
April 19, 2016

Six Canadians, from three to thirty-five

Canadian whisky is almost terra incognita at WF Towers, for no specific reasons, but I’m trying to have at least a few once every year. And that would be today. Let's start with Black Velvet...

1978 Black Velvet ad ->

Black Velvet (40%, OB, blend, Canada, +/-2015)

Hard to know what there is inside, but don’t we all remember that Christie Brinkley and Cybill Shepherd used to recommend it? Well, they did in their ads. It seems that Black Velvet is the #2 Canadian brand, after Crown Royal. Colour: gold. Nose: it noses sweet and almost as herbal as a Spanish herbal liqueur, so not exactly ‘whisky’. But that’s not rye. Someone would have told me this was oak-aged aquavit, I wouldn’t have said ‘no way’. Some sawdust. Mouth: light, sweet, sappy, and frankly bizarre. Once again, it doesn’t quite taste like whisky. In short, it’s probably flavoured up. Finish: short, with a sugary side. Sugar syrup and herbs. Some sawdust again in the aftertaste. Comments: needs ice! Probably more a spiced spirit drink than straight whisky, but as Nick Nolte would say in a Hollywood war movie, ‘we’ve seen worse’. SGP:630 - 60 points.

Speaking of Crown Royal…

Crown Royal (40%, OB, blend, Canada, rotation 1973)

No, it’s not that one. This is well Seagram’s old Crown Royal, from Waterloo in Ontario (which not have pleased all Frenchies at that time, ha!) Colour: gold. Nose: it’s also got this obvious oakiness that lets you think you’re at the nearest IKEA store, and I find it strange that after more than 40 years in bottle, it’s still there. Very dry, oaky, totally un-fruity, with just a little cinnamon and nutmeg. It does not feel flavoured. Mouth: same feelings, although there seems to be a little syrup. Nice notes of tangerines, on a bed of vanilla and dry cake. Cupcake. The body’s a little thin, but there are no signs of oxidation. Finish: short, but relatively pleasant. Sweet bread, brioche, a drop of maple syrup… Comments: much straighter than the Black Velvet. No winner, having said that, this is pretty simple whisky. SGP:530 - 70 points.

Shefford Manor 3 yo (40%, OB, Canadian rye, +/-2015)

This young Quebecois baby – but don’t we now like the brands that proudly display very young ages, instead of going NAS? – comes with the obligatory story (in North-America, it seems that no real story may discard prohibition) and a packaging that sits between Loch Lomond and Royal Lochnagar. Wait, Quebec, that’s Black Velvet, isn’t it? Let’s see… Colour: pale white wine (hurray). Nose: a rather dry rye, somewhat ashy and sooty, with some gravel, even scoria, then touches of lavender and geranium flowers, then pinesap and fir honey. Feels young but not really immature. Mouth: feels like Black Velvet! Really! That’s strange… It’s just a tad more, say vibrant and zesty, but that may be my mind playing tricks on me. Finish: please refer to Nick Nolte’s quote again (see above). Comments: a slightly brighter and zestier Black Velvet, really. Simply less caramel? SGP:540 - 65 points.

Tangle Ridge 10 yo (40%, OB, Canada, blend, +/-2015)

Said to be 100% Canadian rye, but also ‘blended with small amounts of sherry and vanilla’ according to the wonderful Whisky Exchange. Awff (I know, it’s like with sugar and glycerine in rum, we whisky lovers just don’t understand a thing). Colour: deep gold. Nose: it’s dry, straighter again, rather on burnt coffee, burnt wood, dry vanilla, and butterscotch, with a very moderate ryeness. To be honest, I do not seem to find a lot of rye in there. Three burnt raisins, perhaps. Mouth: there more on the palate. A sucrosity as well, vanillin, corn syrup, office coffee, oak… Not sure you need ten years to come up with such a profile. Finish: medium, a little oaky and bitter, almost unpleasant, I think. The aftertaste is a notch better, thanks to some oranges. Comments: I’m sorry, but I find this very average. SGP:550 - 55 points.

WhistlePig 12 yo ‘Old World’ (43%, OB, Canada, straight rye, +/-2016)

A mindboggling bottling. First, it says WhistlePig Farm, which implies the rye came from their own estate. Ahem. Then, it’s been finished in 30% ‘French Sauternes’ (right, Sauternes is French anyway), 63% ‘Madeira’ (not Portuguese Madeira?), and 7% Port (same comment). And the price, 188€ in Europe! But we all know that WhistlePig can be excellent, so let’s not quibble any further, and try this funny American/Canadian/European hybrid… Colour: light amber. Nose: ah, now we’re talking! It’s vibrant, it’s fruity, it’s spicy, and frankly, it’s rather beautiful. Peonies, raspberries, sloe, mulled wine, cloves, ginger, liquorice… It’s almost liquid fruitcake, Austrian style. Frohe Weihnachten! Mouth: success. Perfect spicy fruitiness, with star anise, cloves, liquorice, cinnamon… And blood oranges, cassis liqueur, sweet bread, violet-flavoured liquorice (they make that in Toulouse, love it), gingerbread… Finish: rather long, beautifully spicy. Comments: proof that beauty may come out of the unlikely. This was made with much skill, if you ask me (and if I may). SGP:652 - 88 points.

Update: some very reliable source somewhere in L.A., starting with an S., tells us that the juice may rather have come from MGP in Indiana, which would make this an American rye indeed, rather than a Canadian. Oops, as they say in juggling.

Now that we found a winner, we could stop here, but don’t e have room for the oldest Canadian whisky ever?...

Canadian Rockies 35 yo (79.3%, OB, Canadian, for Taiwan, 2016)

Quite possibly the oldest Canadian whisky ever bottled indeed. It's from Highwood Distillers, distilled in 1980, and was bottled at cask strength (well I hope it was, at this insane strength!) by the Fountana Group, for lucky Taiwan. Colour: gold. Nose: I don’t find much rye in there (but there might be some), this is more bourbony, with some vanilla and some pastries (say croissants), as well as some funny hints of sugar cane, but no varnish and no nail polish remover, which is surprising at this super-high strength. Almost miraculous. But quick, water… With water: square, straight, on vanilla cake with drizzles of light honey and cinnamon sauce. Almost millimetric, meaning 100% accurate and focussed. Mouth (neat): the alcohol bites you, but you do notice some lovely liquorice and vanilla, as well as a floral side. Perhaps even oranges. With (the obligatory) water: mellow, with plenty of honey and vanilla sauce, plus some triple-sec and a wee touch of ginger wine. A very discreet sappiness. You may ad a lot of water, it swims extremely well and remains pleasant at 20% vol., which is very uncommon. Finish: long, ueberclean, more or less on orange-flavoured maple syrup. We’ll have to try that one day, maple syrup with orange juice. Comments: totally immaculate. High-precision Canadian whisky. I’ll have to check but this glorious oldie may be my favourite Canadian whisky ever – not that I’ve tried thousands mind you, I’m not Davin. SGP:640 - 89 points.

Read more (and better) about Canadian whisky at, well, Canadian Whisky dot org.