It’s been an exciting year for Canadian whisky distillers big and small.
Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye was named World Whisky of the Year in Jim Murray’s annual Whisky Bible last November. Lot No. 40, a copper-pot-distilled 100% rye made at Corby-owned Hiram Walker in Windsor, scooped the Whisky of the Year title at the Canadian Whisky Awards in Victoria while receiving continuous props from international whisky experts and connoisseurs.
Closer to home, Dillon’s Distillery in Niagara released its first whisky in August, made from 100% rye grain and aged for three years. And on Saturday (October 15), the Junction’s Toronto Distillery Co., which lays claim to being Toronto’s first new distillery since 1933, releases a spirit it calls First Barrels Straight Canadian Whisky.
And the distillers are getting heat about it.
Charles Benoit, who opened Toronto Distillery Co. along with Jesse Razaqpur in 2012, describes the impending release of just under 1,500 bottles as “grain forward” and “terroir driven,” which it is. A blend made from organic Ontario-grown cereal grain sourced from two farms in the Humber River headlands – mostly rye and corn with some wheat – is aged in new charred oak for anywhere from two to 26 months. First Barrels is sprightly and pleasantly prickly, with upfront aromas of fresh-milled grain and spice.
But it doesn’t exactly fit the bill of what Canadian whisky should be.
Canadian whisky laws may be nebulous and their enforcement lax, but they are straightforward. To qualify, a spirit must be distilled from cereal grains the mashing, distilling and aging process must take place in Canada and it must contain at least 40% ABV. Caramel colouring and flavouring may be added, and it may contain up to 9.09% of other spirits or wine.
Here’s the thing: the youngest spirit in the mix must be aged in wood for no fewer than three years. Aged from two months to just over two years, First Barrels doesn’t come close to the three-year minimum.
Though Toronto Distillery Co. is using the term “straight” – which under American standards means a whisky with absolutely no additives aged anywhere from two to four years.
“We’ve adopted the U.S. definition of straight: if any part of the straight Canadian whisky is aged less than two years, then an age statement of the youngest barrel is required,” explains Benoit.
“If anyone wants to criticize us for using the term ‘straight’ even though the whisky should be at least two years old, I’ll accept that. I hope they’ll acknowledge that we put the age right on the front of the bottle. We’re not trying to be deceptive.”
Most important to the independent distillers is that they avoid the often-criticized Canadian practice of adding colouring, flavouring and up to 9.09% other alcohol – be it rum or sherry – to homeland whiskies.
“First Barrels is an honest expression of the grain and the barrel,” explains Benoit. “There’s no caramel added, no flavouring, glycerin, colouring – none of those things.”
Though the notion of an unadulterated spirit is an attractive one, some insist that rules are rules. The intricacies of whisky regulations may not mean much to the average consumer, but to other distillers and industry experts, Toronto Distillery is trespassing against Canada’s centuries-old whisky-making tradition.
“Canadian whisky has established itself as a whisky style. Canada is one of four countries in the world that have their own style,” says Davin de Kergommeaux, author of Canadian Whisky: The Portable Expert and a recognized authority on the subject.
“For 200 years we’ve built a flavour and production profile that’s respected around the world by consumers and treaties. I think that if we were to loosen the standards and bend to American rules, we’d soon find a lot of genuine garbage on the market.”
While Canadian whisky makers and industry advocates agree that innovation is vital for the category’s continued success, they say it’s important to respect whisky laws as they apply to our own country.
“We can’t just lower our standards to accommodate new distillers, especially when they make up a comparatively microscopic portion of the market,” says de Kergommeaux, who adds that American whiskey laws are less strict than their Canadian counterparts.
“In the U.S., the word ‘craft’ has come to mean crap. We need to distinguish ourselves from America. We have a different climate and our own identity.”
Benoit, who has publicly expressed frustration about the difficulties Ontario liquor laws present to small distilleries, feels that the rules don’t encourage quality and innovation.
“The simplest explanation is that these rules have been written over the years by those seeking better margins,” he says.
But de Kergommeaux counters that “innovation and evolution are fine, but that doesn’t mean all the rules should get thrown out the window. It means finding ways to do things within the rules that exist.
“I’m not saying you can’t sell it,” he concludes. “Just don’t call it whisky.”
Chateau des Charmes Aligote
Rating: NNN
Why A B-lister in Burgundian wines like Cremant, Aligote is scarce in our fair country. In fact the only winery in Canada cultivating this often overlooked grape may be Niagara’s Chateau des Charmes, where it’s become a specialty of the Bosc family’s winter since it was first planted in the late 70s. It has aromas of orchard fruits and lemon with hits of honey and herbs, and is super-dry and zesty on the palate. Sip slowly with all the salad you’ll need to reclaim your clean eating habits post-bacchanalian Thanksgiving.
Price $14.95/750 ml
Availability LCBO 296848
drinks@nowtoronto.com | @S_Parns
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