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How many drinks can be said to be the cause of cities? And in the history of the Canadian Club there is such a page: the most famous Canadian whiskey today is produced in the town of Walkerville, which arose and developed around the Hiram Walker distillery of the same name.
This is a light light drink with a pleasant floral aroma, mild taste and pronounced shades of rye. The record holder of sales among all Canadian whiskeys, for many years it has been a role model and for fakes. At the distillery, Walkerville even opened a special room in which, like in a museum, one and a half hundred bottles with fake Canadian Club and false labels are stored. This collection continues to grow.
Historical reference. The beginning of the Canadian Club can be considered in 1856, when a thirty-year-old grocer – cereal merchant, Hiram Walker moved to Canada from Detroit. A man bought a piece of the endless Canadian plain near the city of Windsor. At that time, the favorite drink of Canadians was beer, sometimes they drank bourbon, less often scotch.
With the advent of Hiram Walker, who built a distillery on the acquired 400 acres of land, the era of Canadian whiskey began. He chose a good place: the lands around the plant were sown with rye and wheat, the Detroit River flowed nearby, there were enough transport routes. The first spirits were obtained in 1858. Gradually, workers settled around the distillery, and by the beginning of the XNUMXth century, the town of Walkerville already had its own infrastructure.
Hiram Walker & Sons distillery was not only the first official Canadian whiskey distillery, but also the manufacturer of the original drink – not like bourbon. Despite the fact that Hiram Walker was an American, he was not going to copy the drink production technology from more eminent colleagues. Unlike most bourbons, which were aged from 1 to 3 years, Walker’s whiskey was aged in oak barrels for at least five years. During this time, the drink acquired a deep color and a characteristic tart aroma, which appealed to Canadian hard liquor lovers.
Whiskey got its current name only in 1890. At first, it was sold only in some clubs in Canada and the United States, so they called the Walker Club – “Walker’s Club”. When in 1889 the United States passed a law on the mandatory designation of the country of origin on the label, the whiskey was given the name Canadian Club, and Walker registered the brand.
At the beginning of the XNUMXth century, the management of the distillery and the company passed into the hands of the sons of Hiram Walker; by the Second World War, the grandchildren were doing business. But in the second half of the XNUMXth century, it became difficult for small family companies to compete with the holdings that appeared on the alcohol market. Walker’s heirs sold the brand and the distillery, today the rights to the brand belong to the American corporation Beam Suntory.
Production features
The Canadian Club production technology differs from bourbons and other blends in that the main exposure occurs after blending. For example, the most popular in Europe “Johnnie Walker” is mixed from already aged spirits, then aged for six months in oak bourbon barrels and bottled. For the Canadian Club, mature corn, rye and barley malt spirits are first blended, then the resulting blend is placed in American white oak casks for a minimum of 6 years. Such a long marriage of alcohols guarantees their perfect fusion and, as a result, a soft, harmonious taste.
The main blend alcohol is corn, obtained by double distillation. Its initial strength is 95%. Alcohols from rye and barley malt are much lighter – only 65%.
The blend is aged in new oak barrels, charred inside to a light charring.
Interesting facts about the Canadian Club
This whiskey, unlike most brands, is classified only by years of exposure: from 6 to 12 years. The longer the exposure, the richer the color of the drink, the richer the taste and the higher the price. Ten and twelve year old whiskeys have slightly astringent notes of oak on the palate. Connoisseurs recommend drinking aged Canadian Club pure to preserve flavors.
Canadian club bartenders are often compared with American rye whiskey – because of the taste of rye in taste, but it cannot be called rye, corn alcohol still dominates in the composition.
Because of the Canadian Club, there was once a serious conflict between two gangs, one of which was led by Capone. The Capone gang was engaged in the supply of smuggled whiskey, and the leader of another criminal group, Bugs Moran, at first did not want to buy it, but then changed his mind. Capone did not forgive the neglect and refused Moran. And he, in turn, began to rob trucks with a smuggled drink. After the third case of robbery, Capone decided to punish the robbers, made an appointment with Morgan, during which 7 members of the gang were killed. It happened on February 14 – Valentine’s Day. This smuggled whiskey was just the Canadian Club, however, the suppliers re-labeled, and therefore Old Log Cabin was written on the bottles (such a brand never existed).
Types of whiskey Canadian Club
Canadian Club (40%)
An amber drink with a minimum aging of six years by the standards of the brand. Mild taste with barely noticeable bitterness, warm aftertaste with rye notes. The aroma is light, floral and herbal.
Canadian Club Reserve aged 10 years (40%)
A ten year old whiskey with a deep honey color. The taste is rich, multifaceted, with hints of spices and oak flavors. Long dry aftertaste. The aroma is complex, dominated by notes of creamy toffee and rye toast.
Canadian Club Classic aged 12 years (40%)
Dark honey whiskey, thanks to twelve years of aging, has a smooth and spicy taste with bright hints of nutmeg, vanilla and cinnamon. Long aftertaste with a hint of oak and rye. Perfectly balanced pleasant creamy aroma.
100 out of 100 from Jim Murray in the Whiskey Bible. It was named the “Best Canadian Whiskey” three times already in the 2003st century – in 2009, 2013 and 2003. Twice received gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition – in 2014 and XNUMX.
Canadian Club Sherry Cask (41,2%)
Whiskey, which was first released in a small experimental batch, but fell in love with lovers of strong drinks, including women. The blend is aged for 8 years in new oak barrels, and then another 2 years in Spanish sherry casks. The color is bright, amber. The taste is spicy, slightly oily. Long warm aftertaste with a hint of rye. The aroma is light, fruity, with notes of sherry. In 2015, he received gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
