I Like Mine With Hockey

As we enter the cold long days of mid-winter, nothing warms you up quite like a good Canadian Whisky.  Whiskies have been distilled in Canada for at least 200 years and many of the richest families in Canada got that way by distilling whisky and smuggling it to the Americans during prohibition.  The Walkers, the Seagrams, the Gibsons and the Bronfmans, just to name a few, all made scads of money in their distilleries.  Hence, whisky has had a prominent place in Canadian culture and nothing goes better on a Saturday night than Hockey Night in Canada, Euchre and a glass of Rye and Coke; score bonus points if all this is enjoyed at a local branch of the Canadian Legion.

Over the years, Canadian or Rye Whisky has become as distinct and important a product as any of the best whiskies in the world and no self respecting bar would be caught without some on hand.  To be considered a Canadian whisky, products must be mashed, distilled and aged in Canada using some kind of grain but not necessarily rye.  The grains can be straight or malted.  The distilled product must be aged at least 3 years in charred oak barrels no larger than 700 litres.  Just as with Scotch, caramel can be used to enhance colour and flavour and whiskies can be blended or single malted.  Canadian whisky is smoother and lighter than Scotch and Irish whiskies.  The most popular brands of Canadian Whisky outside Canada are Crown Royal, Seagrams V.O. and Canadian Club.

Now, all of this brings us to one of the youngest new whiskies in Canada:  Collingwood Hand-Crafted Artisanal Canadian Whisky was released just under a year ago.  This whisky has a number of cool traits that make it truly unique and Canadian, even if it comes from the American owned Canadian Mist Distillery.  The product is a collaborative effort of the Town of Collingwood, Ontario Government and The Ontario Grain Growers.  The whisky is triple distilled from locally grown corn and pure spring water from Georgian Bay.  It is aged for 3 years in white oak barrels and then rested with toasted maplewood to mellow the finish.

But, how does it taste?  The whisky has great caramel and woody flavours and lives up to the promise of a mellow finish.  This whisky opens up nicely on the rocks as the ice melts and improves the nose and the palate.  This would be a great whisky for use in whisky based cocktails, especially in a Manhattan.  This whisky is not of the same complexity of Crown Royal, but is a wonderful and unique and distinctly Canadian Whisky.  Try it with your next game of euchre or hockey on a cold winter night.

Available at LCBO for $29.95 for 750ml.  Product code 244186