Canada is home to the world’s best whisky.
Not any and all whisky, of course, but Calgary’s own Alberta Premium Cask Strength Rye. This is according to whisky aficionado Jim Murray, who publishes the annual ‘World Whisky of the Year’ ranking.
There’s a reason this year’s winner is called “Cask Strength”. At 65.1% ABV, it packs a hell of a punch.
Here’s what Murray had to say about it:
“A succulence to the oils, balanced perfectly by ulmo and manuka honeys ensure for the most chewable Canadian mouthful possibly ever….and yet this is constantly salivating, from the very first nanosecond…Truly world-class whiskey from possibly the world’s most underrated distillery. How can something be so immense yet equally delicate? For any whiskey lover on the planet looking for huge but nearly perfectly balanced experience, then here you go. And with rye at its most rampantly beautiful, this is something to truly worship.”
And trust me, this guy knows what he’s talkin’ about. A full-time whisky writer, Murray sampled 4,500 drams in 2020 alone. Roughl 1,200 whiskies were considered.
Alberta Premium Cask Strength Rye is notable for using 100 per cent Alberta rye grain and water from the Rockies. Both of these things are near impossible to achieve outside of the province. From 2006 through 2009, Murray named it “Canadian Whisky of the Year.”
This isn’t the first Canadian whisky to take the crown either. In 2015, Crown Royal’s Northern Harvest was named World Whisky of the Year.
Somewhere a tear rolls down the cheek of a Scotsman.