Canadian Whisky Explained in 3 Minutes

[@rirkc]

Excellent video. Concise and to the point as well as thorough. Thanks!

[@whiskywhereabouts]

Speaking as someone always seeming to have to trim videos' run times down before publishing them, very impressed with the brevity of this video. Cheers!

[@TheWhiskeyDictionary]

Funny enough, it was finding enough B Roll to make it make sense that was tough

[@glenngardin3561]

Lately, the shorter the video, the better. Takes a lot of commitment to watch for 30 minutes!

[@TheWhiskeyDictionary]

Totally agree

[@brettweiler9381]

Nice, informative video. If it weren't for Canadian Club, I probably wouldn't be a drinker. It just goes down right.

[@WhispyWoods.]

Yes! All your videos are good but this is the type of content that brought me to your channel. Cheers 🥃

[@TheWhiskeyDictionary]

Awesome, thank you!

[@LiquidSteaks]

Big fan of Gibsons finest for an every day drinker

[@Lord.Kiltridge]

I came here to say precisely this.

[@jasonwest9425]

Nice overview. Though the two most significant newer distilleries Shelter Point and Two Brewers are worth a mention. Both are doing great things and are well known here.

[@TheWhiskeyDictionary]

Thanks for that! It's actually kind of tough to learn about Canadian Whisky. Not as much info as you'd think out there.

[@jasonwest9425]

@@TheWhiskeyDictionary for sure, like you said alot of the good stuff we keep for ourselves! If you ever get a chance to try Shelter Point you won't regret it, they are doing a lot of unusual finishes as well.

[@TheWhiskeyDictionary]

I'll take a look, thanks for the suggestion!

[@RalphGB]

Thanks for the quick but comprehensive overview!

[@RobertPiec-k6j]

I am Canadian. I never did like Canadian Whiskeys. I grew up in Windsor where Hiram Walkers was distilled. I drank single malt Scotches for years until My brother in law Terry T. turned me on to Bourbon. Now that is a fine whisky. I like it with cold coffee. Buffalo Trace is so smooth.

[@teddyballgame25]

Cool video but would have liked a deeper dive into specific brands and the processes/ingredients they use.

[@TheWhiskeyDictionary]

That could be cool. I do that in a lot of the specific brand videos

[@brianfitch9030]

Crown Royal is a favorite. Unfortunately unavailable for the most part in Portugal. Expat problems are very small for me. The moderate priced Irish labels are a fine substitute.

[@Mac3622]

Glenora Distillery in Nova Scotia makes single malt whiskey. They were actually sued by the Scotch Whiskey Association for using the word "Glen" in their name, which the SWA lost

[@TheWhiskeyDictionary]

I remember when that came across my feed.

[@tomryan914]

"Ya' cannae be usin' the word 'Glen'🚫, it must contain dilithhian crystals. Hoot mon!"

[@zachweyrauch2988]

I actually did a tour of that place on a trip with a buddy. It was very cool. The water is drawn from a spring.... almost as cool as iceberg vodka in newfoundland. (Made from icebirg water)

[@glenngardin3561]

"The Battle of the Glen" is their 13 year old whisky to celebrate the win over the SWA. Interesting place and story.

[@MisterOcclusion]

Considering that Nova Scotia is literally New Scotland, that's some cheek the old world has.

[@barrygiddey9139]

Cool video Bill-Thanks for sharing 🥃

[@kjetiljakobsen5517]

I’ve only tasted Hamilton and Lord Calvert. Mostly scottish whisky available where I live. I like lord Calvert quite well.

[@buckmclean8391]

If you live where alberta premium is available, GET SOME. I've tried them all and nothing comes close for smoothness and flavor.

[@christinecamley]

Terrific Bill! Love Sons of Vancouver - Realms of Rye! New!

[@bryanmarks608]

Single malts are also blended. Don’t let the word single fool you, it just means it’s from 1 distillery but still can be blended within that distillery.

