Some folks always suspect that food or drink exporters keep the best stuff for themselves. I’ve heard it about cheese, beer, fruit…but when I’ve looked into it, the export markets are indeed getting “the good stuff.” Why not? You’d want to send the best to get the highest price, given that shipping costs are the same for great or mediocre products.

But after enjoying this bottle of Wiser’s Very Old (also sold as Wiser’s 18 Year Old), I’m starting to think that the Canadians really are keeping the good stuff up north. There are small amounts for sale in the U.S. (though that’s slowly increasing), but almost all of it stays home.

That’s a hardship for us non-Canadians, because this is a very nice whisky. After years of thinking of Canadian whisky simply as fuel for highballs and sweet Manhattans we’re looking for something else, something that can stand on its own and intrigue us, or something that could make a more robustly Canadian cocktail, and this Wiser’s would very much fit the bill. You can really taste rye and oak, without a lot of gloppy sweetness, and there’s a finish to reward sipping contemplation.

We’ve seen innovation in this category from John Hall’s Forty Creek whiskies, and rare elegance from limited bottlings like Canadian Club 30 Year Old. Wiser’s Very Old delivers classic Canadian smoothness with a rich extra helping of well-integrated flavor and complexity. Keep it coming, Canada; we’re ready for more.—Lew Bryson

Tomorrow’s announcement will be the Irish Whiskey of theYear.

Read his post. How do you feel about what happened in whisky in 2011? Was it a good year or a bad year? And why?

Looking at the catalog (which you can peruse here), I see some great whiskies being auctioned again, like this 1979 vintage release of The Macallan Gran Reserva (pictured on right).

This time, in addition to single malt scotch, there’s a greater emphasis on whiskies from other countries, including bourbon, Irish, Japanese, and Canadian whisky. For example, bourbon enthusiasts will drool at the 9-bottle case of Very Old Fitzgerald 8 year old bourbon distilled in 1948 at the defunct Stitzel-Weller distillery (pictured below).

I realize that many of you don’t have the means to buy some of these rare whiskies. For those of you who do, this is a great opportunity to perhaps procure that special whisky you’ve been looking for. And, to be honest, there are many lots of grouped “regular priced” whiskies that, depending on the bidding, might proved to be a bargain–even with the fees that are tacked on.

Regardless, it’s worth a look at the catalog, even if it’s only a stroll down memory lane for you.

The Family Casks from Glenfarclas are finally coming to the U.S. (I’m not certain of the actual list of whiskies and timing.)

Bunnahabhain 18 year old is being phased out and replaced by a vintage offering in 2012.

The Mackinlay (a.k.a. the re-creation of the whisky discovered in the Antarctic from the Shackleton expedition in 1907) is finally being introduced to the U.S. (A very nice whisky, btw.)

Johnnie Walker Double Black is also just now being introduced to the U.S. market this month. More smoke than the regular JW Black Label, and dangerously drinkable. (I brought my bottle to a friend’s house on Friday night and by the time I brought it home 3/4 of it was gone. Everyone liked it.)

On the American whiskey front, the newest Parker’s Heritage Collection is out. This one’s a 10 year old rye-formula bourbon finished in cognac barrels. (Another dangerously drinkable whiskey!) It’s the same cognac brand (and from the same producer) that was part of Jim Beam’s Distillers’ Masterpiece cognac-finished whiskey introduced over a decade ago. (Beam was ahead of their time with those Distillers’ Masterpiece releases.)

Also noteworthy, but available only at Heaven Hill’s Bourbon Heritage Center in Bardstown, is a single barrel, 20 year old bottling of Elijah Craig that was produced to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the Kentucky Bourbon Festival. Why do I mention this very limited, logistically-challenged bourbon? I tried it and it’s excellent! If you know someone heading that way, have them purchase a bottle for you.

There’s a low-cost, very smooth Canadian whisky just released called “Rich & Rare Reserve” from Sazerac (Buffalo Trace’s parent company). My guess it’s from the same stock of Canadian whiskies that produced the recent releases of Caribou Crossing Single Barrel and Royal Canadian Small Batch, but just less expensive. It comes in a cool-looking 375 ml flask-shaped bottle.

On the liqueur front, following the successful introduction of Red Stag Black Cherry, Jim Beam is introducing two new flavors: Red Stag Honey Tea and Red Stag Spiced.

