Give Canada some of your attention

One country whose whiskies generally attract little attention here is Canada. Indeed, the only Canadian whisky your average drinker can name is Canadian Club.

It is hard to explain why Canadian whiskies are so unknown and underappreciated, other than they are overshadowed by heavilypromoted Bourbons and other US whiskies.

Most Canadian whiskies are, like many bourbons, based on a maizerye mash, although some more recent whiskies use all-malt or malt and wheat. Most are said to be lighter than Bourbons but have the vanilla-ish flavour imparted by the maize.

So what Canadian whiskies are available?

Canadian Club is widely available here and is a good starting point. It was first distilled by HiramWalker in Detroit, Michigan, but – foreseeing Prohibition early on – he moved to Windsor, Ontario, and built the town ofWalkerville (now part ofWindsor) to house his employees.

The whisky, originally called Club, became popular in the US, so American distillers demanded “Canada” be on the label to deter customers. Around 1890 it was re-labelled Canadian Club – and sales soared. Own goals do not come better than that.

Another whisky that can be found in Britain is Crown Royal, created to celebrate the 1939 Royal Tour of Canada. Uniquely, the bottle comes in a purple velvet bag.

It is distilled at Gimli, a town founded by Icelanders on Lake Winnipeg, Manitoba, and bottled at Amherstburg in Ontario.

One firm whose many different whiskies have yet to reach UK shores in quantity is Highwood Distillers, Alberta. Founded in 1974 as Sunnyvale, the distillery lies beside the High River at the foot of the Rockies, but the head office has moved to Calgary.

Another notable distillery is Glenora, on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, which distilled Canada’s first single malt, named Glen Breton, sparking a legal dispute with the Scotch indusstr y. However, the naame h a s rema ined, with the w h i s k y availabble on the inteernet or at specialiss dealers.

ngs belo Club Beam n adia Can pany a com his toUS whic ory, ory Sunt Sunt ryof Japa n. idua subs ings of Hold DISTINCTIVE: Crown Royal comes in its own purple velvet bag.