Candian Whiskey Brands Flashcards
Who owns Crown Royal?
Diageo
Distilleries that make Crown Royal?
Valleyfield (base whisky)
Gimbli (flavoring whisky)
Where is Crown Royal bottled?
Amthersberg
Valleyfield
What was the Crown Royal distillery that Diageo stopped building in 2025?
St Clair
Who owns Forty Creek?
Campari
Where are the base whiskies and flavoring whiskies produced for Forty Creek
Both made at Forty Creek
Who owns Seagram’s VO now?
Sazerac
Where is Seagram’s VO made?
Valleyfield
Who owns Old Montreal Distilling and Collingwood Distillery?
Sazerac
Old Montreal Distilling is the former Meagher’s Distillery
What brands are produced at Old Montreal Distilling and Collingwood?
Mister Sam (tribute)
Caribou
Collingwood
Candian Mist
When was first significant expansion in Canadian Whisky production?
-During US Civil War
-distilleries in US in disarray
When did Canada introduce minimum aging requirements?
-1887 = 1 year
-1890 = 2 years
-first country to introduce minimum aging
Canadian Style
-Seagram, then owned by Sam Bronfman began making light and flavoring whiskies
-often at the same distillery and then blending them together
-became the Canadian norm
Canadian Craft Distilling
-1990’s
-Nova Scotia’s Glenora (Single Malt)
-Forty Creek in 1999
-Okanagan Springs in 2004
-Still Waters in 2009
9.09% Dispensation
-Canadian Whiskies exported to the US are permitted to have 9.09% of liquids blended into them
-in reality only a few do
-Dispensation agreed to post-US prohibition
-Allowing high volume Candian blends to compete with American blends by including up to 80% of unaged neutral spirit
-Additions can be young rye whisky, American Whiskey, Sherry, Port, Cognac, Rum
How many distilleries did Seagram’s own at it’s peak?
39 distilleries
over $1 Billion Canadian
When did Seagram’s merge with Sam Bronfman’s company Distillers Corporation Limited?
1928
Last Straw
-Began distilling in 2015
-Canadian Single Malt
-95% 2 row, 5% Canadian 6 Row barley
-In 2023 entered a joint venture with Hertic Spirits in Collingwood, Ontario
Forty Creek
-showed the alternative for light, mixable, blends in Canada
-Located close to Niagra Falls
-Formerly fruit spirits, then a winery
-whisky in 1999
-John K Hall
-Bought by Campari in 2014
Forty Creek production
-Three mixed mash bills (corn, rye, barley)
-Mix of yeasts (brewers and distillers + wine)
-matured in ex Bourbon casks
Collingwood
-Shipbuilding town of Collingwood
-Where Barton built Canadian Mist distillery
-Joined Sazerac in 2020
-Named distillery after the town
-Focus on Rye flavoring whisky
Still Waters
-Ontario
-in 2009 kicked off the modern “craft” movement
-Barry Stein and Barry Bernstein
-Single Malt = Stalk & Barrel
-100% Rye soon followed
Hiram Walker
-Windsor
-Canada’s largest distillery
-now owned by Pernod Ricard
-Canadian Club is made here for Suntory
-also Wiser’s, Pike Creek, Lot 40
-Master blender Don Livermore
Hiram Walker production
-100% corn base in linked columns
-flavoring whiskies either direct or beer still + doubler
-for Lot 40 beer still + pot still
Gimli
-Manitoba
-Gimli means “protected from fire” - named after the survivors of Ragnarok
-town given name from Islandic immigrants
-home to Crown Royal
Crown Royal
-Best selling Canadian Whisky
-Created by Sam Bronfman in 1939 for the visit of George VI and Queen Elizabeth to Canada
-
Gimili’s three main lines
-100% Corn
-Bourbon style (60% Corn, 36% Rye, 4% Malt)
-Rye = 95% Rye, 5% MB
-last two are batch cooked for 72 hours
Gimili’s Corn Whisky productino
-100% Corn
-two beer stills then four column for light clean base
-or beer still to batch kettle
