Canadian whisky - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Canadian whisky is a type of whisky

Whisky

Whisky or whiskey is a type of distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash. Different grains are used for different varieties, including barley, malted barley, rye, malted rye, wheat, and corn...

produced in Canada. Most Canadian whiskies are blended multi-grain liquors containing a large percentage of corn

Corn

Corn is the name used in the United States, Canada, and Australia for the grain maize.In much of the English-speaking world, the term "corn" is a generic term for cereal crops, such as* Barley* Oats* Wheat* Rye- Places :...

spirits, and are typically lighter and smoother than other whisky styles. Because rye

Rye

Rye is a grass grown extensively as a grain and as a forage crop. It is a member of the wheat tribe and is closely related to barley and wheat. Rye grain is used for flour, rye bread, rye beer, some whiskeys, some vodkas, and animal fodder...

was once a standard ingredient in Canadian whisky, the terms "rye" and "Canadian whisky" are often used interchangeably in Canada.

Characteristics and historical background

While the lighter and smoother Canadian whiskies are the most widely familiar, the range of products is actually broad and includes some robust whiskies as well.

According to the laws of Canada, a Canadian whisky must be mashed, distilled and aged in Canada. It may contain caramel

Caramel

Caramel is a beige to dark-brown confection made by heating any of a variety of sugars. It is used as a flavoring in puddings and desserts, as a filling in bonbons, and as a topping for ice cream, custard and coffee....

(as may Scotch whisky

Scotch whisky

Scotch whisky is whisky made in Scotland.Scotch whisky is divided into five distinct categories: Single Malt Scotch Whisky, Single Grain Scotch Whisky, Blended Malt Scotch Whisky , Blended Grain Scotch Whisky, and Blended Scotch Whisky.All Scotch whisky must be aged in oak barrels for at least three...

) and flavouring, in addition to the distilled mash spirits. As with Scotch and Irish whiskey

Irish whiskey

Irish whiskey is whiskey made in Ireland.Key regulations defining Irish whiskey and its production are established by the Irish Whiskey Act of 1980, and are relatively simple...

, the alcohol content of the spirits used may exceed 90%. Thus, much of the spirits used in making a Canadian whisky, prior to aging, may have less grain-derived flavour than typical single malts or U.S. "straight" whiskeys

Straight whiskey

Straight whiskey is whisky created by distilling a fermented cereal grain mash to create a spirit not exceeding 80% alcohol content by volume and then aging the spirit for at least two years at an abv concentration not exceeding 62.5% at the start of the aging process.Filtering and dilution...

. While this aspect is similar to Scotch and Irish whisky regulations, it contrasts with the maximum alcoholic proof limits on distillation (80% abv

Alcohol by volume

Alcohol by volume is a standard measure of how much alcohol is contained in an alcoholic beverage .The ABV standard is used worldwide....

) and aging (62.5% abv) purity allowed in the production of "straight

Straight whiskey

" whisky in the United States

American whiskey

American whiskey is a distilled beverage produced in the United States from a fermented mash of cereal grain.The production and labeling of American whiskey are governed by Title 27 of the U.S...

. All spirits used in making a Canadian whisky must be aged for at least three years in wooden barrels of not greater than 700 L capacity (a requirement similar to that for Scotch and Irish whisky and stricter than for U.S. whisky). The final whisky must contain at least 40 percent alcohol by volume. As with Scotch and most other whiskies, the barrel used for aging may be new or re-used and may be toasted, charred or left raw.

Historically, in Canada, whisky that had some rye grain added to the mash bill to give it more flavour came to be called “rye”. Although many Canadian whiskies are still labelled as “rye”, the modern mash bill for a Canadian “rye” whisky often contains little or no rye grain, and their flavour is derived in other ways (such as flavour development from the aging process, blending with stronger-tasting Canadian whiskies, and the addition of flavourings).

