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Mackinaw wool coats, Marbles knife and compass. Lever guns with iron sights. Field stone fireplace, cigar and cigarette smoke, Johnny Cash, poker.

Oh yeah and the occasional deer hanging

I most avoid whiskey now, my short snort of choice is good tequila. But when I get out of the deer woods on a cold November evening...

I love Canada but their prime minister and their beer suck hard.

Wyo Rodeo isn’t too shabby either.

Everything You Need to Know About Canadian Whisky

Not much is said about Canadian whisky in the American whisky community, and it’s unfortunate. While Canadian whisky often gets a bad rap, there is much to learn from the uniquely artistic distilling practices of Canadian whisky companies.

What Makes Whisky Canadian?

Before we can get into the specialties of Canadian whisky, we have to explain what categorizes a whisky as ‘Canadian.’

All Canadian whiskies must be aged a minimum of 3 years in 700 liter or smaller wooden barrels. It must have a 40% ABV, must be made of a cereal grain, and must be made in Canada. Compare that to Scotch whisky regulations and you’ll be amazed at how much room Canadians have to stretch their whisky-making muscles.

Another important aspect of Canadian whisky is that it can contain 9.09% or less of a coloring, flavoring, or other spirit as long as this addition has been aged for at least 2 years.

This 9.09% rule has been the cause of many debates throughout the years. While other countries claim that this blending of spirits makes Canadian whisky cheap and distasteful, modern whisky drinkers are realizing that this is what makes Canadian whisky so special.

By blending in other spirits, Canadian distillers can experiment with all kinds of flavors, making Canadian whisky the most unique type of whisky on the market. Adding in wine, bourbon, rum, or sherry, among other things, is what gives some Canadian whisky flavors that you can’t find elsewhere.

Canadian whisky is known by whisky connoisseurs to be rich in flavor combinations. Hints of vanilla, cinnamon, nut, and fruit are all frequent guests in a bottle of the stuff.

A Brief History of Canadian Whisky

Canada has always had close ties with Scotland, which explains why they spell it ‘whisky’ and not the Irish/American way, ‘whiskey.’ Today, 4.7 million Canadians claim to come from Scottish descent.

When Canadians first started making whisky in the 1830s, they used wheat. Eventually, Dutch and German immigrants began including rye in their whisky. Rye whisky became so popular that people started asking for the rye-made whisky especially. Thus, Canadian whisky is often simply referred to ‘rye,’ even if it doesn’t actually contain any rye grains.

By this time, Canada was exporting whisky to the US. However, the US taxed Canadian whisky very highly, and only lowered the taxes if Canadian whisky contained 9.09% American spirits. Today, exported Canadian whisky does not have to contain American spirits, but the 9.09% idea stuck -- as mentioned above.

Almost all Canadian whisky sales suffered because of Prohibition in 1920, as much of their income was from the US. To make any profit at all, whisky had to be sold at incredibly cheap prices. One company, however, used Prohibition to their advantage and skyrocketed their sales -- Bronfman’s Distillers Corporation.

By supplying the American bootleg whisky market, Bronfman was not only able to grow his company, but gave American’s a taste for Canadian whisky, too.

Fast forward to today and Canadian whisky makes up some of the most popular whisky in America. In 2018, more than half of all whisky sales in the US were made by Canadian whisky brands.

Yet, for some reason, Canadian whisky is not held up on the same pedestal as other types of whisky.

Canadian Whisky Today

Since Canadian whisky is not held to a high standard by non-Canadians, it is sold at a much lower price than it should be. This is made obvious when you look at the ‘luxury’ bottles of whisky on the market.

A 20 year old Scotch whisky can easily sell for over $200, while you can find a just-as-good Canadian whisky sold for half of that. When you consider that Canadian whisky is often the most original, creative whisky in the world, its inexpensive price tags are shocking.

In the US, it is widely believed that single malt whiskies, made from only one type of grain, are better than blended whiskies. This encourages a lack of support for Canadian whisky, as they are often blended. Yet, many American whiskies are blended too, and they aren’t faced with the same kind of prejudice.

Despite that lacking-in-logic claim against Canadian whisky, recent whisky culture is becoming much more open to it. At the World Whiskies Awards, held every year, there is a specific category for Canadian whiskies, called ‘Canadian Blended.’ This allows for Canada’s whiskies to be put in the spotlight at least one day every year.

