A Whiskey question from a Canadian

[Captain Fruch]

Being that I have been a fan of Bourbon for most of my adult life, I've always wondered what those of you in the states think of Canadian whiskey. I often see mention of rye on drink related websites and sometimes get the impression that Canadian rye is considered to be fairly decent. For myself as a bourbon drinker, the stuff I consider to be good is probably only middle of the road for American drinkers. In terms of bourbon, there are the various labels of Jim Beam, Bulleit, Maker's Mark (being my personal overall favourite), and a few others, such as TJD which I consider shit and never touch. There are a few other variants of bourbon that show up from time to time yet it is an unreliable supply, so I make do with the choices I have. I do occasionally drink rye, and I guess I kind of take it for granted, some of the smaller distilleries in Canada. So I am wondering, for the Americans, what is the overall impression of Canadian Rye there? Is it like us up north with Bourbon, where we kind of view it as mostly kick ass, not only because it does, but also because its from a different district, or is it just another option? Also specifically, what are considered the best in terms of Canadian whiskey in the states?

[Frankennietzsche]

Honestly, looking at a list of Canadain whiskeys, the only ones that one could regularly find around here Crown Royal, Canadian Club and Seagrams. I don't thaink that that is a very good cross section, and it has been so long since I have had any of those, that I really can't give an opinion.
Crown Royal comes with a dice bag, though, so it has always been a favorite with D&D players.

[Resident Asshole]

So far as I know Canada doesn't really do ryes like they used to long ago, it's a bit of a misnomer. I have traveled there quite a bit but I don't live there so your mileage may vary. The majority of Canadian whisk(e)y which I have had is blended and pretty smooth. Not on par with bourbon though. I would love to try a true Canadian rye if they export one though.

[Patchez]

Isn't Canadian Whiskey made with more rye in the mash bill than your standard bourbon? The brown liquor expert at my favorite candy store informed me of this. The veracity of this statement has yet to be determined.

it came up as I was eyeing a bottle of Whistle Pig Rye. He stated that while good it was really just a Canadian whiskey. Therefore overpriced for what it was. With today's liquor marketing I don't find it to be to much of a stretch but have done no research to discover the truth. Instead I bought the Sazerac... a product of Kentucky.

*edit after research into who owns Sazerac

[ahuffman]

I have a very slim selection around here also. I have been enjoying Crown Reserve quite a bit lately, too bad it is so expensive. I am going to have to give Canadian Club a whirl sometime, it is a decent amount cheaper than Crown here.

[Palinka (RIP)]

Sadly Canadian whisk(e)y is nigh impossible to find in the UK. Even the once ubiquitous Canadian Club has vanished from the shelves.
I put this down, to a large degree, to the extermination of the old-shool off-license (the UK equivalent of a liquor store) by the big supermarket chains. However, that is a gripe for another thread.

[Jiggers McCoy]

For me, Canadian whisky, even the good stuff, is just missing something. There's no muscularity, no backbone. Like somebody took a "Whiskey" flavor packet, sprinkled it into some cheap vodka and screwed off for the rest of the afternoon. I'd take a cheap bourbon over Crown any day.

[oettinger]

You people have problems... I`m shaking my drunken head. In stupid ol`germany you can be lucky enough to find paint thinner resemblling anything more "exoctic" than JB, JW, TJD, Ballentines and a whole lot of Tullamore Dews. But no salesclerk to be found who might tell the difference between bourbon and scotch other than reading to you the location of said liquor which is obviously printed on the front of the bottle.

Still you have the Toronto Raptors, watching them makes me feel dizzy too somehow, touche!

[Mr. Viking]

Sadly Canadian whisk(e)y is nigh impossible to find in the UK. Even the once ubiquitous Canadian Club has vanished from the shelves.
I put this down, to a large degree, to the extermination of the old-shool off-license (the UK equivalent of a liquor store) by the big supermarket chains. However, that is a gripe for another thread.

still fairly popular in northern Ireland along with such delights as Crown Royal and the Scotches Stewarts Cream of the Barley and The Real Mackenzie

[Bur]

Real MacK is most shootable, highly recommend for endrunkening purposes.

[Mr Boozificator]

Real MacK is most shootable, highly recommend for endrunkening purposes.

Bur, have you been dancing with the polar bears again?

[Resident Asshole]

For me, Canadian whisky, even the good stuff, is just missing something. There's no muscularity, no backbone. Like somebody took a "Whiskey" flavor packet, sprinkled it into some cheap vodka and screwed off for the rest of the afternoon. I'd take a cheap bourbon over Crown any day.

Perhaps this is because most Canadian whiskeys are blends? Bourbon has the strictest requirements of all liquor as far as how it is made and the ingredients, therefore it just makes sense that bourbon would have a more consistent flavor and more bite.

[Palinka (RIP)]

...Bourbon has the strictest requirements of all liquor as far as how it is made and the ingredients...

*Ahem*...I think that are some Scottish (and probably a few Irish and Welsh) Single Malt Whisky Distilleries that might offer a different view...

[Resident Asshole]

...Bourbon has the strictest requirements of all liquor as far as how it is made and the ingredients...

*Ahem*...I think that are some Scottish (and probably a few Irish and Welsh) Single Malt Whisky Distilleries that might offer a different view...

Do you mean the distilleries' own rules or the legality? I'm talking about the legal definition of the liquor. I will agree with you in the sense that Scotch has some pretty specific rules, but just the fact that bourbon (BTW, I should have clarified "straight" bourbon) has to be aged in new barrels but Scotch can be aged in a bourbon barrel says a lot to me.

Anyway, part of my point was that Canadian whiskey can be distilled quite high (as can Scotch and Irish whiskey), thus negating a lot of the "woody" flavors. Obviously there is room for debate, but I have spent a lot of time drinking in Canada, Ireland, Scotland and of course Kentucky, as well as touring the distilleries so I feel I have a decent handle (hehe) on it.

This is not to say that one is better than the other, I like them all in different ways but the varying requirements are interesting to me.

[Badfellow]

Candian Whiskey has a speckled reputation considering that it is a blended product and ranges greatly in quality. However, even those worst quality examples of Cannuckery are generally reputed to be relatively smooth in comparison to their international, bottom-shelf counterparts. The blending process has historically been used by distillers as a means of promoting the consistency of what goes into the bottle and, as is the case with Canadian, a way to smooth the rough edges from lesser aged product.

As for the flavor comparison, Bourbon is undisputably more complex than Canadian. Much of that is due to the aging and the requirement that a NEW charred oak barrel be used for each batch. This is where you get the vanilla and woodiness that you typically never find in Canadian.

Is Canadian worth the drink? Absolutely, eh. Especially the rye. One of the best ryes I've ever tipped was from the provinces. But given a choice I'll tend to gravitate back toward the Kentucky stuff.