PIKE CREEK 21-YEAR-OLD OLOROSO CASK IS CANADA’S BEST WHISKY
VICTORIA, Jan. 16, 2020 / – A jury of ten independent whisky experts has named Pike Creek Oloroso-finished 21-Year-Old Canada’s best whisky at the tenth annual Canadian Whisky Awards gala, held on Thursday, January 16 at the Grand Pacific Hotel in Victoria, BC.
Chair of the judging panel, Davin de Kergommeaux , described Pike Creek 21-year-old as “Toasted cereal tones bursting from a complex, spicy bushel of red fruits.”
Distilled at Hiram Walker Distillery in Windsor, Ontario, the whisky is named for the nearby community of Pike Creek where it matured for twenty-one years.
Each year for a special limited-edition Pike Creek release, master blender, Dr. Don Livermore pours mature whisky in exotic barrels for a short time to develop new flavours. The Oloroso sherry barrels he used this year imparted fruity flavours and a pinkish hue to the already complex whisky.
Dr. Livermore also accepted an award as Blender of the Year.
Accolades for Whisky of the Decade were accorded to Forty Creek Confederation Oak. Forty Creek Distillery, in Grimsby, Ontario, has won Whisky of the Year three times in the past decade. Over that time, Confederation Oak has consistently scored well in the blind tastings that determine the annual award winners.
Honours for Distillery of the Decade went to Alberta Distillers Limited of Calgary. Alberta Distillers has consistently produced award winning whiskies over the decade both for their own bottlings, and for others.
Retired whisky maker, John K. Hall was named Whisky Maker of the Decade, having founded the relatively new Forty Creek distillery, where he created a number of international bestselling whiskies.
Other big winners at the 2020 Awards include Alberta Premium Cask Strength Rye, Canadian Club 42-Year-Old and Crown Royal Black. Honours for Artisanal Distillery of the Year went to North of 7 Distillery in Ottawa, while The Crown Royal Blending Team accepted a lifetime achievement award.
A record number of high-quality whiskies entered by Canada’s distillers, large and small, predicts a very exciting 2020 for fans of Canadian whisky, worldwide.
AWARDS:
Flavoured Whisky Domestic
Forty Creek Cream
Flavoured Whisky Multi-market
Crown Royal Vanilla
Whisky Value Domestic
Goodridge and Williams Western Grains
Whisky Value Multi-market
Crown Royal Deluxe
Sippin’ Whisky of the Year Domestic
Two Brewers Yukon Single Malt Release 12
Sippin’ Whisky of the Year Export
Wiser’s Triple Barrel Rye (US)
Sippin’ Whisky of the Year Multi-market
Crown Royal Black
Connoisseur Whisky of the Year Domestic
Pike Creek 21 Year Old Oloroso Cask Finish
Connoisseur Whisky of the Year Multi-market
Canadian Club Chronicles 42 year old
Award of Excellence – Innovation
Bearface One Eleven Oaxaca
Award of Excellence – Line Extension
Alberta Premium for its Cask Strength Rye & 20 Year Old Rye
Award of Excellence – Best New Whisky
Great Plains Brandy Finished 18 Year Old
Artisanal Distillery of the Year
North of 7
Lifetime Achievement Award
Crown Royal Blending Team
Best Whisky Spirit
De Vine Wine and Spirits: Ancient Grains
Best Single Malt Whisky
Two Brewers Yukon Single Malt Release 12
Best Cask Strength Whisky
Alberta Premium Cask Strength Rye
Best All-Rye Whisky
Shelter Point Single Cask Rye
Best Corn Whisky
Canadian Rockies 17 Year Old Single Grain
Best Mixed Mash Whisky
Wayne Gretzky Estates No. 99 Ninety Nine Proof Small Batch
Best Wheat Whisky
Last Mountain Single Cask 100% Wheat Whisky
Best Blended Whisky
Pike Creek 21 Year-Old Oloroso Cask Finish
Distillery of the Decade
Alberta Distillers Limited
Whisky Maker of the Decade
John K. Hall (Forty Creek)
Whisky of the Decade
Forty Creek Confederation Oak Reserve
Blender of the Year
Don Livermore
Distillery of the Year
Hiram Walker & Sons
And, the 2020 Canadian whisky of the year is
Pike Creek 21-Year-Old Oloroso Cask Finish
GOLD MEDALS
Ancient Grains
