There really are some great quality Canadian whiskies out there.  From the mass-produced to the boutique, the Canadian whisky scene is rich in variety and constantly improving with regular new arrivals on shelves from both corporate and small-scale brands.  Distilled by Alberta Distillers of Calgary, a subsidiary of Fortune Brands (who own Jim Beam), Alberta Springs 10 Years Old recently appeared on my local liquor store’s shelves (although the product itself is much older), so I grabbed a bottle.
I was incredibly impressed with this 100% rye whisky

Despite the classy packaging with a crown shaped bottle and often wrapped in a richly purple velvet bag, Crown Royal has admittedly lost some of its high class image over the years. Today, the classy image that Crown Royal cultivates in its packaging and advertising feels very phony. The truth seems to be a 3,400,000 litre cash cow in a very marketable glass container. Of course this means nothing when it comes to the actual quality of the product in the bottle. Crown Royal the whisky has some very admirable …

Owned by Pernod Ricard, Aberlour was founded over 180 years ago, with its distillery rebuilt on several occasions after fires in the late 1800s.  While their whisky is often overshadowed by neighbour Macallan’s sherry-cask offerings, Aberlour still produces over 2 million litres per year; given Aberlour’s distinctive yet smooth honey and heather character, I’m surprised it is not more.   Their A’bunadh offering is one of my (and my wife’s) favourites, and the 10 and 12 year’s price point (both under $60 in Vancouver) make both a great purchase on all …

Jean-Pierre Cayard founded Glen Turner in France in 1934; to this day the brand’s identity is slightly confusing.  In 2004, the company moved to a warehousing complex in West Lothian in the UK (at a cost of 15 million quid), where it stores the whiskies purchased and bottled in the 12 and 18 year old “Glen Turner” bottlings.  Only in the last couple years has the West Lothian facility been transitioning to a distillery – so don’t expect whiskies to be released for at least a couple more years.  While …

“At the ancient seaport of Banff, nature’s elements meet as the black waters of the River Deveron break into the expanses of the North Sea.”  This quote from the label of Glen Deveron 10 Years Old, produced by the Macduff distillery, reflects the river on which the distillery lies and from which it draws the water used for cooling in the production process.  Macduff has gone against the norm and named their Speyside whisky by a different name than their own; however, independent bottlers continue to release under the Macduff …

As anyone who follows The Aspiring Gentleman on Twitter knows, we are pretty big fans of Ardbeg 10 Years Old.  There is a ritual to drinking Ardbeg:  Firstly, open the bottle and smell the deep, oily peatiness.  Secondly, pour and enjoy a healthy-size dram.  Thirdly, listen to the wife complain you smell like a “campfire.”
Despite being mothballed for most of the 80′s and 90′s, Ardbeg (now owned by Glenmorangie PLC) is now one of the largest and fastest growing distilleries, particularly on the island of Islay.  Ardbeg makes a wide …