[@zachweyrauch2988]

Tossing a few plugs out there for my two preferred local brands in nova scotia. Glynnevan is decent middle shelf whiskey with some nice aged bottles. Caldera is a great budget brand. Check em out if you see a bottle somehwere.

[@TheWhiskeyDictionary]

Maybe ill contact them! Thanks for the recommendation

[@zachweyrauch2988]

@@TheWhiskeyDictionary ya reading the comments I found out you're American. I'll bet the locals would be jazzed to get their products a little further afield. My buddies from back home in Ontario don't even see alot of the products from out here.

[@glenngardin3561]

Glynnevan is a very nice whiskey! Just about out of my first bottle, and the LCBO is on strike! Might have to ration it!

[@khuge32]

Dont forget the Alberta gem, Eau Claire Distillery, most awarded craft distillery in Canada.

[@everwind5691]

Canadian Whisky is not 100% Whisky, they allow whisky producers to add a maximum of 9.09% of non-whisky liquor to their whisky. They’re still allowed to label it Canadian Whisky. They don't have to disclose they added wine, bourbon, gin. or vodka to the whisky and still call it whisky. They spin it as a way to be creative, too me it is just not cool and why I now avoid Canadian Whisky. Sad. At the very least it should be labeled flavored whisky or spiced whisky.....I think leaving this out is a big oversight.

[@TheWhiskeyDictionary]

I'll be honest, I totally forgot about the 9% part. I'd have included it for sure. I was reading through the laws but missed that part entirely

[@albertapeet]

So you avoid it not because you dislike it but because you are in your own mind “a connoisseur “ You probably drink flavoured “craft” beer too , with a sweater scarf around your neck😂

[@everwind5691]

@@albertapeet that was rather an ad hominem argument. No I want to know what I am putting in my body and I think food and drink producers should be transparent on what you are getting. If I want a mixed drink I will make it. With Canadian whiskey you are getting a mixed drink and not just whisky. No truth in advertising and I will not normally buy products that are deceptive.

[@Adrian802]

For those who dislike whisky adding alternatives, they can chose other products. It's best to do some research and homework regarding each bottle because not all products add 9.09% of other liquid. They can but it's up to the distiller Cheers

[@richardbostan4286]

You have some false assumptions there. First of all, most "Canadian whisky" is absolutely 100 percent whisky. The whole 9.09 percent thing is an option, but it is very few brands that actually use that option. Second, you are wrong about gin and vodka being used, and the "non-whisky liquor" business generally. The ONLY non-whisky liquor allowed is wine and distilled spirits that have spent at least two years aging in oak. So no non-aged spirits (like gin and vodka) and no beer.

[@Craptastic760]

As I understand it, Seagram makes one cheap, clear distilled spirit that is then processed into dozens of different liquor products; gin, vodka, "whisky", etc. Probably an over-simplification but that's the rumor. I guess if you put Everclear in a charred oak barrel for a few years you get a "whisky" like product at the end.

[@elixwhitetail]

Prohibition actually almost erased the Canadian distilling industry. You'd think that the USA not allowing the production and sale of alcohol would mean insane profits for Canadian distilleries, but it was the opposite. Legal importation of Canadian whisky was just as illegal as an American making whiskey for themselves, so the distilleries only got their products into America by selling it to gangsters for pennies on the dollar who would then bootleg it across the border and keep the profit. The big disruptive period in American history that Canadian distillers benefitted from was actually the US Civil War, since at the time most bourbon/US whiskey was distilled in the South and they weren't on good trading terms with the North at the time.

[@joelewandowski8232]

Crown Royal black with Vernors ginger ale 👍

[@kjdickson]

Distilling is alive and well in Canada, except Quebec where the state run SAQ has a stranglehold. If it can't get on their store shelves, it isn't available in the province of Quebec.

[@lars277]

Canadian Windsor is the best cheap and accessible blended whisky.

[@williamjones7163]

I don't mind talking about whiskey, but I would rather be sipping it.😂

[@AChapstickOrange]

Sure, show us this when the LCBO is on strike. :)

[@TheWhiskeyDictionary]

Hah! Come to the US.

