Canadian Whisky Awards 2010 - Connoisseur Whisky, Domestic

Connoisseur Whisky of the Year – Domestic Market: Wiser’s Legacy
Wiser’s Legacy is a new, ultra-premium rye whisky from Corby Distilleries Limited. This rich, complex, and flavourful whisky compares favourably to high-end single malts. Wiser’s Legacy was launched in the Canadian market initially, but word soon got out, creating demand internationally.In fact, Legacy’s arrival in Canadian liquor stores early in 2010 could be described as tentative at best. But the buzz grew quickly as whisky lovers discovered its huge spicy flavours. Sure, you could mix it in a cocktail, but this really is a whisky to sit and contemplate. It is complex, robust, mouth-filling, and ever so spicy: a classic old-style rye from the copper pot still at Hiram Walker’s distillery in Windsor, Ontario.Canadian pot still whisky, by the way, is first distilled in a short column, called a beer still, to remove the spent grains. This process alone yields a rich, low-alcohol spirit that often finds its way into barrels to be aged as flavouring whisky. But a second run through the copper pot shapes Legacy into a true classic. It is bottled at 45%, which contributes in part to the robust flavour, but it all starts with great spirit.While bargain hunters may stick with their Wiser’s Special Blend – Legacy retails for $85.00 in Canada – those who believe life is too short for anything but the best, will want to make sure Legacy is stocked in their bar (or, if not, is on their Christmas list).J.P. Wiser developed the original recipe for Legacy himself. This says a lot. From the 1860s on, Wiser could barely keep up with U.S. demand for his whiskies, such was their reputation for the very highest of quality. Wiser died in 1911 when Legacy was still in the planning stages. Finally, his successors have brought Legacy to today’s market, showing whisky lovers what a great 19th-century rye may have tasted like, and demonstrating why Wiser found so much success in his own time.After tasting every Canadian whisky released in 2010, it was Wiser’s Legacy that stood out, earning it the Canadian Whisky Award as Connoisseur Whisky of the Year – Domestic Market. No doubt this is only the first of many awards to come.Wiser's Legacy is introduced here.All Canadian Whisky Awards winners for 2010 are listed here.