Canadian Whisky: the Spam of Spirits

What is feckin whiskey doing on the net's leading independent rum website? There's a reason, read on, but it's not my fault! Honest...
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Capn Jimbo
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Canadian Whisky: the Spam of Spirits

Post by Capn Jimbo »

Question: Does a "Canadian Rye Whisky" contain rye?

Maybe.

I'm not kidding, and by the way this thread would never have existed had not the Artic Wolf, in a spasm of patriotism, insisted that his dear Canadian Whisky, also labeled Canadian Rye Whisky or Rye Whisky is a "world class" spirit merely awaiting recognition by the rest of the world.

And accused me of being "woefully ignorant", et al. Bad move.

Actually Canadian Whisky is a mutt of a drink. A tasty mish-mosh of a mongrel mixture, a wild dog of a spirit with obvious cross-species attraction to any reviewer named after a wolf. Let's consider the Canadian regulations:
B.02.020. [S]. (1) Canadian Whisky, Canadian Rye Whisky or Rye Whisky
(a) shall:

(i) be a potable alcoholic distillate, or a mixture of potable alcoholic distillates, obtained from a mash of cereal grain or cereal grain products saccharified by the diastase of malt or by other enzymes and fermented by the action of yeast or a mixture of yeast and other micro-organisms,
(ii) be aged in small wood for not less than three years,
(iii) possess the aroma, taste and character generally attributed to Canadian whisky,
(iv) be manufactured in accordance with the requirements of the Excise Act and the regulations made thereunder,
(v) be mashed, distilled and aged in Canada, and
(vi) contain not less than 40 per cent alcohol by volume; and
(b) may contain caramel and flavouring.

(2) Subject to subsection (3), no person shall make any claim with respect to the age of Canadian whisky, other than for the period during which the whisky has been held in small wood.

(3) Where Canadian whisky has been aged in small wood for a period of at least three years, any period not exceeding six months during which that whisky was held in other containers may be claimed as age.

SOR/93-145, s. 10; SOR/2000-51, s. 1.
Let's decode that, shall we?

First of all, Canadian Whiskey may also be labeled Canadian Rye Whisky or just plain Rye Whiskey. This is because the early CW's were mostly made from rye, then smuggled into the United States. But even while bearing the label "Rye Whiskey", it really doesn't have to contain any rye.

You read that right.

Canadian Whisky has no firm identity. It may or may not be composed of distilled rye, corn, wheat, malted or unmalted barley. Any or all. A substantial portion of these "whiskys" is what they call "neutral spirit". Neutral spirit, as you may know, is simply distilled to very high proofs and contains very little flavor. It is very light, often continuously distilled, and most importantly, very inexpensive to produce.

Thus the bulk of many CW's is really pretty tasteless. So how do these clever Canadians manipulate this base into something tasty? Simple - just add stuff. Add some flavorful bourbon. Maybe some rye whiskey, Or whisky made from corn, or wheat, or malted barley or even unmalted barley. Oh and let's not forget the good stuff...

Caramel and what the Canookies call "flavourings". Lots of them!

Their regs allow relatively huge amounts of almost anything considered a flavor. Sherry wine, any other spirits (domestic or imported), and good old abusive caramel (in addition to color, caramel serves as a blender or binder of unlike components, of which Canadian Whisky has many). Any other spirits means, well, any other spirits (which themselves may contain sugar and flavorings). No problem, it's all peachy, eh?

Bottom line:

Canadian Whisky, aka Canadian Rye Whisky, aka Rye Whisky:

1. is bottled at no less than 40% alcohol,
2. is aged in typical barrels for at least three years,
3. contains neutral spirit, and
4. up to 9.09% of any other "flavouring" (spirits of any kind), including wine or sherry, and which themselves may contain sugar, et al.

If the "Canadian Whiskey" happens to contain sugar (as indirectly introduced via the "flavourings"), that's just fine. To make matters worse for us (but better for the distillers), the distillers managed to lobby for and obtain a law that - chuckle, chuckle - that actually codifies omerta, wherein the distillers are not permitted to call their spirits "dry", even if they contain no sugar! Got that?

Sugar may be present - fine - but the distillers are under the force of law to shut up about it. Unlike here and rum, where sugar is disallowed and must be admitted.

But there's a good side to all this. In the wacky world of Canadian Whisky anything - legally - goes and does. Although the regs state that the ending mixture must "...possess the aroma, taste and character generally attributed to Canadian whisky", no one (a) really knows what that character is, or (b) disagrees about it. Like rum.