[@deadon4847]

That's Ontario, so backwards on alcohol sales. BC has private liquor stores that don't go on strike.

[@billcook4768]

I’m sure Canada produces good and even excellent whisky. But very little of that ends up on the US. Instead we get cheap overly sweet swill. Don’t get me wrong, there’s a place for cheap overly sweet swill. But I’d like to get the good stuff too.

[@elixwhitetail]

"Canadian whisky is made from a variety of grains, including corn, rye, barley, and wheat." Minor nitpick but those four grains are the _ONLY_ grains you can use if you want to call your final product "Canadian Whisky" on the label. Distilleries can use other grains to make distilled spirits in general practice, but the category definition of Canadian whisky is strict and calls out the four grains as the only acceptable options. The Canadian rules are weirdly inconsistent, they're strict that the spirit must be aged a minimum of three years in a barrel and the mashbill must be of only the four allowed grains but then they're remarkably liberal with the vague definition of 'wood' (not oak by name) and the 9.09% rule is entirely unique.

[@Tony_Lewis]

Canadian Mist

[@zachweyrauch2988]

No.

[@mannacler]

😂

[@Adrian802]

What sucks is that the real gems don't leave the country. Aside from the Lot 40 cask strength, there were JP Wiser's 23yr, 22year, 35 year, Dissertation, Red Letter, Seven Rebels, Wheatfield Gold, age stated Crown Royal, Alberta Premium Cask Strength etc... Most of them weren't even heard of.

[@timberwolfdtproductions3890]

Note to American viewers: many of you tend to think of Canadian Club when you think of Canadian whiskey. Don’t waste your money on that rot-gut firewater. Of all the whiskeys we produce, CC is one of the worst. For a few dollars less, you can find a few that are much better; for a few dollars more you can find several that are outstanding.

[@johnnytarponds9292]

Glendora Distillers have only been around a couple of decades. Hardly Canadian history.

[@TheWhiskeyDictionary]

Perhaps, but they created the first Canadian Single Malt and they do have a location since the 1800s. www.glenoradistillery.com/history

[@MCatSHF]

Hello The Whiskey Dictionary: In Canada, we drink whisky, not Canadian Whisky. Just like in China, they eat food, not Chinese Food. In order for the word "Rye" to appear on the label, it does have to have a certain percentage (don't know the exact number) of alcohol distilled from rye grain in it, but still mostly alcohol distilled from corn.

[@TheWhiskeyDictionary]

That's the thing. N9t legally according to the definition of whiskey in Canada it doesn't have to have any Rye

[@MCatSHF]

Hello The Whiskey Dictionary: That's the point that I was trying to make (from what I was told by my late neighbour who worked his entire adult life at the Diageo [formerly Seagram's] distillery. There are product labels that read "Whisky" & "Rye Whisky". Whisky = alcohol distilled from corn. - Crown Royal, Seagram's VO, Seagram's 83, etc. Rye Whisky = majority of alcohol distilled from corn, BUT, has to contain a certain percentage of alcohol distilled from rye (in order to have the word "Rye" on the label). - Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye, Seagram's 5 Star, etc. PS: Some of those varieties mentioned may no longer be produced. ( I don't imbibe, so kind of out of the loop, just going by memory.)

[@billcook4768]

Next you’ll be telling us they don’t drink Scotch in Scotland :)

[@tiki_trash]

I prefer bourbon.

[@TheWhiskeyDictionary]

I don't want to meet the person who prefers Canadian

[@zachweyrauch2988]

I'm Canadian. It might be a sugar digestion thing but i would say 1 in 3 whiskey drinkers here will prefer bourbon (consistent price flavour and brand awareness) The other 2 will yell you bourbon tastes great but gives them detrimental heartburn. I'm one of the 2. I'm also mildly allergic to rice spirits like budweiser or Sapporo.

[@tiki_trash]

@@zachweyrauch2988 Cows die when fed corn. 🤣

[@TheWhiskeyDictionary]

Thats interesting. I haven't heard about heartburn like that

[@tiki_trash]

@@zachweyrauch2988 Even low-rent bourbon like Old Crow or Mellow Corn is OK by me. Black Velvet is just awful.