• It’s a very entertaining and informative show that I think will appeal to both the novice and seasoned whisky enthusiast.
• I’m interviewed several times during the show. (Let that be a warning to you…)

If you still haven’t had a chance to see it, or if you would like to watch it again, you can now catch it on Hulu. I’m including the link here. They excluded most of the commercials (thankfully), so the show is only about 45 minutes.

Check it out.  One bit of advice: having a whisky in your hand while watching it only enhances the pleasure!

The gently peated Hakushu whisky from Suntory is finally coming to the U.S. The official launch is October 12th. I’ve been pleading with my friends at Suntory to bring it in as a companion to Yamazaki for many years. It’s great to see it finally coming here.

Isle of Skye 12 year old blended scotch is finally making its way to our shores. Previously, the U.S. has only been getting the 8 year old.

John Hall, whiskymaker of Canada’s Forty Creek whisky, has a new “John’s Private Cask No. 1″ release. This is coming to the States too. I’ve tasted this already and it’s another delicious release by John.

Finally, Buffalo Trace is about to release a new Single Barrel version of their Colonel E. H. Taylor, Jr. bourbon (pictured). This one will be 11 years, 7 months old and bottle in bond (100 proof).

I’m sure there will be many more new whiskies coming on the market as we approach the holiday season.

Collingwood, 40% ABV, $27

Sweet, rich candy — pulled taffy, boiled sweets — with a little hot edge. Signature Canadian sweetness, but with more depth and a gently mouth-coating feel. Touches of vanilla, caramel, and some of those candy notes again, but the finish isn’t cloying. No overt evidence of the toasted maplewood finishing. Another exploration of what Canadian whisky is, or can be, that stays within bounds and makes the sweet whisky idea work.  –Lew Bryson

Advanced Malt Advocate magazine rating: 84

I’m going to share with you a sampling of these reviews before they are published in Malt Advocate. (It’s my way of saying “thank you” for taking time out of your busy schedule to check in here.) I’ll post up at least one new review every day for the entire month (including weekends).

Stay tuned…

John Hall, whisky maker and owner of Kittling Ridge Distillery, is a leading pioneer in the Canadian craft whisky distilling movement. His unique method of making whisky — distilling single grain whiskies (corn, rye, and barley) and blending them together after they have been aged, as opposed to the simpler and more traditional method of making one whisky from a multi-grain mashbill — got the industry’s attention. It was the richness and flavor of his whiskies (especially relative to other Canadians) that won the consumer’s attention.

Starting with Forty Creek Barrel Select, his flagship whisky (and lovely in its own right), he began experimenting with special, limited-edition releases, like Small Batch, Port Wood, and Double Barrel Reserve. They were always very good, but we knew that John had the potential to make not just a very good whisky, but really great whisky. It was only a matter of time, and that time has now come.

Put simply, Forty Creek Confederation Oak Reserve is a benchmark Canadian whisky. It’s also unique. Instead of aging his whisky in more traditional American oak (i.e. used bourbon barrels), he aged this whisky in Canadian oak barrels from trees growing only 40 miles from the distillery. The Canadian oak provides a slightly different flavor profile.

We love the whisky’s creamy texture, along with its gentle sweetness (praline, marzipan, maple syrup) and lovely fruit (orange creamsicle, sultana, and coconut macaroon).  Both distinctive and very drinkable, it’s an outstanding effort!

Tomorrow, the Irish Whiskey of the Year will be announced.

96 Redbreast, 12 year old, 40%, $43
Very elegant, complex, and stylish. Honeyed and silky in texture, with toffee, toasted marshmallow, nougat, maple syrup, banana bread, and a hint of toasted coconut. Bright fruit and golden raisin blend in nicely with the layers of sweetness. Impeccable balance and very approachable. Classic Irish whiskey!

95 Compass Box Flaming Heart (10th Anniversary bottling), 48.9%, $105
A marriage of three different single malts, aged in American and French oak. This whisky shows the advantage of marrying whiskies from more than one distillery (when properly done). Vibrant, with a complex array of fruit (orchard fruit, sultana), sweetness (light toffee, marzipan, honeyed malt), spice (creamy vanilla, mocha, warming pepper), smoke (tar, smoked olive, coal), and lesser notes of toasted almond and beach pebbles. More smoke and tar on the palate than the nose, yet always in balance. Well played!

95 Buffalo Trace Experimental Collection, 1995 Vintage, “American Oak Chips Seasoned,” 45%, $47/375ml
Surprisingly light and fresh for a 15 year old whiskey. Crisply spiced, with cinnamon, evergreen, vanilla, anise, and teaberry. Hints of dried fruit, kissed with light honey and a wisp of smoke. Balanced and clean throughout, and very drinkable. An excellent whiskey!

