Alberta Premium Cask Strength
Alberta Distillers is the oldest distillery in Western Canada, having produced alcohol for over 70 years. It is part of the Beam Suntory portfolio and is the source of rye whisky for a number of brands across the world, including WhistlePig. While the distillery does not produce a wide range of offerings under their own name, the ones they do have garnered a number of awards and mentions. A consistent entry in their lineup is the Alberta Premium Cask Strength. Released in yearly batches, it is bottled at slightly various proofages and is distilled from 100% Canadian prairie rye, something relatively unusual even in the rye whisky category, and aged for at least 5 years. A blend of pot still and column still distillation, it is aged in heavily charred (#4) first fill ex-bourbon barrels from the Jim Beam distillery, along with virgin oak barrels and second fill bourbon barrels.
Workhorse Rye Standard & Strange
Producing whiskey for someone else is not the purview of only the giant distilleries. Craft distilleries do it too. Workhorse Rye was founded in 2011 by bartender Rob East. They focus mostly on rye whiskies and bitters crafted with local ingredients by workers paid a fair wage under good working conditions. The distillery cares very much about the ethics of their production and supply chain. A few years ago, they partnered with high end retail men’s clothing store Standard & Strange to release a one-off whiskey. Only 280 bottles were made, with a mash bill of 50% Admiral malt (heirloom barley from Yolo County), 25% Gazelle rye (from California), and 25% Purple Tibetan barley from south Arizona, all heritage grains. The maturation is comprised of 4/5 Mizunara Japanese oak and 1/5 ex-bourbon barrels. For some time, we thought the name of the whiskey was M.01XX, since that is featured prominently on the label.
Glenmorangie A Tale of Winter
Being a distillery with nearly 200 years of history does not guarantee success in the present day. Creativity can be almost as vital as what is in the bottle. In 2020, Glenmorangie began a limited series of no-age-statement releases beginning with A Tale of Cake. Each ‘tale’ has a creative story from Dr. Bill Lumsden, Director of Distilling for Glenmorangie and Ardbeg, and is meant to invoke a certain moment or feeling or place. These whiskies seem geared toward a different demographic than their core offerings, what with the emphasis on story and bright package design. The Glenmorangie A Tale of Winter is the second in the series and is meant to evoke the coziness of being inside somewhere on a cold winter day (or night). Though no age statement comes on the bottle, the scotch was 13 years old and finished in ex-Marsala wine casks for an undisclosed time.