[@markvicferrer]

Why does Canadian whiskey feel too young? It's like it takes twice as many years aging to be as good as other brands. A 6 year old Canadian whiskey feels like the equivalent to a 3 year old whiskey of another brand. A 10 equals a 5 and so on with the other age ranges.

[@EdwardKelly-vi9sg]

WHAT IS A TRUE RYE CANADIAN WHISKEY...50% RYE MASH...THANX

[@TheWhiskeyDictionary]

Does Canadian Whisky benefit from Rye? I think it does. However, legally you can call whatever you want "Rye" Whiskey in Canada. According to Canada's Food and Drugs Act, a product can be labeled as "Canadian Whisky" or "Canadian Rye Whisky" if it meets the following minimum conditions: It must be mashed, distilled, and aged in Canada It must be aged in small wood vessels for at least three years It must contain at least 40% alcohol by volume It may contain caramel and flavoring

[@EdwardKelly-vi9sg]

@@TheWhiskeyDictionary SO CANADA DOESN'T MAKE A TRUE RYE WHISKEY ?

[@TheWhiskeyDictionary]

There are definitely some Rye whiskies out there. Just saying that the word "Rye" on the bottle isn't always indicative of what's in the bottle

[@EdwardKelly-vi9sg]

@@TheWhiskeyDictionary ... .HERE IN AMERICA RYE HAS TO MEET A STANDARD.....SOUNDS LIKE CANADA SUPPORTS FALSE ADVERTISING...just saying...!

[@TheWhiskeyDictionary]

@EdwardKelly-vi9sg they've been calling it Rye for a very long time. It's more about tradition than anything. Not sure why all your messages are in all caps

[@joesmith-t2z]

Blended whisky is NOT pure whiskey. it is cut with grain neutral spirits- ie plain alcohol/water blend, which is cheaper than real whiskey.

[@TheWhiskeyDictionary]

Depends on the brand. They don't all do that

[@richardbostan4286]

It is literally only in America that neutral grain spirits are allowed in a product labelled "whiskey" (though the word "blended" is required by America to be attached to the word whiskey). Neutral grain spirits are strictly forbidden in all Canadian whisky, even Canadian blended whisky.

[@Bobcat665]

Canadian whisky is the mystery meat of distillery products. 🙄

[@Craptastic760]

Well put!

[@jasonmorrell2770]

I can sum up Canadian whiskey in less than 10 seconds…. Eeeehhhhhh

[@WalterBurton]

Shouldn't take more than 30 seconds to "explain" Canadian whiskey. 🤭

[@deadon4847]

There's no e in whisky, That's a poorly educated murican thing.

[@zachweyrauch2988]

Hey man I know it was a glib era where we could throw affable shade as consistent allies in the world but it's a less common sentiment these days and that humor is probably wearing out. We should try and find commonality while the rich people in our nation's have their lawyer fights at our expense.

[@saxon6]

Actually both are correct and the Irish used the "e" first. ​@deadon4847

[@h4l414]

Bugger off wanker

[@billcook4768]

@@deadon4847And Ireland. If you’ve got an “e” in your country name you can have an e in your whiskey.

[@TripReviews]

Just don’t care for whiskey ever since I was a teenager. Got drunker as hell on CC at an underage. Sick! So sick! So so sick on it that night, ever since I just don’t like the taste. I’ve had the occasional drink of it but I’d take rum, vodka drambuie southern comfort any time.

[@TheWhiskeyDictionary]

I hear this same story a lot. Not much people can do to get past it unless they want to.

[@TripReviews]

@@TheWhiskeyDictionary yeah the taste of that night comes back at the smell of it, I have bought the occasional bottle and had the occasional drink but after about 50/53 years it’s still there.

[@TheWhiskeyDictionary]

@TripReviews I accidentally did that to a friend of mine with Tequila. Oh well. There's plenty more to drink!

[@TripReviews]

@@TheWhiskeyDictionary lol👍