The history of Canadian whisky
With the European immigration wave, whisky did not only come to the future United States, it also came to Canada. At the end of the 18th century, the first distilleries were built in Québec and Ontario, since the nearby lakes offered perfect conditions for the production of spirits. The first official whisky distillery was founded in 1821 by John Molson.
It took about one century from the opening of the first distillery to the rise of Canadian whisky. The distillery founder Hiram Walker played an important role when he created Club Whisky and helped it become one of the most popular Canadian whisky brands. When Walker set out to conquer the American market, however, American whiskey distillers tried to sabotage his efforts: In order to make Canadian whisky less appealing, they advocated for a law that dictated that Canadian whisky had to be clearly labeled as Canadian. However, the results turned out very different than expected. Due to the clear designation, the new, exotic Canadian Club stood out from American whiskey brands and therefore found a lot of success on the market.
Another important player in the rise of the Canadian whisky industry was Joseph E. Seagram. The son of English immigrants bought his first distillery in Waterloo, Ontario, in 1883 and managed to build a solid reputation.
In the beginning of the 20th century, the American Prohibition strengthened the Canadian whisky industry. Although the spirits had to cross the border as contraband, the absence of any commercial competition resulted in an even higher value of brand recognition.
Canadian whisky the spelling
Contrary to expectations, Canadian whisky is spelled without the e, which is used in the US and in Ireland. The reason for the spelling is probably that Scottish immigrants had a bigger influence in Canada than in the US, where the production of whisky was mostly driven by Irish immigrants.
What makes Canadian whisky different?
Although Canadian whiskies can differ drastically from each other, the country is mostly known for its light and smooth whiskies. In general, you wont find a lot of single malts in Canada. Instead, you can expect to come across a lot of Blended Canadians blended whiskies which are made from different grain varieties and are usually unmalted.
A storage of at least three years is required by law if a whisky is to be called Canadian Whisky, Canadian Rye Whisky or even just Rye Whisky. Before the bottling, up to 2% fruit wines, sherry and fruit juice may be added to the spirit.
The most popular Canadian whisky brands
While Canadian Club is still considered the most well-known and popular Canadian whisky, there are countless other brands that produce high-quality whiskies, including Black Velvet, Crown Royal and Forty Creek.
Canadian whisky at Gustero
Besides hundreds of Scottish, American, Irish and Japanese brands, we also offer premium Canadian whisky in our shop. Take a look at our selection now!