Ergo, anything goes. Legally. Unlike rum.

Now if you think that a spirit labeled "Canadian Rye Whiskey" (that may or may not contain rye, but which probably contains a bunch of neutral spirit and varying amounts of various other whiskies, coloring, fruit juice, sherry wine and only the Mounties know what) - is a "world class" spirit, then I've got some prime moose-hunting land to sell you.

My sincere apologies to the Artic Wolf and his propensity to ignore simple fact and world opinion which altogether pay little mind to Canadian Whisky in its many incarnations. Now if the Wolf and his hairy pack want to convince me that Canadian Whisky can be surprisingly tasty and enjoyable, why that's just fine. I'm all ears. Tail, er talk to me...


*******

Special Note: I love Canada, especially Toronto and particularly Montreal (which is in Canada too). I actually tried to immigrate to Canada once. My dentist is Canadian, and I once had wild sex with a luscious Canadian girl in her father's sailboat. My best childhood friends were Canadian - we taught them how to shoot hoops and they taught us how to play hockey (I had full gear and played defense). My favorite sports star was Maurice "Rocket" Richard of the Montreal Canadiens.

I do love Canada, honest.

But - as moose-shootin Sara Palin is my witness (God was on break) - Canadian Whisky, however "tasty", is anything but pure, predictable or profileable. Unlike single malts, not yet my or the world's idea of "world class".

I have spoken.
Last edited by Capn Jimbo on Thu Dec 31, 2015 12:06 am, edited 3 times in total.
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Bout time for me to put my mouth where my money is...

Post by Capn Jimbo »

Bout time for me to put my mouth where my money is...
the Capn and Sue Sea review Canadian Club Classic!


It had to happen! What's that?

Yup, since I've shot my mouth off about what I've called (in jest - sorta) the "Spam of Spirits" (patent pending), I thought it only fair that I try this stuff - maybe the Frozen One was right and this stuff really is "world class", despite the world not yet knowing that. In a brief moment of truce (when the Wolf was not calling me "error prone" or "woefully ignorant"), I proffered the furry one a piece of raw meat and asked him for his opinion on which of the mystery blends called "Canadian Rye Whisky" might actually represent the genre, as it is. Or isn't...

Among others he spoke most highly of "Canadian Club Classic 12 Year" as, uh, a classic example of "how Canadian Whisky used to be". And apparently still is. A classic if you will. He also mentioned that there is a mini-trend from some of the small distillers to go heavy on the pot stilled stuff (still, most CW sold is rife with neutral bulk whiskey, then flavored up for smooth palatability).

So off to my Indian run discount outlets where I copped the CCC-12 for a mere $18.49! World class Canadian Whisky, for some unknown reason, is really, really cheap - most of em sell for $8 - $20, with just a couple a few pence more. And brought it home to dear Sue Sea who frankly, has just about had it with yet another of my pleas to "...please, just taste another one - I promise it's different!". She loves me so much that she never says no. But she does glare. But I digress...

Sue Sea:
Jim is so right that there are times I just don't want to taste yet another whiskey. First of all, although I can certainly appreciate the truly fine qualities of the single malts he obtains, I must say that I much prefer a fine, pure rum like Seales Ten, MGXO or Pussers. Earlier in the day I had to endure his current rant about Candian Whisky and its very blended content, but as far as I was concerned the bottle said "whisky" and that was enough.

Canadian Club Classic 12 comes in what I've come to expect to see from Canadian distillers - a squat bottle that makes every bad attempt to look expensive, like the famous Crown Royal bottle. Screw off plastic cap resembling a "crown", a bottle shape that reflects a coat of arms, and the like. But somehow it comes across as pretentious, particularly when the bottle is made cheaply with cloudy, rough glass and mold marks down the sides. The use of faux velvet bags is yet another bad touch. I much prefer either a simple and traditional bottle and label or a really fine, high quality clear, truly attractive and heavy bottle that really is expensive.

But onto the Canadian Club Classic. Jim and I always use the same glass - a small 4oz apple shape, nicely rounded but with a noseable opening and a hardy 4 inch stem. Perfect for tasting amounts, and I should say that it's really a good idea for you to always use the same glass for all spirits. Now Jim had told me about the composition of Canadian ryes, but I was still expecting a whisky.

Boy, was I surprised! The Canadian Club Classic did not present at all like any of the single malt, Irish or American whiskies or bourbons we've tasted. Had Jim told me this was a rum, I'd have believed him.

