Canadian Whiskey Recommendations

[drezz01]

I'm a scotch guy, truth be told, but of the Canadian offerings I have to echo the support of Forty Creek. Even Ralphy approves:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQSgkwlEeGk
Forty Creek also makes an exceptional cream liqueur which is far better than Bailey's - if you're in to that kind of thing. Throw some in to your coffee thermos and it will keep your toes warm for a full day of tobogganing.
Crown Royal's winter harvest was raved about for a while, as others have said. I quite enjoyed it and thought it had a sort of gingerbread, clove-y character to it. Good for this time of year.
I can't really lend my support to Wisers. I drank quite a bit of it in my youth and can't palette it any further.
Just a note, I'm not sure if it's a Canadianism or something more local to my upbringing in the West - but we tend to colloquially refer to whiskey as 'rye' - whether it is rye whiskey or not. "Rye and Coke" - for instance.

 

[simong]

Rye & Coke? Hedonism sir! Whiskey from Scotland is best, with water at most.

To be honest, I've never tried a Canadian whiskey in my life, although I like rye bread. So take my opinions with a pinch of salt.

 

[northernneil]

Interesting side note: Canadian Whisk(e)y is generally made using many different whiskies aged in different barrels. Crown Royal, for example, uses something like 35 different whiskies. Where American Whiskey has a single mash bill with different variations of grain quantities. So in the USA a whisky must be above 51% rye in the mash bill in order to be called Rye Whisky. Canadian whiskey, on the other hand, would have a barrel of 100% rye, a barrel of 100% corn, 100% barley, etc. and then blend them to make a final product.
So, to say Canadian Whiskey isn't rye is right and wrong. Sure it does not meet the USA's standard of rye whisky, but it is made using a completely different process. So we are kind of comparing apples to oranges. Canadian whiskey has been touted as being more "rye forward" in flavour than American Rye Whisky, even though the percentage of rye is somewhere between 10% and 15%.
Lastly, some of the best Rye whiskey comes from my backyard, Calgary AB. For decades, Alberta Distillers has been known as the best rye producer in the world. Companies such as Whistle Pig have been buying 10 year aged rye, in the barrel, transporting them to Vermont, bottling and labeling it their own. Jim Beam sources all (or most) of the rye used in their blends from Alberta Distillers as well (I mean, it is owned by Beam Suntory).
Just some food for though.

 

[drezz01]

Very interesting side note indeed! I'm definitely going to have to follow up on your Canadian Club 100% Rye recommendation.

 

[aam79]

I like Crown Royal myself. I have a bottle that a coworker gave me that is from my birth year 1979.

 

[sasquatch]

 

[jkrug]

drezz...around here in my part Ontario we generally refer to all whiskey/rye as rye too.
There are many good Canadian whiskeys available at a good price.

1-Crown Royal

2-Forty Creek Barrel Select

3-Gibson's Finest Rare

4-Alberta Springs

5-Collingwood...Excellent!

6-Alberta Premium Dark Horse...Excellent!
MSO - Not sure about availability in your area but I have seen/purchased 1,2,3,& 5 when staying in Michigan and Ohio. ::