Scotland – Single Malt Scotch
K&L Wine Merchants
http://www.klwines.com
Phone: 877-KLWines (toll free 877-559-4637)
Email: wine@klwines.com
San Francisco, Redwood City, Hollywood CA
ISLAY ADVENTURES & ONLINE EXCLUSIVES
As part of our Islay celebrations, we’re releasing a charismatic new bottling, 3.245 Big personality (no pussy-cat), to go with Unfiltered Magazine’s newly published short film The Homecoming, in which the team brings our Feis Ile 2015 bottling (3.243) home – touring 8 distilleries, before hitting our Islay House garden party. Watch it here >
Plus – enjoy the benefits of being an email subscriber with the first look at our July previews and online exclusive bottlings. Bring your bottle home before they all sail over the horizon…
ISLAY ADVENTURES
Peated
3.245 Big personality (no pussy-cat) £62.40
A deep, rich nose – tarry ropes, wetsuits, sneakers, leather, Germolene, syrup of figs, Branston pickle, seafood barbeque embers and struck match. The palate has a big personality – salty, smoky and sweet – burnt raisins, bonfire ash, treacle, sherry, anchovies and biltong.
– Refill ex-sherry butt
– 17 years old
ORDER NOW FOR DISPATCH IN EARLY JULY Buy >
JULY PREVIEWS
Old & dignified
7.114 Ode to Grown up George £110.00
George tied the knot. Hearts broke. Red lipstick, damson jam and ripe pineapple. Controlled and classy, reclining on a Chesterfield with exotic figs and habanero jam. Mellifluous, heather honey tongued. This whisky previously inhabited an ex-bourbon hogshead.
– Second fill ex-port barrique
– 25 years old
12 bottles released for preview*
Lightly peated
66.68 Bon Appétit £45.90
Smoky bacon crisps, pork cracklings and streaky bacon next to new pine and lavender on the nose neat, whilst in the taste a bacon butty with maple syrup. Water released minty /salty aromas and ‘La galette des rois’ on the palate.
– Refill ex-bourbon barrel
– 11 years old
20 bottles released for preview*
Expect your next update email on Friday 3 July
Browse New Outturn >
Browse All Bottlings >
*We release a small number of bottles as a preview – it’s one of the perks of being an email subscriber! But don’t worry if you don’t get one tonight; the majority of bottles are released with the rest of the Outturn.
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, The Vaults, 87 Giles Street, Leith EH6 6BZ Contact: sales@smws.com or call 0131 555 2929 (Mon-Fri 9am-4.45pm). Visit the Society at here for membership information
This is your chance to join and to take advantage of their great offers!
Spot the SMWS bottles in this amusing You Tube video
CRAGGANMORE-GLENLIVET DISTILLERY 1999 16Y/O 46%
Nose: Raisin butter, pears and red apple skins. Some strawberry notes and very creamy.
Palate: Some meat notes, Parma ham and very herbal. Some coriander, black pepper and toasted fennel seeds.
Finish: Lingering cold meat notes with lots of juicy fruits. A real summertime whisky.
GLENGOYNE DISTILLERY (Sherry cask) 2001 14Y/O 46%
Nose: Rich, meaty sherry notes. Very intense with some treacle notes and lots of dark fruits.
Palate: Thick and chewy with lots of sherry, and hints of balsamic vinegar. Black cherries, chocolate orange and a background creaminess.
Finish: You can chew this all night. A big whisky. Toffee, blackberries, treacle and golden syrup. Proper Whisky!
GLENLIVET (MINMORE) DISTILLERY 1973 42Y/O 40.2%
Summer 2015 Small Batch a rare vintage from one of the greatest of all speyside distilleries.
Nose: Soft and juicy. Peaches, passion fruit, soft lime notes and also kiwi and watermelon.
Palate: More juicy fruits. For such a delicate whisky this feels very thick. Olive oil, hints of Sauvignon blanc and lots of syrupy fruits.
Finish: Dried citrus fruits with some soft woodiness. Creaminess grows but mingles with lots of thick tropical fruits.
GLEN KEITH-GLENLIVET DISTILLERY 1973 42Y/O 45.8%
Summer 2015 Small Batch. A very limited vintage
Nose: Herbal; honey glazed ham with mulled wine, blackberry jam and vanilla pods.
Palate: More jammy fruity notes on the taste with growing spices of cloves and cinnamon.
