There are a lot of great things you can say about the Canucks, but what we love most about the overly-polite northerners is their ability to make a great Canadian whisky. Distilled and popularised in (you guessed it) Canada, these rye-based two-sixers (Canadian slang for a 26-ounce, 750ml bottle of alcohol, eh?) have rightfully held space in every cocktail connoisseur spirit cabinet for decades.
Canadian whisky is having a real resurgence at the moment and it should come as no surprise. After the Alberta Premium Cash Strength Rye claimed top spot in the 2020 Jim Murray Whisky Bible, demand for the region’s uniquely sweet drops has exploded, birthing a host of new distilleries and whisky Barrons eager to take up the mantle. There’ll be no mixers allowed from here on out, so if you’re ready to be a part of the Canadian Club, put down your cola and read on for a bit of whisky history and our list of the best Canadian Whiskies.
Table of contents
- Best Canadian Whiskies at a Glance
- 1. Crown Royal Noble Collection Winter Wheat
- 2. Shelter Point Smoke Point 3
- 3. Bearface Whisky Elementally Aged Triple Oak 7-Year-Old
- 4. Lot No. 40 Canadian Rye Whisky
- 5. Pike Creek Port Barrel Finish Canadian Whisky
- 6. Alberta Premium Cask Strength Rye
- 7. Forty Creek Double Barrel Reserve Canadian Whisky
- 8. WhistlePig Rye 10 Year
- 7. Masterson’s 10 Year Old Straight Rye
- 10. Canadian Club Chairman’s Select 100% Rye
- What is Canadian Whisky?
- How is Whisky Critiqued?
- How Man of Many Chose the Best Canadian Whisky Brands
Best Canadian Whiskies at a Glance
Taking notes from whisky experts such as Jim Murray and fusing them with the popular opinions of fans and locals alike, we’ve put together creme de la creme. While we recommend getting out and trying as many of these whiskies as possible, we wouldn’t recommend trying them all in one night (remember, drink responsibly).
- Best overall: Crown Royal Noble Collection Winter Wheat
- Best rye: Lot No. 40 Canadian Rye Whisky
- Best cask strength: Alberta Premium Cask Strength Rye
- Best value-for-money: Canadian Club Chairman’s Select 100% Rye
1. Crown Royal Noble Collection Winter Wheat
- Bottle: 750 mL
- ABV: 45%
- Made In: Ontario, Canada
- By: The Crown Royal Distilling Co.
- Awards: Canada’s best whisky, Canadian Whisky of the Year, Best Blended Whisky, Sippin’ Whisky of the Year
As one of the nation’s most revered releases, Crown Royal Nobel Collection Winter Wheat claimed honours as named Canada’s best whisky, Canadian Whisky of the Year, Best Blended Whisky and Sippin’ Whisky of the Year back in 2022. Described by Davin de Kergommeaux, head judge and founder of the awards as a ‘truly stunning whisky” that is “incredibly complex, flavourful and well-balanced” the Nobel Collection Winter Wheat starts sweet, features a peppery spice in the middle, before finishing with a bitterish pith.
“On behalf of our entire team at the distillery in Gimli and our blending team, and our teams throughout North America, it’s an absolute honour to be named the Canadian Whisky of the Year,” said Stephen Wilson, director of whisky engagement for Crown Royal said at the time. “The Noble Series has always been a chance for our blenders and our distillers to really showcase just the quality of whisky we produce at Crown Royal. So for that to come full circle and for all of those folks to get the recognition they deserve, I’ll tell you, our team has been on cloud nine.”
The Crown Royal Noble Collection is the iconic brand’s most premium offering. Released annually since 2016, this series of whiskies offers flavour profiles that differ greatly from the standard Crown Royal taste, courtesy of the unique blending components and finishing techniques. Thick and golden, the last three releases in this collection are rich with toffee and toasted walnuts on the nose, giving an almost molasses-like texture to the palate. Best of all, it finishes with a stunningly long finish replete with oak spice and vanilla. If you are after a top-shelf Canadian whisky that offers layers of complexity, the Noble Collection Winter Wheat from Crown Royal is my top recommendation.
2. Shelter Point Smoke Point 3
- Bottle: 375ml & 750ml
- ABV: 53%
- Made in: Oyster River, BC
- By: Shelter Point
- Awards: Best Single Malt Whisky, Best Cask Strength Whisky and Sippin’ Whisky of the Year – Domestic
The third batch of Shelter Point’s ultra-popular peat-influenced whisky took home honours as Best Single Malt Whisky, Best Cask Strength Whisky and Sippin’ Whisky of the Year – Domestic at the 2022 Canadian Whisky Awards, so you can be that it’s worth a dram or two. To me, however, the most interesting aspect of this Canadian whisky is its maritime influence.
