Canadian Whisky Awards 2019

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Forty Creek distiller, Bill Ashburn (centre) accepts the award for Whisky of the Year from head judge and awards founder, Davin de Kergommeaux (l), and co-host Heather Leary (r). Photo Credit: Jen Steele

Forty Creek Rye Named 2019 Whisky of the Year

VICTORIA, Jan. 18, 2019 / – The best whisky in Canada is an all-rye whisky, distilled 22 years ago at Forty Creek Distillery in Grimsby, Ontario. After blind tastings of well over 100 whiskies, 10 independent whisky experts have declared Forty Creek 22-year-old Rye as Canadian Whisky of the Year in the ninth annual Canadian Whisky Awards.

Held each January at the Hotel Grand Pacific in Victoria, BC, as part of the Victoria Whisky Festival, the Canadian Whisky Awards recognize the very best whiskies produced in Canada. Awards founder, Davin de Kergommeaux described Forty Creek 22 year-old Rye as: “A huge, yet elegant rye whisky, just bursting with complex flavours.

”Other top accolades went to whiskies from JP Wiser’s, Canadian Club, Crown Royal, and Gooderham and Worts. Forty Creek founder, John K. Hall was announced as the first member of the Canadian Whisky Hall of Fame, while Dr. Don Livermore was named Blender of the Year.“

Every year the whiskies are just that much better than the year before,” said de Kergommeaux as he revealed the winners. “Top whiskies from five or six years ago might earn a silver medal today.  The competition is that intense.

”As the Canada’s pre-eminent Canadian whisky competition, the independent judging panel, served up some surprise honours to relative newcomers such as Saskatchewan’s Last Mountain distillery which took home top spot as Microdistillery of the Year.

If this year’s record setting submissions are an indication, Canadian whisky fans have an extremely exciting 2019 to look forward to.

Note to editors:About the Canadian Whisky Awards The Canadian Whisky Awards, held annually in conjunction with the Victoria Whisky Festival, recognize the very best Canadian whiskies and encourage distillers to maintain the highest quality standards. To qualify, the whisky must be distilled and matured in Canada. An independent panel of whisky experts selects the winners after tasting each whisky blind. Operated on a not-for-profit basis, the Canadian Whisky Awards are fully independent of the Canadian whisky industry.

Awards:

  • Lifetime Achievement – John K. Hall

  • Flavoured Whisky Export – Black Velvet Toasted Caramel

  • Flavoured Whisky Multi-market – Crown Royal Salted Caramel

  • Whisky Value Domestic – Wayne Gretzky No. 99 Red Cask

  • Whisky Value Export – Pendleton

  • Whisky Value Multi-market – Crown Royal Blender’s Mash

  • Sippin’ Whisky Domestic - Canadian Rockies 21yo

  • Sippin’ Whisky Export – Rich and Rare Reserve

  • Sippin’ Whisky Multi-market – Pike Creek Rum Barrel

  • Award of Excellence – Innovation – Shelter Point Montfort DL

  • Award of Excellence – Line Extension – Corby NHL Alumni Series

  • Best Whisky Spirit – Ancient Grains

  • Artisanal Distiller of the Year – Last Mountain Distillery

  • Distillery of the Year – Hiram Walker & Sons Distillery

  • Flavoured Whisky Domestic – Forty Creek Cream

  • Connoisseur Whisky Domestic – Canadian Club 41yo

  • Connoisseur Whisky Export – Crown Royal Blender’s Mash 13

  • Connoisseur Whisky – Multi-market – JP Wiser’s 35yo

  • Best New Whisky – Bearface

  • Best Single Malt Whisky – Two Brewers Release 9

  • Best All-Rye Whisky – Forty Creek 22yo Rye

  • Best Blended Whisky – Gooderham and Worts Eleven Souls

  • Blender of the Year – Don Livermore

And, the 2019 Canadian whisky of the year is

  • Forty Creek 22yo Rye

Gold Medals

·      Bearface Canadian 

·      Club 41 Year Old

·      Canadian Club Classic Small Batch 12 Year Old

·      Canadian Rockies 21 Year Old

·      Caribou Crossing Single Barrel

·      Crown Royal 13 Year-Old Blenders Mash

·      Crown Royal Black

·      Crown Royal Blenders Mash

·      Crown Royal XR

·      Forty Creek 22 Year Old Rye

·      Gooderham and Worts Eleven Souls

·      Gooderham and Worts Four Grain

·      JP Wiser’s Alumni Whisky Series Wendell Clark

·      J P Wiser's 35 yo

·      JP Wiser's Canada 2018

·      Last Mountain Single Cask Wheat Whisky

·      Lot 40 11 Year Old Cask Strength

·      Lot No. 40

·      Pendleton 1910 12 Year-Old

·      Pike Creek 21 yo European Finish

·      Pike Creek Double Barreled Canadian Whisky

·      Rich and Rare Reserve

·      Shelter Point Montfort DL

·      Two Brewers Release 9

·      Wayne Gretzky No 99 Ninety-Nine Proof Whisky

Silver Medals

·      Black Velvet Onyx

·      Canadian Club Chairman’s Select 100% Rye

·      Canadian Rockies 17 yo

·      Crown Royal Limited Edition

·      Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye

·      Crown Royal Reserve

·      Crown Royal Wine Barrel Finished

·      Crown Royal XO

·      De Vine Ancient Grains

·      Forty Creek Barrel Select

·      Forty Creek Confederation Oak

·      Forty Creek Cream

·      Forty Creek Double Barrel

·      Forty Creek Unity

·      Gibsons Finest Bold 8 YO

·      Gibsons Finest Rare 12 YO

·      Gibsons Finest Venerable 18 YO

·      JP Wiser’s Alumni Whisky Series Guy Lafleur

·      JP Wiser's Seasoned Oak

·      JP Wiser's Special Blend

·      JP Wiser's Triple Barrel Aged 10 Years

·      JP Wiser's Triple Barrel Rye 43.4%

·      Lohin McKinnon Chocolate Malt

·      Lohin McKinnon Lightly Peated Single Malt

·      Pendleton Midnight

·      Pendleton Whisky

·      Shelter Point Classic Single Malt the Strath Edition

·      Shelter Point Double Barrelled

·      Stalk and Barrel Canadian Red Blend

·      Two Brewers Rel 10

·      Wayne Gretzky No 99 Ice Cask Whisky

·      Wayne Gretzky No 99 Red Cask Whisky

 

Bronze Medals

·      100 Bushels

·      Alberta Premium

·      Black Velvet

·      Black Velvet Reserve

·      Black Velvet Toasted Caramel

·      Canadian Club Barley Batch

·      Canadian Club Premium 1858

·      Canadian Mist

·      Central City Brewing Peeled Orange Liqueur

·      Collingwood Double Barreled Whisky

·      Crown Royal Deluxe

·      Crown Royal Regal Apple

·      Crown Royal Salted Caramel

·      Crown Royal Texas Mesquite

·      Crown Royal Vanilla

·      Fils du Roy Appalachia’s Canadian Rye

·      Fils du Roy Congres Mondrian Acadian 2019

·      Fils du Roy Single Malt, Richelieu International

·      Forty Creek Copper Pot

·      Forty Creek Spike

·      Gibson’s Finest Sterling

·      Glen Saanich

·      Golden Stag

·      High River

·      JP Wiser's 18 YO

·      JP Wiser’s 15 YO

·      JP Wiser’s Apple

·      JP Wiser’s Deluxe

·      JP Wiser’s Old Fashioned Whisky Cocktail

·      JP Wiser’s Triple Barrel rye 45%

·      JP Wiser’s Vanilla

·      Last Mountain Single Cask Rye

·      Last Mountain Single Malt

·      Le Rye Sivo 

·      Le Single Malt Sivo

·      Lohin McKinnon Tequila Barrel Finished

·      Masterson’s 10 YO Straight Rye Whiskey

·      NHL Alumni Series, Lanny McDonald

·      North of 7 4-GrainNorth of 7 95% rye

·      Pemberton Valley Single Malt, 8 YO Single Barrel Organic

·      Royal Canadian Small Batch

·      Royal Reserve

·      Schenley Golden Wedding

·      Shelter Point Avant-Garde Barley

·      Shelter Point Cask Strength

·      Shelter Point Single Malt

·      Stalk and Barrel 100% Rye Cask Strength

·      Stalk and Barrel Blue Blend

·      Stalk and Barrel Single Malt Cask Strength

·      Two Brewers Release 11

·      Two Brewers Release 8

·      Hiram Walkers Special Old Rye 

 

News & UpdatesJessica Rousseau