I love whisk(e)y. Many, if not all, iconic Canadian whiskies (Seagrams, Crown Royal, Wisers*) are now owned by international spirits houses, and most Canadians are unaware of the craft distillers popping up across the country. Moreover, our provincial liquor boards (cough – LCBO – cough) often don’t highlight the whiskies coming out of these smaller, homegrown producers. That bothered me, so I went on a quest to find and put together a list of independent Canadian whisky makers and their offerings.
There are quite a few other craft distillers eschewing whisky and selling vodka, gin, moonshine and white-dog whisky. That’s understandable: whisky takes time to age and create, and if you’re a new distillery you can’t afford to wait 3+ years to bring in the cash. My hope is that many of these entrants will lay up stock, and that over time we’ll see many more interesting Canadian whiskies pop up across the country!
Sources
- Canadian Whisky
- Wikipedia
- And of course…multiple Google searches :)
That said…the list in alphabetical order!
The List
Updated on 22 December, 2017
Heads up!
- This is simply a list – I have not tried all these whiskies!
- Unless mentioned, all whiskies are available for online shipping across Canada.
- Please comment if you know of any independent distilleries not on this list.
Brasserie & distillerie Oshlag
Montreal, QC
Website
Only available for shipping within Quebec
- Black Whisky (Still aging)
Central City Brewers + Distillers
Surrey, BC
Website
- Lohin McKinnon VQA Black Sage Vineyardâ„¢ Collaboration Whisky
- Lohin McKinnon 150th Anniversary Lightly Peated Single Malt Rye Whisky
- Lohin McKinnon Single Malt Whisky
Dillon’s
Beamsville, ON
Website
- Rye Whisky (500 ml)
- Rye 1 Whisky (200 ml)
Distillerie Fils du Roy
Petit-Paquetville, NB
Website
Not available online.
- L’Eau d’Août
Eau Claire
Turner Valley, AB
Website
Not available online, and bottles are sold out. They still have 1oz and 2oz drams available at the distillery though.
- Single Malt Whisky
Glenora
Glenville, NS
Website
- Battle Of The Glen 15 Year
- Fiddler’s Choice
- Glen Breton Ice 10 Year
- Glen Breton Ice 17 Year
- Glen Breton Ice 19 Year
- Glen Breton Rare 10 Year
- Glen Breton Rare 14 Year
- Glen Breton Rare 21 Year
- Glen Breton Rare – Jardine Reserve – 25 Year
Highwood Distillers
High Wood, AB
Website
Not available online – for sale at the LCBO however.
- Centennial 10 yr Canadian Rye Whisky
- Centennial Canadian Rye Whisky Dark Chocolate
- Centennial Coffee Bean Canadian Whisky
- Centennial Maple Canadian Rye Whisky
- Centennial Spiced Canadian Rye Whisky
- Century Reserve 21 yr Canadian Rye Whisky
- Century Reserve Lot 15-25 Canadian Rye Whisky
- Highwood Canadian Rye Whisky
- Hundred Volt Rye Whisky
- Ninety 5 yr Whisky
- Ninety 20 yr Whisky
- Potters Special Old Canadian Rye Whisky
- Sweet Sippin Maple Whisky
- True North Canadian Rye Whisky
- White Owl Ginger Lime Whisky
- White Owl Spiced Whisky
- White Owl Whisky
- Wild Cinnamon Whisky
Kinsip
Bloomfield, ON
Website
- Crimson Rye Whisky
- Wild Oak Whisky
- Maple Whisky (Flavoured; 375ml)
Last Best Brewing
Calgary, AB
Website
This one is truly puzzling. They claim to be “primarily a whisky house” but I can’t find their product list online. Maybe store-only, or still aging?
Last Mountain Distillery
Lumsden, SK
Website
It’s not clear to me if they ship Canada-wide (the website indicates that they’ll ship to BC at least). Otherwise, they’ve a list of stores at which their products are available.
- Canadian Whisky
- F5 Cinnamon Whisky (Flavoured)
- Prairie Cherry Whisky (Flavoured)
- Private Reserve Whisky
- Single Cask 100% Wheat Whisky
The Liberty Distillery
Vancouver, BC
Website
- Trust Whisky – Single Grain
- Trust Whisky – Single Cask – Burgundy
Lucky Bastard Distillers
Saskatoon, SK
Website
- Lucky Bastard Rye Whisky
Maison Sivo
Quebec City, QC
Website
Available via My Wines Canada and at SAQ.
- Essence du Single Malt
- Essence du Rye
Merridale Cidery & Distillery
Cobble Hill, BC
Website
Not available online – but they do list retail locations in BC.
- Whisky Jack’s
North of 7
Ottawa, ON
Website
Not available online – only at the distillery store. They also have white dog whiskies at different proofs.
- North of 7 Whisky
Okanagan Spirits Craft Distillery
Vernon, BC and Kelowna, BC
Website
Looks like they have a lot of special releases that are, unfortunately!, out of stock.
- BRBN Corn Whisky
Old Order Distilling
Penticton, BC
Website
Not available online – at the distillery, or stores in BC. Looks like the “Order now” button is broken too :/
- Okanagan Highland Whisky (Still aging)
Park Distillery
Banff, AB
Website
- Park Maple Rye (Flavoured)
Pemberton Distillery
Pemberton, BC
Website
- Pemberton Valley Organic Single Malt Whisky Single Cask Release – 2012 Medium Peated
Rig Hand Craft Distillery
Nisku, AB
Website
Email or call to order. Also has quite a few unaged whiskies.
- Bar M Whisky
Shelter Point Distillery
Campbell River, BC
Website
- Cask-Strength Whisky
- French Oak Double Barreled Whisky
- Montfort District Lot 141 Single Grain Whisky
- Single-Malt Artisanal Whisky
Sperling Silver
Regina, SK
Website
Not available online – or at least I can’t figure out how to order it online :)
- Golden Stag Cherry Rye
- Golden Stag Blended Rye
Spirit of York Distillery Co.
Toronto, ON
Website
Not available online – for sale only at their retail store in the Distillery District.
- Spirit of York Whisky (Not listed online, but does exist; seen in person)
Stalk & Barrel
Concord, ON
Website
- #Canada150 Canadian Whisky
- 100% Rye Whisky
- Blue Blend Canadian Whisky
- Red Blend Canadian Whisky
- Single Malt Whisky
Two Brewers Yukon Single Malt Whisky
Whitehorse, YT
Website
No online ordering AFAICT, and no information on how to buy bottles. Maybe call them at (867) 668-4183 ?
- Single Malt Whisky (Classic)
- Single Malt Whisky (Special Finishes)
- Single Malt Whisky (Peated)
- Single Malt Whisky (Innovative)
Urban Distillery & Winery
Kelowna, BC
Website
- Urban Burban – Bourbon-Style Whiskey
- Single Malt Whisky
Wayne Gretzky Estates Winery
Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON
Website
- Wayne Gretzky No. 99 ‘Red Cask’ Whisky
- Wayne Gretzky No. 99 ‘Ice Cask’ Whisky