95 Forty Creek Confederation Oak Reserve, 40%, $70
Perhaps the finest Canadian whisky I have ever tasted. Creamy and seamless from beginning to end. Gently sweet, with orange creamsicle, marzipan, sultana, praline, maple syrup, and a hint of coconut macaroon. Forty Creek whiskies have always been very good, but none have ever had the right stuff to reach classic status. Until now, that is. An outstanding, very distinctive whisky!

94 Highland Park, 1970 vintage, 48%, £2,250
This limited edition bottling consists of a marriage of both European and American oak. Still lively for its age, and beautifully balanced. Bountiful golden fruit (sultana, pineapple upside down cake, tangerine, overripe nectarine) balanced by soothing, creamy vanilla. A peppering of dried spice, chamomile tea, toasted oak, cigar box, and subtle smoke round out the palate. Soft and seductive. (Not available in the U.S.)

94 Knob Creek Single Barrel, 9 year old, 60%, $40
This new single barrel expression of Knob Creek tastes very similar to the original “small batch” Knob Creek (when brought down to the same alcohol level). If anything, it’s slightly drier, more elegant, not as heavy on the palate, and more sophisticated — but I am reaching here. The similarity is a good thing, because I really enjoy the original expression. Keeping in mind that no two barrels are exactly alike, your decision to purchase the single barrel might just come down to whether you want to pay a little more for a higher strength version, and whether knowing that it might taste a little different than the standard small batch bottling excites you. This is a stylish, big, broad-shouldered bourbon with a thick, sweet foundation (nutty toffee, pot still rum, maple syrup) peppered with spice (cinnamon, but also vanilla and evergreen) and dried fruit. Dry, warming, resinous finish. (Incidentally, I would rate the small batch within a point or two, and the tasting notes would be very similar.)

93 Parker’s Heritage Collection (2010 release), 10 year old, 63.9%, $80
Soft, sweet, and very smooth. Richly textured layers of caramel, toffee, vanilla fudge, nougat, maple syrup, and rhum agricole. Blackberry, date nut bread, cinnamon, subtle cocoa, and nutmeg add complexity. Clean, polished, and perilously drinkable. A delicious wheated bourbon! (Not quite the complexity of the 2009 William Larue Weller (a benchmark wheated bourbon which I rated a 96), but getting close.

93 High West Straight Rye Whiskey, 12 year old, 46%, $50/375ml
A bottling from only five barrels of 95% rye whiskey produced at the former Seagram’s distillery in Indiana. It’s the American whiskey equivalent of drinking Ardbeg Supernova. Powerful and invigorating are words that come to mind. Crisp mint, warming cinnamon, dried citrus, cocoa, roasted nuts, and subtle botanicals are soothed by caramel, molasses, and honeyed orchard fruit. Brisk, bracing, spicy finish. The notes are clean, and the whiskey’s not just a one-trick “rye” pony. The sweetness balances the rye spice quite nicely. If you just can’t get enough rye in your whiskey, then this one’s for you. (Available only at the High West Distillery in Park City, Utah.)

93 Caribou Crossing, Single Barrel, 40%, $50
Those of you who think Canadian whiskies are thin and bland should give this one a try. No, it’s not a new concept, like Forty Creek. It’s still very much a “traditional” Canadian. But when compared to most Canadian whiskies, it’s richer, creamier, and velvety smooth. The flavors are straightforward — primarily vanilla, with some crème brûlée, toasted marshmallow, tangerine, peaches and cream, and gentle rye spice — but they are clean and well-balanced. A delicious, lighter-style whisky.

92 Duncan Taylor “NC2” (distilled at Aberlour), 16 year old, 46%, $80
This whisky packs a lot of clean, complex, and well-balanced flavors. It features a creamy, layered, malty-sweet foundation (vanilla, caramel, toffee) chock full of bright fruit (golden raisin, honeyed orchard fruit, currant), rounded out by firm, dried spice (cinnamon, nutmeg, mint) that dances on the palate. Long, warming, spicy finish. Nicely done!

Forty Creek Confederation Oak Reserve, 40%, $70
One of the finest Canadian whiskies I have ever tasted. Creamy and seamless from beginning to end. Gently sweet, with orange creamsicle, marzipan, sultana, praline, maple syrup, and a hint of coconut macaroon. Forty Creek whiskies have always been very good, but none have ever had the right stuff to reach classic status. Until now, that is. An outstanding, very distinctive whisky!

