Category Archives: Canadian Whisky

In 2006 Crown Royal released its first XR bottling, a whisky that didn’t joke when it used the “extra rare” moniker on the label. Crafted from whiskys salvaged from its Waterloo distillery, which had actually burned down, it’s safe to say that if you haven’t picked up the 2006 Crown Royal XR by now, you aren’t going to.

Now Crown is back with a new version of XR, this one from its LaSalle Distillery. LaSalle did not burn down, but the whisky remains a limited release bottling that will be on sale for only a limited time. We got a sample. Here’s how it comes across.

Light and fruity on the nose, this smells a bit like very young Bourbon, fresh and vibrant. Not much wood to be found. This is backed up on the tongue: Very fruity, with apple and banana up front, nougat, bread, and biscuit characteristics. Rye grain comes along on the finish. Not nearly as woody as the Waterloo edition, and very clean. For this price, though, I’d like to see a bit more complexity.

80 proof.

A- / $130 / crownroyal.com

Sazerac’s Rich & Rare Canadian Whisky is a fast-growing brand — the fastest-growing U.S.-bottled Canadian brand last year — but one that is available in only about a dozen states right now. It’s also dirt cheap: The standard bottling sells for about $7.50.

The line is already expanding to add a Reserve bottling which will sell for all of $10 to $14 when it’s released this month.

This whisky — no age statement, 80 proof — is a brilliant orange in color, and citrus is the dominant flavor on the palate. It’s sweet but not cloying, with rich, sherried fruitiness to it — orange, plums, and grilled peaches. The finish is driven by the wood — caramel and cotton candy notes — but it goes out clean. While rye is obviously a component here, it’s not a dominant one: Spiciness is limited largely to the nose, where you get a touch of herbs, and a fleeting hint of it on the finish.

All told, it’s easygoing but surprisingly alive and balanced for a whisky that will probably set you back all of 13 bucks.

A- / $13 / sazerac.com

Never mind what’s inside Collingwood: You don’t get very far without admiring the bottle. I know I’m a sucker for a nice decanter, but this thing is ridiculous, like an overgrown Chanel bottle or a glass, whisky-filled Zippo.

But on to the spirit within: This whisky is, to be blunt, unlike any I’ve ever tasted. A blend of two whiskys, aged in oak for three-plus years, and finished in toasted maplewood casks, it is sweet yet earthy and deeply wood-inflected. The nose: Woody and traditional — albeit with the addition of a little perfume — but closer to Bourbon than most Canadian whiskys. On the palate, the upfront offers a brown sugar character, but the sweetness is muted by wood. It’s not overwhelming in the way some hoary Bourbons can be, but simply mellowed out.

The ultimate effect as this washes over your palate is incredibly hard to describe. There is applesauce with cinnamon, butterscotch, cedar planks, but nothing approaching smoke or charcoal in it. The finish is baffling, with wood and earth at play with molasses and incense.

Collingwood makes a lot of claims that this is perhaps “the smoothest whisky ever made.” I’m not sure if that’s the case — though it is smooth and easy-drinking — but either way it’s much more than that simple platitude.

80 proof.

A- / $27 / collingwoodwhisky.com

Celebrating 150 years of whiskymaking, Canadian Club recently put out a very limited edition 30-year-old bottling. With just 3000 bottles produced (there’s no mention of it on the Canadian Club website), finding it might be tough. But if you track it down, here’s what you should expect the experience to be like.

Bright amber in color, the nose is surprisingly light and only hints at wood. The first taste of the body reveals light wood notes but lots of flavor beyond that. Dried apple and banana, caramel and honey, and a good amount of spice from the rye component here. The whisky starts out hot but soon mellows — you really don’t need water with it — and its character grows the more you taste it.

There’s a touch of bitterness on the finish that tarnishes an otherwise very interesting and fairly well-balanced whisky, but it’s not quite on par with Crown Royal No. 16, which still stands as my top ultra-premium Canadian (and runs half the price).

80 proof.

A- / $200 / canadianclubwhisky.com