Its aroma was what I call "wispy". It's there, but very, very light - and rumlike: bit of caramel, vanilla, touch of lemon or grapefruit, butterscotch and the barest wisp of leather. The palate opened quite consistently, candy sweet and hot. A white pepper emerged quickly and grew to a warm finish. Canadian Club Classic left an oddly dry aftertaste of a lingering warm, vanilla heat. Nicely balanced.

In sum, Canadian Club Classic caught me by surprise - very unwhiskylike, and with a remarkable resemblance to a middle-of-the-road altered rum. Despite this resemblance, or perhaps because of it, this blend is not my cup of tea. Canadian Club Classic is more like a liqueur than a pure spirit. It would be excellent for a flambe', for dessert or poured over real vanilla ice cream.

For sipping though it is simply too heavy and syrupy, and however tasty, the sum effect of the blending is for the whisky, or whiskies to lose their identity. Call it overdone. However, I really work hard to be fair so Jim and I plan to give it a day and try it once again.
Me:

Oddly enough - and despite the Arctic Wolf's howling - I actually was quite pleased with myself and my willingness to try his Canadian Whisky and was actually looking forward to the experience. The reputation of this concoction is one of ease and lightness and "tastiness". All achieved in one way or another but without distinction.

Canadian Club Classic is a lovely clear amber with relatively early, quick and thin legs. The thin, thinner, thinnest of a green edge. I think. But swirling told a different story - heavy bodied and even syrupy. Canadian Club Classic opened very, very lightly. I had to work to get much. Sue Sea's rumlike, with a tart, slightly sour high grapefruit. Very wispy and with detectable sherry. The entry was of candied fruit tones and with - wow! - immediate and growing hot white pepper. I mean fucking pepper (which I actually like).

From here on out we have a have a long fade to the slightly astringent and leathery pepper finish. I was left with a consistent and lip-lickingly sweet and lingering aftertaste. The kind you need to clear with cool, clear water. Key words for Canadian Club Classic: candied, heavy bodied, sweet and HOT. Sue Sea put it best:

This Canadian concoction was both under and overdone. Under in loss of identity, and overdone in its cloying dessert sweetness. If the Artic Wolf is correct that this beverage is indeed a classic example of the genre, then my earlier conclusion of Canadian Whisky, aka Canadian Rye Whisky, aka Rye Whiskey as the "Spam of Spirits" is entirely justified.

Mystery meat.

It is fair to say that the more complex a blend, and especially the use of additional flavorings, juices and even wine - while perhaps succeeding in creating a "tasty drink" - altogether completely obliterate any real character or sense of identity of the so-called spirit.

A concoction that is light, easy and pleasantly drinkable for dessert but which leaves me saying "So?".

Score (ten is best): 6.
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Capn Jimbo
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A second visit...

Post by Capn Jimbo »

Canadian Club Classic 12 Year: Revisited. Whisky for non-whisky drinkers...

Sue Sea is truly fair minded. I was satisfied with our first tasting, but relented mostly because I just knew the Frozen One - Wolfie - would shuffle, bare his teeth and whine and whine. Which he'll probably do anyway, patriotic Canadian, eh?

Plus I really wanted to be sure. So I poured a couple more drams for us and we had at it. Sue Sea nodded her head and exclaimed "Yes, I do understand this blend. It's aroma is marvelous and enticing, just like before but after that it's all downhill".

Here's some of her comments:
This is a whisky for non whisky drinkers. In a strange way it reminds me of a spiced rum "The Lash". CCC's aroma was really pleasant, really quite rumlike, but the taste is more lightly whiskylike, a sweet candy heat. The texture is creamy, and once again the finish is hot and warming, lingering white pepper. A warm-me-up drink for a cold day (which were having right now, 32 degrees in south Florida!).

The aroma was enticing but then I was very, very disappointed. It made me think of "Jack and Coke". The taste is missing the richness of the aroma and although I hate to say it, it really tastes inexpensive. Like the sodas I used to drink.

Shame really. I'd hoped my first experience was missing something, but it was not.
Me: I hesitate coming to a final position regarding Canadian Whisky in general, based on just one tasting - no matter that the Artic Wolf swears up and down that CCC-12 is a real classic. He also recommended Forty Creek as the new era Canadian whisky, based on pot stilling and perhaps more careful aging.

We'll see...
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Post by Uisge »

It might be time for you to revisit this Canadian whisky thing, and may I humble suggest Crown Royal Cask no16? OR the recently released Jefferson's Rye ? Not that I have sampled the latter, but I absolutely LOVE the former, which is finished off in ex-cognac casks, and I've NEVER sipped it with Coke or any other mixer!

