Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Canada The international reputation of Canadian Whiskey??

One of the problems that I see with Canadian whisky is that it does not have an identity of it's own. Even calling it rye is a misnomer left over from when rye was the popular type of whisky produced in Canada. To be called Rye, the whisky has to be made from 51% or more rye in the mash bill. Most of the popular or typical Canadian whiskies are not Rye.

Canadian whisky needs an identity unique to Canada and something that defines what it is about Canadian whisky that makes it different or unique other than just being an aged distilled grain spirit that is produced there.

Some Canadian distillers are trying to produce a unique product. Forty Creek (as has been previously mentioned) produces corn whisky, malt whisky and rye whisky and ages each separately in barrels with different toast levels and then blends them together with a certain taste profile as it's goal. And they succeed. It does taste unique and is made in a unique process. If this process was standardized across the Canadian whisky industry as a process that makes a whisky "Canadian", the Canadian whisky industry would be on it's way to an identity.

Another possibility would be to age Canadian whisky in maple casks for some specified minimum time or using maple staves, (not maple flavoring!) this would give Canadian Whisky a unique process that would say "Canadian". Collingwood whisky is produced in Canada and ages their whisky with maple wood chips. This gives their whisky a unique flavor profile (like it or hate it). I happened to like it but not the perfume bottle they use. Anyway, that's my take. Just making primarily bland, light, blends by a distillery that happens to be in Canada will not and has not served the reputation of Canadian Whisky in the world.