Labelling

Laws in some other countries, such as the United States, recognize Canadian whisky as an indigenous product of Canada, and require that products labelled as Canadian whisky must satisfy the laws of Canada that regulate the manufacture of Canadian whisky for consumption in Canada. When sold in another country, Canadian whisky is typically also required to conform to the local product requirements that apply to whisky in general when sold in that country, which may in some aspects involve stricter standards than the Canadian law.

Rye and Canadian whisky

It is a common misconception that Canadian whiskies are primarily made using rye

Rye

grain. Although many Canadian whiskies are labelled as "rye whisky

Rye whisky

Rye whiskey can refer to either of two types of whiskey: 1) American rye whiskey, which must be distilled from at least 51 percent rye; 2) Canadian whisky, which is often referred to rye whisky for historical reasons, although it may or may not actually include any rye in its production...

", the use of rye grain is not dictated by law, and whisky products of all grain types are often generically referred to as (and may legally be labelled as) "rye whisky" in Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. Under Canadian law, the term "Canadian rye whisky" is simply synonymous with "Canadian whisky", and the primary mash ingredient

Mash ingredients

Mash ingredients, mash bill, or grain bill are those materials used in brewing from which a wort can be obtained for fermenting into alcohol...

in most Canadian whisky is corn

Corn

.

In contrast, the U.S. definition of "rye whisky" prevents a low rye content whisky from being labelled "rye" unless it is labelled as a "blended" rye whisky, and approximately 10% of such a "blended rye whisky" must still be from rye. The U.S. also requires that if a whisky contains colouring, flavouring or distillates with 80% or greater alcohol content, this must be acknowledged on the label by including the term "blended" in the description on the label. Canadian law does not have these requirements. Moreover, U.S. law requires at least 20% of the content of a blended whisky to be "straight whisky

Straight whiskey

" rather than neutral spirits or "light" (near-neutral) whisky, which is not required under Canadian law. However, U.S. law permits "blended" whisky to contain up to 80% un-aged grain neutral spirits (with an age statement on the label that refers only to the "straight" part of the blend), while Canadian law requires that all of the spirits in a Canadian whisky be aged for at least three years.

Aging

The basic definition of "whisky" in the United States has varying age requirements for corn, rye, wheat, malt and rye malt whiskey having no age requirement; however if the term "straight" is used, eg "Straight Rye Whiskey, it must be aged for at least two years. All must use new, charred oak barrels (single use). Scotch whisky must be aged for at least three years in oak, as is Irish whiskey. However, Canadian products aged less than three years (or failing to meet the domestic Canadian whisky standards in some other way) cannot be called "Canadian whisky" within Canada and in some other countries (such as the U.S.).

Canadian whisky featured prominently in rum-running

Rum-running

Rum-running, also known as bootlegging, is the illegal business of transporting alcoholic beverages where such transportation is forbidden by law...

into the U.S. during Prohibition

Prohibition

Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...

. Hiram Walker

Hiram Walker

Hiram Walker was an American grocer and distiller, and the eponym of the famous distillery in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Walker was born in East Douglas, Massachusetts, and moved to Detroit in the mid-1830s...

's distillery in Windsor, Ontario

Windsor, Ontario

Windsor is the southernmost city in Canada and is located in Southwestern Ontario at the western end of the heavily populated Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. It is within Essex County, Ontario, although administratively separated from the county government. Separated by the Detroit River, Windsor...

, directly across the Detroit River

Detroit River

The Detroit River is a strait in the Great Lakes system. The name comes from the French Rivière du Détroit, which translates literally as "River of the Strait". The Detroit River has served an important role in the history of Detroit and is one of the busiest waterways in the world. The river...

from Detroit, Michigan

Detroit, Michigan

Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...

, easily served bootleggers

Rum-running

Rum-running, also known as bootlegging, is the illegal business of transporting alcoholic beverages where such transportation is forbidden by law...

using small, fast smuggling boats.

External links

Nova Scotia Whisky Society
Best of Whisky - Whisky Industry News

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.

Characteristics and historical background

Labelling

Rye and Canadian whisky

Aging

See also

External links