Finish: Dried bananas and lime pickle come through with natural yoghurt and strawberries.
Late June Outturn Offerings
Cask No. 76.119 $155
‘On Christmas day in the morning!’
Speyside, Spey
The panel were whisked away to the excitement of Christmas morning as a child. Aromatic spiced orange mingled with eggnog, sugar puffs and milky hot chocolate sprinkled with nutmeg. Still in their pyjamas, the panel dipped into their stockings to find cranberry, pomegranate and red currants with Hubba Bubba gum. Water opened glugg infused with orange and mint, cola bottles. Fragrant lavender, saffron and lemon thyme wafted from the glass. Fresh wood from a homemade dolls house gave a grippy quality to the reduced taste which tingled with ras el hanout spiciness. Lingering flavours of pomander completed the festivities.
Drinking tip: Well now…Christmas day!
Colour: Dirty copper
Cask: Refill butt
Age: 18 years
Date distilled: July 1995
Alcohol: 56.7%
USA allocation: 180 bottles
Flavour profile: Deep, rich & dried fruits
Cask No. 7.103 $220
After church
Speyside, Lossie
A venerable library – polished wood, candles, hessian tapestry – with a fruity complex behind (over-ripe pears, bananas and pineapple). Then an empty fireplace (cleaned out for the summer) or dusty store, with dried marjoram. The waxy notes increase with water (church candles, on brass candlesticks), then tablet, vanilla fudge, linseed oil and vegetable oil, ‘spice drawer’ and dried orange pomander. The taste, straight, is sweet overall, with traces of scorched newspaper in the finish, and a hint of cinnamon toast mid-palate. Warming, with nutmeg and sandalwood in the aftertaste. With water the taste is more waxy; rich and sweet, with dried orange peel.
Drinking tip: With a good film on Sunday afternoon
Colour: Polished mahogany
Cask: Refill hogshead
Age: 29 years
Date distilled: October 1984
Alcohol: 51.6%
USA allocation: 54 bottles
Flavour profile: Sweet, fruity & mellow
Cask No. 9.100 $125
Coffee and cigarettes
Speyside, Spey
We were enticed in with flapjacks and macaroons, coffee with cream and deep vanilla notes. It was a Parisian cafe serving creamy panna cotta and rich espresso martini. There was sandalwood oil and hints of coconut and sweet tobacco. The palate had butterscotch, burnt coffee and an ashy feel, then Murray Mints and a woody finish. The diluted nose had toasted crumpets and offered menthol cigarettes with an Americano and dark chocolate. There was a Café Crème tin on a pinewood table and some light floral notes. Our taste buds tingled with paprika, ginger and liquorice root, then cigarillos with strong coffee and a cinnamon aftertaste.
Drinking tip: While watching the film or having your own discussion
Colour: Olive oil
Cask: First-fill barrel
Age: 12 years
Date distilled: August 2002
Alcohol: 59.9%
USA allocation: 90 bottles
Flavour profile: Spicy & sweet
Cask No. 4.191 $180
A Romp in the Heather
Highland, Island
A first impression of peach and rose Turkish delight. And then a delicious romp of carrot cake, golden syrup and buttered crumpet. Warm cedar wood polished with linseed oil. Distant burning heather moors. The mouthfeel is chunky and meaty with soy and black pepper. Hessian bags full of ash. Salted caramel, butterscotch and dark chocolate. Water released mint and crispy seaweed. Waxed jackets and new Wellington boots. The finale is ash smoked sausage and menthol cigarettes. The panel agreed that it was like been grabbed up and rolled around in lavender, damp moss and heather. What a delight!
Drinking tip: Choose your partner carefully for this one
Colour: Buttercup
Cask: Refill hogshead
Age: 22 years
Date distilled: May 1991
Alcohol: 54.2%
USA allocation: 120 bottles
Flavour profile: Lightly peated
Cask No. 53.210 $190
Fantastic stuff
Islay
This nose had a little bit of everything one might expect – peat smoke, tea chests, tobacco, pine resin, sea breezes, bandages, puff candy, peanut brittle and smoked salmon, to name just a few. The palate was a delight – a good whack of smoke and toffee apple sweetness – but nicely complicated by aniseed, liquorice, Brazil nuts, sesame oil, soy sauce, five-spice powder, salt and vinegar crisps and smouldering sawdust. The reduced nose was softer and sweeter, with caramel, treacle, old tawny port and pork crackling, while the palate found some mint and ash in the finish. Fantastic stuff from Islay’s biggest distillery.
