Jason Wiens and Darryl Loewen co-hosted this night. This was the first night we used our newly ordered set of Glencairn glasses complete with tasting caps. We also changed the serving style so all four whiskies were presented (blind) at the same time, and we could taste at our leisure. This was a casual and laid back evening. Butter had laid out a huge spread of food with enough variety to satisfy everyone’s tastes, and our time was spent around a campfire. After some cajoling, Darryl presented his quiz on the whisky flight. Created to give everyone a little bit of detective work to do, the quiz consisted of questions like, “Which whisky has wheat in the blend?” or “Which whisky was finished in rum casks?” The theme was to have four different Canadian whiskies from the same distillery, Hiram Walker & Sons in Windsor, Ontario.
The Northern Border Collection includes:
- Lot No.40 Rye
- 100% unmalted rye grain
- Copper pot still distillation
- Aged in new charred American oak
- 43% ABV
- Gooderham & Worts Four Grain
- Composed of corn, barley, rye, & wheat
- 44.4% ABV
- Pike Creek 10 yo Rum Barrel Finished
- 100% corn whisky
- Aged in ex-bourbon American oak
- 42% ABV
Also included:
- J.P. Wiser’s Canada 2018
- Corn & rye grains
- Aged between 12-19 years
- Aged in new American oak, ex-bourbon, & refill Canadian whisky barrels
J.P. Wiser’s Canada 2018 was added to the lineup in preparation for an upcoming night (yet to be determined) where we will sample the Northern Border Collection Rare Cask Series. This Rare Cask Series includes a bottle of J.P. Wiser’s 35yo. It was with this in mind that the “Canada 2018” bottling was included here to mirror the Rare Cask Series.
To end the formal portion of the evening, Darryl made Manhattan’s for everyone. The Manhattan was chosen as a “go-to” cocktail on this night because it is most commonly made using rye whisky…which of course is a truly Canadian specialty! (recipe: 2 oz Lot 40 Rye, 1 oz sweet vermouth, 1-2 dashes Angostura bitters, stir on ice until chilled and strain into a low-ball glass garnished with a maraschino cherry.)
