Molson’s - Wiser’s Common Bond Beer
October 18, 1821, marks the 200th anniversary of Molson’s Distillery. Founder, John Molson had actually purchased a copper pot still some two decades earlier, but after a couple of trial batches he lost interest in distilling, and focussed instead on making beer.
The still remained silent until John’s son, Thomas Molson joined the firm. Thomas had a keen interest in distilling and before long he had fired up the disused still and added whisky to Molson’s product line. He soon engaged an agency in London, England to promote Molson’s whisky there, and for a while, Molson’s became the largest whisky distillery in the entire British Commonwealth.
To be or not to be distillers
Those early days were not all smooth sailing, though. When sales in Britain flagged, Molson’s was forced to seek other markets, primarily in the US. Then, in the face of family turmoil, and with beer sales growing, the other Molsons began to lose interest. Nevertheless, Thomas was determined to be a whisky maker and in 1824, he moved distilling operations up the St. Lawrence River to Kingston, Ontario, where it flourished.
The Molsons had many bonds in common and a decade later the family persuaded Thomas to relocate the distillery back into the brewing compound in Montreal. Molson’s whisky continued to sell well in Canada and far beyond. So, it is was a surprise when in 1867, despite soaring profits, a new generation of Molsons ended distilling operations, returning again to beer as their sole product. Today, few people are even aware that Molson’s was once Canada’s pre-eminent whisky distiller.
Very contented cows
In 1857, about a decade before Molson’s abandoned distilling, an American cattle merchant named John Phillip Wiser took over management of Charles Payne’s distillery in Prescott, Ontario. Whisky was the named product of the distillery. However, Wiser and his Ogdensburg, New York-based employers were much more interested in a by-product of distilling – protein-rich and starch-depleted distillery waste. It was a miracle food for fattening their cattle.
Within five years, Wiser bought out his employers, established his own cattle feedlot nearby, and began exporting beef abroad and into Canadian and US markets. Today J.P. Wiser is best remembered for his whisky, which is now produced in Windsor, Ontario.
Natural Partners
Beer and whisky are natural partners, with whisky at its most basic being beer that has been distilled and matured. So, it is no wonder that small distillers in Canada and beyond regularly form partnerships with brewers. Today, we have whiskies matured in beer barrels and beer matured in whisky barrels, along with any number of whiskies distilled from craft beer.
It was only a matter of time before the large brewers took notice, and when Molson’s did, they turned to Wiser’s for a partner. It was an excellent choice given the critical success of a hopped whisky that Wiser’s produced a few years back. Wiser’s Hopped Whisky was a genuine explosion of flavour. It won a 2015 Canadian Whisky Award of Excellence for Innovation and multiple other accolades in whisky competitions worldwide. Still, it was a few years ahead of its time and ultimately was discontinued.
Common Bond, the product of this partnership, is a new, limited edition beer from Molson’s made by infusing Molson’s beer with what they call Wiser’s whisky hops. At one time, J.P. Wiser used hops to disinfect his mashes, but the hops for Common Bond are a different story. Molson’s delivers hop pellets to Hiram Walker distillery, where they are soaked in 58% Wiser’s Deluxe barrels to extract flavour-rich hop oils. These are then added to the cooled beer late in the brewing regimen, a process called “dry hopping.”
Dry hopping is also how Wiser’s made their hopped whisky. In both cases the producers have taken care not to overdo the hops, so neither the beer nor the whisky overpowers the palate. And while dry hopping dramatically enhances the already ample flavours in Wiser’s Hopped Whisky, Common Bond is a sweet, round sipper without the crispness of a beer you’d pound on a hot summer deck.
Wiser’s beer or Molson’s whisky?
I am a fan of Molson’s beers in general and laud the brewery for reviving its whisky connection in this the 200th anniversary of its hugely successful and ground-breaking distillery. But with their stills now gone, Molson’s might have made a more significant splash in the market had they worked with Wiser’s on a celebratory 200th anniversary whisky. Molson’s-hopped whisky from Wiser’s anyone? Nevertheless, Common Bond will have its dedicated followers this 2021 beer-drinking season. And as those hot summer evenings slip behind the horizon, this sweet and malty beer will satisfy the Molson fan who likes a little oak in their brew.