My infatuation for Canadian Whisky is well known, and it’s a big focus for the bar at OLO; a lot of this has to do with the underdog title Canada holds in the whiskey realm. Canadian Whisky has had a massive renaissance over the last few years as it continues to grow exponen- tially not only in the biggest Canadian loving markets such as Texas and Georgia, but in its home country. This growth is thanks to pioneers such as John Hall of Forty Creek, Dr Don Livermore of JP Wiser’s, and supporters like Davin de Kergommeaux, author of Canadian Whisky.
The history of Canadian Whisky is lengthy, dark and sordid, and more complex than expected. Its rise as the number one drunk whisky in North America came during the civil war, not prohibition as many think. With the North and South at odds, whiskey production in the South halted and the North wasn’t trading with the South, so they both looked far north to their Canadian cousins and the trading of whisky began for both sides. Prohibition and World Wars actually hurt the Canadian Whisky industry and helped with the mass amalgamation of many smaller distilleries to stave off bankruptcy. Canadian Whisky has rye in it, but is not rye in the same sense as American Rye Whiskey as there are no rules here on the rye content needed for a bottle to be classed as Canadian Whisky; that said, there are now a number of Canadian Whiskies on the market that are 100% rye, such as Canadian Club & Alberta Premium. The other two major differences are that instead of a mash bill like other whiskies, Canadians distill each grain (corn, rye & barley) individually, age them separately, and then blend it together when ready; secondly, producers are allowed to add 9.09% of anything to the final product.
Why is this all relevant?Dr Don Livermore of JP Wiser’s believes that the freedom of Canadian Whiskie’s rules gives the distiller and blender a huge opportunity to impress, more so than other categories. With the “use the rules for good, not for evil” mentality, brands such as Alberta Distillers and Forty Creek have changed the landscape of Canadian Whisky and ushered in a new era that is taking our national spirit worldwide.
The best cocktail and a classic Canadian cocktail to showcase the Canadian ingenuity is the Toronto. A classic created by Robert Vermeire in Europe sometime in the 1910’s as the Fernet Cocktail. The quote at the bottom of the recipe states “This cocktail is much appreciated by Canadians of Toronto”. It was later published in David Embury’s “The Fine Art of Mixing Drink’s” in 1948 as the Toronto Cocktail. A variation of a Manhattan, the Toronto is a balanced cocktail utilizing the “bartender’s hand- shake” liqueur, Fernet Branca.
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