John Hansel's review of Crown Royal Cask #16:

Image
Crown Royal has always been a very stylish, silky smooth whisky. This bottling adds a new dimension in flavor and texture with its cognac cask finishing. A velvety smooth whisky with notes of creamy vanilla, butterscotch, nougat, dried fruit, and gentle spice are well-defined and nicely balanced. Gently sweet, fruity finish. Crown Royal’s best effort to date. — John Hansell
Here's what John Hansel had to say about the 94 proof, 100% Rye whisky:

Image
A 100% straight rye from Canada. This is curiously similar to WhistlePig Rye, which is also a 100% Rye, 10 year old Canadian whisky, but at the slightly higher 50% ABV. (Neither whiskey identifies its origin.) It oozes spice (mint, cinnamon, hint of nutmeg) balanced by layers of sweetness (honeyed vanilla, caramel), with nutty toffee emerging on the finish. An affordable alternative to WhistlePig. — John Hansell

*******
Capn's Log: Thanks for the pretty post, but when I read the reviews, my shilling lamp spontaneously lit and started flashing. As a former copywriter, when it writes like a duck... but I digress. So I went to Hansell's website (whiskyadvocate.com) and my suspicions were confirmed. The shaking of the ground you feel is that of King Kong John approaching, quite a lush, high scoring bias.

As confirmed (here). Does that mean that Canadian whiskies aren't tasty? Nope. But it does mean that at least my personal bias is for purity. I seek whisky, not altered whisky-like fluids. But that's just me.
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Post by Mike.357 »

I dunno if this post belongs here but here it will go.

Canadian is my go to spirit if the rum section of my home bar is unsettlingly (is that a word?) low on rum.

My basic thought on Canadian is that it is all simply whisky flavored water.
But it is easy drinking, mixes well with ice and water or even cola or 7 Up.
Heck you can mix it with about anything. My personal preference for drinking the stuff is on ice with a splash of tap water, LOL. And of course I only drink it along side of beer. Two fisted drinking is my specialty.

But the reason I post is twofold. To name my favorite Canadian and another new product on the market.

My fav is undoubtedly Wiser's Deluxe. It is inexpensive, IIRC it is 12.99 for a .750. It is aged and actually has some body. How it is ten dollars less than Crown I will never understand. The bottle and label have a wonderful presentation. It is what I recommend when I see a customer looking at Canadian whisky's with that glazed over confused look in their eyes. I never ever, ever recommend Crown Royal. That stuff sells itself and a customer who buys that is not going to listen to any recommendation I have anyway. They buy based on advertising dollars.

But low and behold Crown has come out with a product I can get behind.
It has character and flavor. In many way I taste rum like qualities in it. It is the Crown Royal Maple Finished.

The Maple Finished is great on ice. I can even tolerate it neat. Plays well with lemonade or cola. The maple finish gives it a little sweeter taste and a slightly deeper profile. The maple flavor is not overpowering. It is what I recommend to any customer who is wandering around lost in the liquor aisles claiming they are bored with their regular spirit and are looking for something different.

If a customer is ogling the bottom shelf and debating between Canadian Ltd. or Barton Canadian I do as I do in the rum aisle when they are debating between Port Royal and Barton Rum. I tell them they seem to have it well in hand and I leave them alone. :roll:
Pain or damage don't end the world. or despair or fucking beatings. The world ends when you're dead. Until then, you got more punishment in store. Stand it like a man... and give some back. -Al Swearengen (Deadwood)
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Post by The Black Tot »

I haven't ever done the Canadian Club thing nor the Crown Royal thing (the smell of the latter is off putting to me, and that's where it ends).

But I have experimented with Lot 40, Wiser's Legacy and Wiser's 18.

Lightning reviews:
Lot 40 - Completely unremarkable. Malty bore. Perhaps we can conclude that it is less futzed with, but geez.

Wiser's 18 - Most whiskey drinkers who like a bit of sweet will find this a very smooth and pleasant whiskey with reasonable complexity and a nice nose. Based on your reviews though and feelings about additives, I will suspect that this product is likely altered and too "liqueury" for yourself and Sue S.

Wiser's Legacy - I think this is one that you might enjoy. Spicier and more peppery than the others, it is also "drier" and less sweet. Should you get the chance, I think you and Sue Sea might enjoy taking a look at this one.

I would be happy to send you a sample.
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