Sitting on the ocean’s edge on northern Vancouver Island, the distillery exudes a terroir similar in nature to the Scottish region of Islay, famed for heavily peated releases from labels such as Laphroaig and Ardbeg. Importantly, Shelter Point has kept this influence strong throughout the distillation and maturation process.
“We employ a traditional approach: slow fermentations and double-distillation produce a new-make spirit full of flavour, ready for maturation in an array of woods selected from around the world for their unique flavour specialties,” the distillery said. “Smoke Point single malt whisky is a proprietary vatting of whisky that has been aged in barrels smoked with driftwood from our shore and native woods found around the distillery.”
With Smoke Point 3, Shelter Point has crafted a smoky single malt that is aged in American oak ex-bourbon casks for five years and finished in casks previously used by a famous Islay distillery for over two years. As a result, the release is bursting with rich smoky flavours that carry the label’s signature salty tang and iodine notes. Expect to find campfire, cigar smoke and oak on the nose, with a healthy dose of chocolate, fruit, and toffee on the palate. If you are a fan of Islay-based smoky whiskies, you’ll love this Canadian effort.
3. Bearface Whisky Elementally Aged Triple Oak 7-Year-Old
- Bottle: 750ml
- ABV: 42.5%
- Made In: British Columbia, Canada
- By: Bearface Whisky
- Style: Medium & Sweet
- Awards: Best Corn Whisky
Corn-based whisky has always had a rich history in North America, so naturally, the stakes are high in this category. For me, the top pick is BEARFACE’s Triple Oak, a single-grain Canadian whisky matured for seven years in ex-bourbon American oak barrels, then aged in French oak red wine casks and air-dried virgin Hungarian oak.
Unique due to its thriple-cask maturation process, this release arrives like a flavour journey. From the honey, marzipan, crème brûlée, butter and natural vanilla from the American Oak to the dry fruits and cranberry of the French Oak, the hallmarks of classic contemporary American whisky is there. However, what sets this release apart is the integration of the Hungarian Oak finish. With this addition, you cop healthy dose of spice and black cardamom on the finish, alongside floral notes of orange peel, mandarin and brown sugar, not to mention a delightful hint of smoke.
As whisky, and in particular bourbon, fans will note, the extreme northern climate is responsible for completely altering the way the whisky and wood interact, resulting in a sweeter, smoother flavour. According to Andreas Faustinelli, master blender at Bearface, this process is a testament to the distillery’s commitment to innovation and experimentation.
“When ready, we blend selected casks to create a bold, smooth, balanced whisky with incredible natural color, long complex flavor and a unique spice finish,” Faustinelli said. “New-make spirits are like the ABCs, the individual letters of the alphabet. Ageing allows us to turn those letters into words and then blending is how we turn those words into stories.”
4. Lot No. 40 Canadian Rye Whisky
- Brand: Lot 40
- Region: Ontario
- ABV: 43%
Lot No. 40 Canadian Rye is one of those incredible whiskies that has a story that matches its flavour profile. A blend that was discontinued in the 2000s but brought back by popular demand, the release is poduced by the Hiram Walker distillery in Windsor, Ontario and boasts an almost unparralled patronage, namely due to it’s traditional style apporach. Remarkably, Lot No. 40 is distilled the old-fashioned way – one batch at a time in a traditional copper pot still.
The nose of this spirit is of clove and cinnamon, while the palate is dry and peppery, known to remind drinkers of freshly baked bread or sour pickles (largely due to the toasted rye utilised in the mix). The whisky hits its landing with a spicy finish, wrapping up a roller-coaster of flavours and leaving you warm on the inside.
“The rye spices are still there in full force, but they are polished. An exciting contrast develops on the palate between grassy rye, floral notes, vanilla, rye bread and bold oak to shape every sip,” Distiller’s Blair Phillips wrote. “The rye spices step aside, allowing the heavy wood to do powerlifting. We’re talking entire oak trees put through a juicer — a fine addition to an essential series.”
5. Pike Creek Port Barrel Finish Canadian Whisky
- Brand: Pike Creek
- Region: Ontario
- ABV: 40%
If you ask the team at Pike Creek, they’ll say the spirit has been crafted by the elements. This is because the distillery’s aging process forgoes the modern practices of temperature control and instead leaves the whisky to face the conditions of each season. This traditional, long aging process produces a fruity whisky, with hints of vanilla and cinnamon and nuts, which feels oddly familiar.
