means I am getting used to that dank, punky corn whisky flavour and will begin to cross over to the dark side.
Mike said
Chip, what impact do you think malted barley has on the profile of whiskies such as this? Corn and rye notes get lots of mentions but I seldom see any trace of malt in the reviews. I ask because I was drinking Canadian Club Classic tonight and it struck me that there was a rounded sweetness to it reminiscent of malt whisky.
Arctic Wolf said
I rarely notice any malted barley notes in any of the Canadian Whiskies I review. (The exception being the Canadian Mist which I felt had a very obvious barley influence.) I think the reason is that for the most part the rye flavour which is bold, fruity and spicy (and to a lessor extent the the corn which to me usually seems to carry a bit of honeycomb sweetness) are more aggressive in the flavour profile and they overshadow the malted barley. In single malts, the malted barley does carry a lot of sweetness forward, but in Canadian Whisky it is very difficult to separate the sweetness from the malted barley from the sweetness of the corn.
In the Canadian Club Classic whisky I agree that there is a certain amount of sweetness carried forward into the flavour profile, but the more aggressive dank sour corn mash flavour makes it very difficult for me to associate that sweetness with malted barley.
I am not saying that you are wrong, I am just trying to say that in my opinion the malted barley influence in Canadian Whisky is very subtle and as such it is very difficult to quantify in a definitive way.
Robert Jordan said
I also get that peppery/spicy taste. I hope this means that i am on the right track in learning whatever I can about whisky. Your reviews have prooved very useful to me lately. Thank you.
Arctic Wolf said
I am glad that you have found value in my reviews Robert. Thanks for the encouragement.
J. Wheelock said
Thanks Chip, this is superb. I did send this along to Dan Tullio, the CC Godfather and a gentleman in the highest order. He is incredibly passionate about his whiskies and I think he will find this a welcome testament to one of their finest offerings.
Arctic Wolf said
Thank you very much J.
I must admit I am humbled by your commentary, and I guess I am left somewhat speechless and unable to reply in a satisfactory manner. Suffice it to say I appreciate that you felt this review should be passed on to Mr. Tullio.
Kind Regards
Chip
Mike said
Mmm, this sounds tasty. I like your reviews because you use terms that agree with my experiences; therefore I can imagine the taste quite well. You don’t go overboard with your descriptors; nor are you vague about it.
I regret not buying this while it was available at the LCBO. Maybe it will return.
Arctic Wolf said
Thank you very much for the great compliment Mike!
Your description of why you like my reviews is extremely flattering. I do try to avoid long lists of descriptors which become meaningless and to place most of what I taste into a common vernacular accessible to all. It is very satisfying to me that (for your preferences at least) I seem to hit the nail on the head.
Cheers!
Jason Debly said
I agree that upon swallowing, it is somewhat peppery or spiced/heated. Other than that (which is a minor criticism) it is a good example of Canadian whisky.
Arctic Wolf said
I think you and I see this the same way; I also noted a slight imbalance in the flavours which perhaps this peppery finish contributed to. The imbalance and the somewhat peppery finish did not substantially deter my enjoyment which is reflected in the final score.
Cheers Jason 🙂