Have just tried - White Owl

The White Owl whisky is a filtered, clear rye whisky made by Highwood Distillers in Alberta.  It has taken the cocktail world by storm and took first prize in the Canadian Whisky Innovations category at the second annual Canadian Whisky Awards earlier this year. The awards were held in Victoria, British Columbia and are the brainchild of our good friend Davin de Kergommeaux - the world authority on Canadian whisky and writer of the must-read website canadianwhisky.org.

Highwood Distillers is an independently owned company which is based in the Rocky Mountains of the Canadian province of Alberta. The distillery is in the town of High River, while the company offices are in the city of Calgary.  Highwood Distillers was founded in 1974 and the distillery was originally called Sunnyvale.  This was changed to Highwood in 1984 and the company is still going strong after nearly 40 years.  They also make other spirits including gin, vodka, rum and liqueurs.  For more information on Highwood and their products - visit www.highwood-distillers.com.

We don't get to taste many Canadian whiskies as they are still relatively scarce in the UK market, and it is an area of the whisky industry that we want to learn more about.  Therefore we were excited when a sample pack from Highwood dropped through our letterbox recently.

On initial inspection, the White Owl appeared to be a product similar to the 'white dog' whiskies being released in America or the new make spirits being released by some Scottish single malt distilleries.  These products have little or no maturation before bottling.  However, the story with the White Owl could not be more different ...

The White Owl is produced in small batches and is made up of rye whiskies that have been matured between three years (the Canadian legal minimum age for whisky) and 10 years of age.  The proportion of older whisky is high and the whiskies are then married together, before being filtered through charcoal to remove the colour.  Therefore, it has all the characteristics of an aged rye whisky but with no colour - this has made it extremely popular with bar tenders across north America.  The White Owl is bottled at 40% ABV and is currently available only in Canada.  A bottle will cost $40 CAD (that's about £25).

Our tasting notes
This whisky is completely clear and the nose is fresh, clean and vibrant.  There is an instant zesty citrus aroma which is reminiscent of lemons and limes.  This is supported by some robust cereal aromas that give an impression of vanilla and a slight earthy quality.  In addition there is something uplifting and fresh (think of crisp green apple) and a hint of cinnamon and liquorice.

On the palate, this has an initial hot spicy feel but once it settles in your mouth it feels quite delicate and a little creamy.  There is an initial hit of sugary sweetness (imagine a pleasant mix of icing sugar and honey) which is added to by some notes of butterscotch and toffee.  These sweet characteristics are tempered by some delicious and slight feisty cereals, which add a spiciness to the palate - think of cinnamon, nutmeg, liquorice and a hint of ginseng.  The zesty citrus notes evident in the nose are also present (especially the limes) and these seem to grow with time.  It is not the most complicated of palates, but there is plenty of interest going on.

The finish seems short-ish and begins with the lovely butterscotch sweetness.  This then gives way to the zesty and spicy notes, which give the finish a refreshing tang and dryness.  Imagine limes, cinnamon and a hint of red chilli.  It is the chilli-like heat that lasts longest.

What's the verdict?
The White Owl is impressive.  It may be clear but what it lacks in colour, it more than makes up for in aroma, flavour and quality.  The evidence of whiskies of a decent age gives it a depth and quality and it is easy to see why it has become so popular with bar tenders and cocktail mixologists.  The White Owl will add a depth and quality to a drink that a new make or 'white dog' spirit simply cannot.  A delightful discovery and one that confirms that we have to learn about and try more Canadian whiskies.

The Canadian Whisky Awards

The second annual Canadian Whisky Awards have just taken place in Victoria, British Columbia as part of the Victoria Whisky Festival.  The gala ceremony was held to celebrate some of the best and most innovative whiskies produced in Canada during 2011 and the contribution of pioneers from within the industry.

Now, we choose to not normally comment or report on the numerous whisky awards ceremonies around the world - it is hard to keep up with the exploding number of such awards and this makes it difficult to select which awards hold more gravitas and importance. However, we openly admit that we know very little about Canadian whiskies and the industry in that country.  This is something that we are currently working on given the growth in popularity of Canadian whisky and a recent email that we received kindly telling us, "how can you call yourselves Whisky For Everyone, if you never mention Canadian whiskies ...?" Watch this space.

The Canadian Whisky Awards are the brainchild of Davin de Kergommeaux - the world authority on Canadian whisky and writer of the must-read website canadianwhisky.org.  His goal is to raise awareness about the fine whiskies coming out of the country and bring further information to a wider audience. Davin was head of the seven man judging panel, which included some of Canada's best known whisky writers, bloggers and broadcasters.  The whisky producers were asked to submit their best whiskies and each was sampled and scored in a blind tasting by the judges.

Gold Medals were awarded to just five exceptional whiskies -  Forty Creek John's Private Cask No.1, Gibson's Finest Rare 18 years old, Masterson's Rye, Wiser's Legacy and Wiser's Small Batch.  A further 12 whiskies were awarded Silver Medals and eight were awarded Bronze Medals. The most prestigious prize of Canadian Whisky of the Year 2011 went to the Forty Creek John's Private Cask No.1 (pictured, above), which is produced by Kittling Ridge Estate Wines & Spirits. Numerous other awards were presented, including the Canadian Whisky Innovations category which saw the White Owl whisky - a filtered, clear rye whisky made by Highwood Distillers in Alberta which has taken the cocktail world by storm (pictured, below) - take the first prize.

As we say, we have not tried very many Canadian whiskies to date but hopefully the increased popularity and exposure that they are receiving will result in more becoming available in the UK. We hope to track down, taste and review the two winners named above. In the mean time if you have tried either of them, please leave a comment below and let us know how they taste, what they are like and any other notes that you may want to add.  We look forward to reading the results.

For more information about the awards and prize winners, and Canadian whisky in general - visit www.canadianwhisky.org.