Importantly, this Port Barrel finish is crafted in the same distillery as Lot. 40, an other label owned by drinks conglomerant Pernod Ricard. As such, you’ll find a lot of similarities between the two, most notably in the sweet, syrupy moutfal and texture. There is a healthy amount of wood burn on the palate that makes Pike Creek feel a little more earthy when compared to its stablemates, but as the flavour journey continues, it continues to sweeten. You’ll find rye and dried fruits on the nose, topped off by a sweet, warm finish.
Admittedly, the Pike Creek Port Barrel Finish is quite as good as Lot. 40, but it does have a lot going for it. I am a big fan of the use of virgin white oak bourbon barrels for ageing as they offer a more acerbic note to offset the sweetness of the American Oak. Finishing this in vintage port barrels only adds to the whisky’s lingering spice.
6. Alberta Premium Cask Strength Rye
- Brand: Alberta Distillers Limited
- Alcohol/Vol: 65.1%
- Region: Alberta, Canada
Claiming top spot in the 2020 Jim Murray Whisky Bible, the Alberta Premium Cash Strength Rye has done a lot for Canadian whisky on the world stage. Aged for a minimum of five years and comprising 100 per cent Canadian prarie rye, the release is somewhat of an outlier amongst its peers. It doesn’t shy away from big and brash flavours, but rather, entirely embraces them. Where many Canadian whiskies have a tendency to sit on the subtle and soft side of the equation, this expression makes its presence felt from the moment you open the bottle.
On the nose, the Alberta Premium Cask Strength Rye starts off with rich, bright vanilla notes, complete with floral highlights and toasted hazelnuts. It doesn’t have the kind of power you would expect from a 65.1% initially, however, things change on the palate. Here, the vibrancy of spicy chocolate is omnipresent, bursting onto the front palate and rolling effortlessly down your throat. It’s part of the reason whisky icon Jim Murray described it is “something to worship”.
“Truly world-class whisky from possibly the world’s most underrated distillery,” Murray wrote in his 2023 Whisky Bible. “How can something be so immense yet equally delicate? For any whisky lover on the planet looking for a huge but nearly perfectly balanced experience, then here you go. And with rye at its most rampantly beautiful this is something to worship.”
If you are a fan of cask-strength releases, Alberta Premium hasn’t just created one of the best Canadian whiskies, it’s one the world’s leading drams. While hard to get your hands on, the regular rye whisky is also a fantastic addition, which you can pick up regularly throughgh local retailers.
7. Forty Creek Double Barrel Reserve Canadian Whisky
- Brand: Forty Creek
- Region: Ontario
- ABV: 40%
Another top-shelf Canadian whisky, the Forty Creek Double Barrel Reserve is aged for twice as long (as the name suggests) in its twin-barrel proves. According to Forty Creek, this release sees the individual rye, barley and corn whiskies extra-aged in a variety of barrels before being blended. After blending, the new make spirit will go through up to two years of secondary aging in Bourbon barrels handpicked from Kentucky.
This creates a spirit with a sweet, butterscotch nose, with a rich caramel and vanilla palate to follow. As with all good Canadian whisky, the finish is dry and peppery, giving the nostrils some heat on its way down. When you add in the intense butterscotch, the Forty Creek Double Barrel Reserve has a lot going on and it would be remiss of me not to say that it simply won’t be for everyone. At times it is overwhelming, but the subtle citrus noes work well to offset this.
While it’s not my favourite on the list, Forty Creeks’ Double Barrel Reserve is serious value for money. You can regularly find it for about USD$40 at different retailers, which is cheap enough to make space for in your liquor cabinet.
8. WhistlePig Rye 10 Year
- Brand: WhistlePig
- Region: Vermont/New Brunswick
- ABV: 50%
WhistlePig Rye 10 Year is another spirit on our list that’ll give you a kick with its spices. While technically located in Vermont, the distillery sources a lot of its ingredients from Alberta. With an oaky nose thanks to its ten years of aging, you might not see the spice coming if you didn’t already know about it (you can thank us later). The heat of the whisky holds the palate until you reach the finish, where a warm vanilla and nutmeg relieves the throat, and has you already going for your next sip, not that you should be surprised.