Advanced Malt Advocate magazine rating: 95

Canadian Mist Black Diamond, 43%, $15
Richer, sweeter (with more caramelized sugars), fruitier, and spicier than the standard Canadian Mist (reviewed below). Still, I wish it were a bit smoother (especially on the finish) for something I would consider drinking neat on a regular basis. There’s no age statement, but a couple more years of aging would be nice. Like the flagship Canadian Mist, this whisky still plays it fairly conservatively—not a lot of risk-taking here. But, I think it’s slightly better than Crown Royal Black (its logical competitor) which is not as smooth on the finish, and you can get Black Diamond for half the price.

Advanced Malt Advocate magazine rating: 79

 Canadian Mist, 40%, $12
Very light in aroma and flavor. There’s no off flavors. It’s just uninspiring. Delicate notes of vanilla custard, honey, caramel corn candy, sweet corn, and subtle fruit. Fleeting finish.

Advanced Malt Advocate magazine rating: 75

The first one, www.canadianwhisky.org, is being run by knowledgeable whisky enthusiast, Davin de Kergommeaux. The site currently reviews Canadian whisky and conducts interviews about Canadian whisky.

To quote Davin: “The site is intended to take an in-depth look at Canadian whisky, starting with some reviews, and soon to include news, technical information and so on.”

It’s still new and just building content. But, if you like Canadian whisky, you should keep an eye on it.

The second site, www.americancraftspirits.com, takes a look at the exploding craft distilling scene here in the U.S. It includes reviews, interviews, and distillery profiles (including a list of products each distiller makes).

As I discover other new sites, I’ll pass them on to you.

All joking aside, here are the details, straight from their press release.

VICTORY IN THE GLEN

Glenora Distillers International Limited takes great pride in announcing a Special Edition 15 Year Old GLEN BRETON Single Malt Whisky.

One year ago, on June 11th, 2009, the Supreme Court of Canada delivered its judgement dismissing the application of the Scotch Whisky Association for leave to appeal in its unsuccessful campaign to oppose the trade-mark registration of Glen Breton, Glenora’s flagship single malt. That decision finally terminated nine years of litigation by the Scotch Whisky Association, involving four levels of appeal in the Trade-marks Opposition Board and the courts.

On November 19^th, 2009, Glen Breton was entered as a registered mark on the Trade-marks Register of Canada. We at Glenora express our deep appreciation for the support and loyal patronage of the many who stood with us to win our cause.

In celebration of the registration of Glen Breton®, and to commemorate our victory in that Opposition, Glenora is releasing a unique bottling of select 15 Year Old Single Malt, the BATTLE OF THE GLEN™ Special Edition.

Lauchie MacLean, President of Glenora, says of this Special Edition Glen Breton,

“As far as we are aware, BATTLE OF THE GLEN is the first and only product created as a result of intellectual property litigation. The packaging and special booklet enclosure chronicle our fight for the inspiration of lovers of fine single malt whisky, and records our struggle for posterity. I am tremendously proud of the work of our people here at Glenora in producing this Special Edition. Glenora also wishes to acknowledge the creative talent of Famous Folks/Creative Communications based in Halifax and Toronto, for concept and development of the presentation box and labeling of the BATTLE OF THE GLEN Special Edition.

With release of this Special Edition Glen Breton, as Cape Bretoners, as Nova Scotians and as Canadians, we also honour all of our families who have gone before us, in courage and with sacrifice, to defend their rights in all just causes.”

We invite you to pour yourself a goodly dram of BATTLE OF THE GLEN, savour the apple and maple of our Cape Breton highlands, and join us in toast to victory for Glen Breton – hard-won, richly deserved.

Glenora has, by its perseverance in craft distilling and the quality of its single malt, now earned a respected position in the world. Glen Breton Rare, Canada’s only single malt whisky, received recognition as one of “Top 50 Spirits 2006” by Wine Enthusiast Magazine.

For further information, please contact:

Lauchie MacLean

President

lmaclean@glenora1.ca

902-468-6516

Bob Scott

Vice President

bscott@glenora1.ca

902-468-6516

Caribou Crossing, Single Barrel, 40%, $50

Advanced Malt Advocate magazine rating: 93

Two additional notes: This is single barrel whisky. There’s no way of identifying the cask, as far as I know. I’m hoping that all the barrels taste as good as the one I have, but I just wanted to make you aware of this. Also, there is a second, lower-priced ($25) release called Royal Canadian, which I have and also hope to review in the near future.