Plus, the Canadian Whisky Awards helps to spread the passion for Canadian whiskies and even contributed to the growth of the whisky culture in British Columbia.

As times are changing and whisky becomes increasingly popular, there is more toleration for new flavors and spirit blends. But, we can’t see into the future. Will Canadian whisky get the recognition it deserves, or will simpler, American blended and single malt whiskies steal the show?

Only time will tell.

Then of course there is in-depth Wiki....

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_whisky

David, wadr you don't know jack about 'American beer' if all you've been exposed to is Bud, Coors and Miller. We have stuff that wins awards all around the world. 'Craft' beers are easy to find that suit any taste from 'milk stouts' to IPA's to seasonals to...

Some of the stuff from Berkshire Brewing in western Mass. would bring tears of joy to any beer fan. You want authentic 'Trappist Ale'? They do that a few towns east of here.

Personal favorite - Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. Widely available, we might even share some with you sad, sorry Molson drinkers ;-)

If your baseline is Bud, Coors and Miller agreed. Went out to dinner last Saturday with "She who must be obeyed" had a local brew, Pig Iron Chocolate Porter that was to die for. At 8% ABV it's better than the much vaunted Molson Golden or LaBatts Blue. Dogfish Head 60min IPA is pretty good as is Troeggs Field Study.

Interesting perspective. I thought some of the food I had was ok....some not so. I had some of the gravy on french fries stuff with the funny name (pootain??) It was ok....maybe it was the way the brown gravy was cooked?? Portions were small too. I had some fish too that was pretty greasy. I had pizza at the FBO in St John's that was great. I don't know where they got it from but it was great.

Yet another misconception. Not ALL small brewers make only IPA's and other hop-heavy beers. (Not a fan myself.) There are some great 'regular' pale ales and lagers, pilsners and weissbiers, black-and-tans and stouts etc. Something for every taste.

Maybe stop generalizing?

As for beer, the older I get it seems beer fills me up too quickly before I get the desired affect. I generally drink Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale. Awesome stuff and is 8.2%. I keep pint glasses in my freezer to enjoy this nectar from the Gods.

"She who must be obeyed" bought a bottle of that a year or so ago...make some drink of the Holidays. Well, she never did mix it up, so I cracked the seal, covered two cubes...and oh my is that good. Never was a fan of the flavored whiskeys, but that stuff is wicked good!

I know guys that make their own wine and beer and claim it's great too. If you prefer Foxxe to Crown, then you'd be one of those guys. lol

Crown , Crown Northern Harvest and Crown Black are all great Canadian whiskys. Northern Harvest won the World's Best Whisky title.

Some of the others mentioned in this thread are good for paying off bets. Cheap and the winner won't enjoy his victory drink.

Any Canadian is better than bourbon, imo, because it doesn't have the kerosene aftertaste. You know......like Wild Turkey, or Jack Daniels.

Sundowner, I did a search on Canadian whisky and something popped up called "Pendleton Director's Reserve". Any thoughts?

I've noticed that Crown Royal now comes in flavors, vanilla, apple etc.

I'm really not a fan of the maple, apple or other flavored Crowns. But then I don't like oddball flavors in my beer either. I see nothing wrong with just beer flavored beer.

Typically a friend would show up at your door with a bottle of Screech and a pistol, which he would point at you and order you to drink.

Then he’d hand you the pistol and tell you to make him drink.

Now since we’ve already transgressed and if we’re talking great sipping whiskey I’ll take a Dalmore Portwood Reserve over anything listed thus far. Even better is a Dalwhinnie 16 year old Portwood but good luck finding it. I bought a bottle at the distillery in Scotland and wish I would’ve filled my suitcase and left my clothes! There are some real good ryes and craft bourbons have actually brought me back.

As far as beers, I’m starting to see a move away from IPAs on the west coast and starting to see more complex Pilsners and Lagers being brewed and I’m all in for this move since IPAs are a waste of grains IMO. Now off to the liquor cabinet or beer fridge…..

Yes it will! There is no better blended sippin whiskey than Pendleton Midnight......IMO of course!

Your place is where I had my first Forty Creek and it wasn't my last. They also have a BUNCH of variations of it now.

I'm a bourbon guy and love Blanton's (most any Sazerac product actually). If you can find an Elmer T. Lee give it a go.