The WhistlePig Rye 10 Year is the brainchild of former Marker’s Mark master distiller David Pickerell, who landed at the Vermont distillery with the objective of creating the world’s best rye. Considering it received 96 points from Wine Enthusiast, the highest rating ever for a rye whiskey back in 2010, he’s got quite the arguent.
“You cannot get more flavour in whiskey than you can with rye”, Pickerell told Nick’s. “The bad news? From a business standpoint, it takes longer to age rye whiskey. Rye is stubborn and robust. It has spicy character, and a dark, rich flavour. To attain its signature smoothness, rye must be aged (a minimum of 9 years is ideal). Rye isn’t sweet. In fact, it contains less sugar than any other grain. The challenges involved in producing rye whiskey are many. But when handled properly, there is no comparison.”
Again, while you could argue that WhistePig is not a Canadian distillery, the brand does have its roots in Canada. Prior to 2014, all releases were distilled and matured in Western Canada then bottled in Vermont, so I’m claiming it.
7. Masterson’s 10 Year Old Straight Rye
- Brand: Masterson’s
- Alcohol/Vol: 45%
- Region: Alberta, Canada
Another former champion, Jim Murray honored this whiskey as the Canada’s best back in 2015, while the International Spirits Competition gave it top honours just one year later. With accolades like that under its belt, Masterson’s 10 Year Old Straight Rye has big shoes to fill and it does so with remarkable ease.
Crafted from a 100 per cent rye mash, this release is aged in charred white oak casks for, as the name would suggest, over 10 years. While that might not sound all that unique, the singularly rye-focused bill does make Masterson’s a rare beast amongst Canadian producers. In America, rye producers generally stick to the minimum legal requirement of 52 per cent, but in Canadam the lack of regulations means producers have no requirements to include rye at all. For that reason, Masterson’s all-rye release is something to behold.
Highly spicy and deeply complex, the 10 Year Old Straight Rye is best characterised by its citrus-forward flavours and subtle fruit influence. The finish, however, is of coffee and dark chocolate, resulting in a sharp, tart after taste. This is a whisky where we wouldn’t judge you if you had to water it down with a few ice cubes.
10. Canadian Club Chairman’s Select 100% Rye
- Brand: Canadian Club
- Region: Ontario
- ABV: 40%
If you’re already a big fan of Canadian Club spiced, pre-mixed and bottled whiskies, the flavours of their Chairman’s Select 100% Rye may come as a surprise to you and your tastebuds. Far from the sweet, caramel whisky so popularly served with dry ginger ale, this rye has a little more heat to serve up on the palate. It’s not the most experimental on our list, but certainly a safe purchase for those wanting a good Canadian whisky.
What is Canadian Whisky?
What makes Canadian whisky different from other whiskies around the world (other than their spelling of whisky/whiskey) is the balance of ingredients their distillers use. Canadian whisky rose in popularity when two cheeky local distillers changed the game and added higher volumes of the flavourful rye to their mixes, resulting in a stronger, spicier taste. Rye is now a defining feature of many Canadian Whiskies, so much so that the terms Canadian whisky and Canadian rye can be used essentially interchangeably.
Canadian whisky is otherwise made of wheat, corn, and barley, with each component being mashed, fermented distilled and aged separately to reach their best individual potential. Once these ingredients have peaked in flavour, they are ready to be blended together, ready to serve or to be aged a little longer. This blending of ingredients at the final stage of the whisky-making process allows distillers to adjust the intensity/presence of each ingredient and results in some widely experimental and tasty concoctions.
How is Whisky Critiqued?
While an obvious one for flavour-hounds, those new to whisky might be wondering how we judge what is the best Canadian whisky. The answer comes down to three tasting notes;
- Nose – Nose is the term used to describe the smell of a whisky (yes, you’re reading that right, not everyone enjoys their spirits as shots). This can range from sweet to burning the nostrils.
- Palate – Palate is the term used when describing the first initial taste of a whisky. This taste is derived mainly from the ingredients used, but can also come from the barrels where the whisky was aged, or other factors in the distilling and manufacturing process.
- Finish – Finally, the finish describes the after taste of a whisky. While most people are looking for a chaser to follow their whisky, fans of top shelf spirits will try to savour the heat and/or flavours.
How Man of Many Chose the Best Canadian Whisky Brands
With more than 10 years of experience reviewing beer, wine and spirits, Man of Many’s team of editors has selected a list of the best Canadian whisky scotch. This list was curated using first-person experience, along with reviews from independent alcohol sites and users. Our managing editors and experts took into account accolades and awards handed out by reviewers such as Jim Murray and the Canadian Whsiky Awards.
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