What is Canadian whisky?

Canadian whisky is like politics. Depending on what side of the aisle your on determines what you think of it. Whiskey geeks tend to scoff at Canadian whisky, but the general population loves it.

Canadian whisky dominated the American markets post-prohibition. Hell, it was the prohibition whiskey, smuggled across the border, think the Untouchables. It has a cool history, but that is another story.

The lighter style is what drew people’s palates. Bourbon was your grandpa’s drink, but whisky from Canada tastes great with Seven-Up or coke. Bourbon has overtaken Canadian whisky in sales, but that happened in the past 10 years. Why did people like it so much? Why do people dislike it so much? Well, first, we need to understand what it is.

The rules of Canadian whisky

• Fermented, distilled, and aged in Canada.
• Age a minimum of three years in a wooden container less than 700 liters
• Distilled no higher than 95% ABV (190 proof)
• Bottling at no less than 40% ABV (80 proof)

While the rules are straightforward, these are just the “musts.” There are several “cans” as well.

• You can add caramel coloring.
• You can use enzymes to malt.
• You can add other micro-organisms besides yeast to aid in fermentation.
• You can add up to 9.09% of another flavoring spirit, also known as the 9.09 rule.

The 9.09 rule.

This rule is a U.S. legal quirk that gave tax breaks to foreign spirit producers. They have to include a part of American-made spirits in products sold in the United States. Canadian law allows the whisky to contain up to 1/11, 9.09%, non-Canadian whisky, or other booze. Most whisky staying in Canada does not contain any American spirit but might have sherry.

What gain is in Canadian whisky?

In the beginning, it was wheat, but as they discovered the flavoring ability of rye, it became a part of the blend. To differentiate whiskey with rye from wheat whisky, customers called it rye whisky. Terminology that is used to this day for any Canadian whisky, including those that contain no rye. A bit confusing, right?

Two things separate Canadian whisky from others. One is they distill and age each grain separately. While most whiskeys contain a high percentage of corn, they will distill and age it individually. The same goes for the rye and other grains. On occasion, they will get blended as new make and aged together. The most common practice is mixing after full maturation.

Another is they use what is called two streams. High-proof, corn-derived whiskies called base whiskies. Lower-proof whiskies made with rye or other grains called flavoring whiskies. Base whiskies are typically aged in used barrels. While flavoring whiskies are usually aged in new barrels or a mix of used and new barrels. Many barrels from both streams are then blended together to make each batch of whisky.

To sum it up, you have to make the whisky in Canada and age it for three years. You may add some other stuff to it. You will blend a combination of base and flavoring whiskeys to create your final product.

The future of Canadian whisky.

Brands like Crown Royal, Seagrams, and Canadian Club still dominate the market. There is a craft movement happening in Canada as well. Their ability to create blends from the two streams opens endless flavor possibilities. I am excited to see what happens in the next five to ten years.

Originally published at https://www.whiskeyjake.com on October 15, 2020.