Ancient Grains Cask Strength Strath Exclusive
Canadian Club Chronicles 42 year old
Collingwood Double Barrelled
Crown Royal Black
Crown Royal Limited Edition Whisky
Crown Royal Noble Collection French Oak Cask Finished
Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye
Crown Royal XO
Crown Royal XR
Forty Creek Victory
Forty Creek Cream
Gibson's Finest Venerable 18 Year Old
Gibsons Finest Rare 12 Year Old
Goodridge and Williams Western Grains Canadian Whisky
Great Plains Brandy Finished 18 Year Old Whisky
JP Wiser's Alumni Series - Yvan Cournoyer
JP Wiser's Alumni Whisky Series - Dave Keon
JP Wiser's Seven Rebels
Last Mountain Single Cask 100% Rye Whisky
Maverick Barnburner
North of 7 Canadian Whisky
Pike Creek 10 Year Old Rum Finish, Double Barreled Canadian Whisky
Pike Creek 21 Year Old Oloroso Cask Finish
Shelter Point Single Cask Rye
Shelter Point Smoke Point
Two Brewers Yukon Single Malt Release 12
Two Brewers Yukon Single Malt Release 13
Two Brewers Yukon Single Malt Release 16
Two Brewers Yukon Single Malt Release 18
Wayne Gretzky Estates No. 99 Ninety Nine Proof Small Batch Canadian Whisky
SILVER MEDALS
Alberta Premium 20 Year Old Rye
Alberta Premium Rye Whisky
Canadian Rockies 17 Year Old Single Grain Canadian Whisky
Canadian Rockies 21 Year Old Single Grain Canadian Whisky
Caribou Crossing Single Barrel Canadian Whisky
Cirka Premier Whisky 93/07, Whisky Quebecois
Collingwood Maple Stave
Crown Royal Deluxe
Crown Royal Reserve
Dubh Glas Against All Odds
Dubh Glas Empathy
Forty Creek Barrel Select
Forty Creek Confederation Oak
Forty Creek Double Barrel
Gibsons Finest Bold 8 Year Old
Glen Breton 24 Year Old Single Malt, Single Cask 66.2% Cask Strength
Gooderham and Worts 49 Wellington
Gooderham and Worts Four Grain
High River Canadian Whisky
Hiram Walker's Royal Reserve
JP Wiser's 15 Year Old
JP Wiser's 18 Year Old
JP Wiser's 23 year old
JP Wiser's Deluxe
JP Wiser's NHL Alumni Series - Mark Messier
JP Wiser's NHL Alumni Series - Paul Coffey
JP Wiser's Special Blend
JP Wiser's Triple Barrel Rye (US)
JP Wiser's Triple Barrel Rye. (Canada)
JP Wiser's Wheatfield Gold
Last Mountain Single Cask 100% Wheat Whisky
Last Mountain Single Cask Red Wine Barrel Aged Whisky
Lohin Mckinnon Cocoa Aged Single Malt Whisky
Lohin Mckinnon Niagara Wine Barrel Whisky
Lot 40 Cask Strength Rye Whisky - Third Edition
Lot 40 Rye Whisky
Maple Squared Single Malt Whisky
Odd Society Prospector Rye Whisky
Pendleton 1910
Pendleton Whisky
Sazerac Royal Canadian Small Batch Canadian Whisky
Shelter Point Artisinal Cask Strength Whisky
Shelter Point Artisinal Single Malt Whisky
Shelter Point Double Barreled Whisky
Shelter Point Montfort DI 141
Shelter Point Single Cask Old Vines Foch Reserve
Shelter Point Wine and Beyond Exclusive Single Malt
Sheringham Distillery Red Fife
Sheringham Distillery Woodhaven
Stalk And Barrel 100% Rye Whisky
Stalk And Barrel 100% Rye Whisky Cask Strength
Two Brewers Yukon Single Malt Release 14
Two Brewers Yukon Single Malt Release 15
Two Brewers Yukon Single Malt Release 17
Wayne Gretsky Estates No. 99 Ice Cask Whisky
Wayne Gretzky Estates No.99 Red Cask Whisky
West Coast Speakeasy Strath Exclusive
Crown Royal Vanilla
JP Wiser's Old Fashioned
Wayne Gretzky Estates No. 99 Canadian Cream
Bronze Medals
Bearface One Eleven Oaxaca
de Vine Glen Saanich Single Malt Whisky
Fils du Roy Congrès Mondial Acadien - Whiskey Acadien
Fils du Roy Single Malt Whisky 40th anniversaire Conseil Économique du Nouveau Brunswick
Forty Creek Copper Pot
Gibson's Finest Sterling
Goodridge and Williams Northern Grains Canadian Whisky
Last Mountain Canadian Whisky
Last Mountain Single Cask 100% Single Malt Barley
Odd Society Commodore Single Malt Whisky
Shelter Point Coop Exclusive Rye
Shelter Point Strath 8 Year Old
Shelter Point Strath Islay Cask
Canadian Club Apple Whisky
Crown Royal Peach Whisky
Forty Creek Spike
JP Wiser's Apple Whisky
JP Wiser's Manhattan Whisky Cocktail