Whisky of the World: One Canadian!

It's always a cause for celebration when we are able to taste a whisky from a totally different country, and today, SGwhisky is lucky to be able to try one from the northern neighbours of the USA, Canada! Though it may be a tendency to see these two territories as one and the same, that is definitely not the case. This is especially so for whisky (or as they spell it in the Americas, whiskey) as both the American and Canadian regulatory bodies for whiskey have very different sets of rules governing what a whiskey must have before it can be called whiskey. The result is interesting, some whiskeys produced in Canada in accordance with Canadian law cannot be called whiskey as they don't meet the American criterion for being called whiskey, and of course vice versa.

I would go into the details of this but as this is about the whiskey, I will try not to get too technical. The whiskey at hand this time is not a rye whiskey (which Canada is famous for), but a single malt whiskey. Before we go any further, it is good to note that Canadian whiskeys are definitely making headway in the world of whisk(e)y. Leading experts in the field like Davin De Kergommeaux wax lyrical about Canadian whiskey, and with good reason. The quality is going up, but sadly due to strict laws governing Canadian whiskey, most of the beautiful stuff don't go beyond their shores. As such, the brands that the world is exposed to are the more commercialized brands like Crown Royal and Canadian Club. Bummer actually!

So how can one pass up a chance to try a more unique Canadian whiskey. The Glen Breton Ice (the name got the distillery into trouble with the Scotch Whisky Association, but that too is another story for another day) single malt whisky is a whisky that is aged in ice-wine barriques. The age statement says 10 years, but I am inclined to believe they were finished in these barriques and not fully matured in it. Nevertheless, this interesting choice of cask means that the Glen Breton Ice 10 lays claim to be the first ever whiskey to spend time in Ice Wine barrels. So let's give it a whirl!

Name: Glen Breton Ice 10
Distillery: Glenora (Canada)
Type: Single Malt Canadian Whiskey
Age Statement: 10YO
Alc/Vol: 62.2%


Nose: (Neat) Notes of icing sugar and some faint fruits, maybe a light sweet winey note. A curious earthy note that is reminiscent of fried mushrooms. (Water) With some water the whisky becomes more fruity with notes of fruits with icing sugar on it, but the earthy note comes out stronger too (20)


Taste/Palate: (Neat) Very sweet with the ice wine having a huge say, before a strong creaminess and butteriness comes in. Very aggressive and cloying. (Water) With water notes of faint apple wood smoke appear, with a light spiciness of ginger and a little pepper. Very drying mouthfeel at the end (21)


Finish: (Neat) Somemore icing sugar, this time with the cooling sensation on the tongue (maybe it's a mint note that causes this but I'm not too sure!), Strong burn continues though (Water) More sweet notes and some fruit (21)


Overall: It's an interesting whiskey, strong and uncompromising, and does showcase the character of the ice wine. Sadly it is a bit too unbalanced and also very aggressive. The earthy notes also seem slightly out of the place to me (20) 82/100


Found at: Drinks Fellas

Speaking of which, SGwhisky will be taking a trip overseas for a few days to rest the bones and refresh the mind! We'll be visiting the East Asian country of South Korea!

During the time there, SGwhisky will be sure to visit the whisky bars there and also take a look at the Travel Retail industry in Singapore's Changi Airport and Seoul's Incheon Airport. Till then, take care and 감사합니다 (kamsahamnida)(that's thank you Korean by the way!)