Drinking tip: Could accompany a stir-fry or aromatic duck – or an evening bonfire as the stars appear.
Colour: Toasted barley gold
Cask: Refill hogshead
Age: 24 years
Date distilled: December 1989
Alcohol: 53.3%
USA allocation: 60 bottles
Flavour profile: Peated
The Outturn can be viewed online here: SMWSA Late June Outturn
Please visit www.smwsa.com for more information.
SCOTCH MISSED
The Original Guide to the Lost Distilleries of Scotland
The only guide in print to the lost distilleries of Scotland.
This is the 4th edition and contains more distilleries and images than ever before.
About the author Brian Townsend is a multi-lingual retired journalist with an abiding interest in architecture and industrial archaeology. His is author of The Glory That Was Home (1990) and The Lost Distilleries of Ireland (1997). He lives near Dundee.
This is a revised fourth edition of the hardback first published in 1993 to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the first documentary records of the making of Scotch whisky in 1494. The second edition followed in 1997 and the third in2000 (reprinted almost annually).
Brian Townsend has now detailed the remnants and ruins of almost every Victorian working distillery in Scotland. In this new edition he has fully updated the most recent closures and has sourced over 35 new archive photographs of many of Scotland’s lost distilleries. The distilleries featured vary from the remnants of once great industrial concerns such as Port Dundas in Glasgow, Saucel Distillery in Paisley to a mere tumble of bricks and mortar lying in a remote location like Glen Tarras at Langholm.
Over the length and breadth of Scotland, its greatest export has left its mark and this book is a tribute not only to those who struggled against great odds and were finally beaten, but also to those who survived and have prospered. Townsend’s detailed research brings to life a large portion of Scottish industrial heritage which would otherwise have been ignored and he has enlivened this with interviews of the last people to work those long gone stills. He has also tracked down the whisky which in some cases still exists and the book is fully illustrated with records past and present of this remarkable trade.
Includes full OS map reference index to all distilleries listed and a full index.
Description
New revised fourth edition with new archive photographs, two revised maps and OS map reference index along with Victorian location maps.
Selling points
Classic, cult whisky book for geeks and historians alike. Essential to have this book in your collection if you are into whisky heritage. Good regional historical reference work for whisky enthusiasts and educators. Purchasers of last three editions will buy this one.
Neil Wilson Publishing Ltd
226 King Street, CASTLE DOUGLAS DG7 1DS
Tel: 01556 504119 Fax: 01556 504065 E-mail: info@nwp.co.uk Website: www.nwp.co.uk
Distributor: BookSource, 50 Cambuslang Road, Cambuslang, GLASGOW, G32 5NB Tel: 0845 370 0067. Fax: 0845 370 0068
Jim Beam Brand Releases Citrus Highball <Grapefruit>
-World’s Top-Selling Bourbon Unveils its First-Ever Ready-to-Drink Offering in Japan, Expanding On-Premise Presence and Offering Convenient Cocktail Option for Fans-
-First Innovation Collaboration Between Beam Suntory’s Japan and United States Teams.-
On Tuesday, July 28, Suntory Spirits Limited will release the Jim Beam Citrus Highball Grapefruit, a 350ml ready-to-drink highball cocktail.
Since last year, Suntory Spirits has been actively promoting the “citrus highball” drinking style, which entails squeezing juice from fresh citrus fruits into a Jim Beam highball. Recently, Jim Beam Citrus Highballs have risen in popularity at bars and restaurants.
With our latest innovation release, we hope to allow fans to enjoy the Jim Beam Citrus Highball while at home. We also look forward to introducing new consumers to this contemporary take on a classic, refreshing cocktail.
●Product Characteristics
The delicious flavor of the Jim Beam Citrus Highball comes from the strong-bodied aroma and mild flavor of the high quality Jim Beam Brand. This refreshing product seeks to add the distinctive delicious fragrance of grapefruit to Jim Beam. The spirit used to this product is Suntory’s first attempt at combining three different types of grapefruits spirits and recreates the flavor of “squeezing fresh grapefruit”.
●Package Characteristics
The iconic logo of the Jim Beam brand that has been known around the world for decades is set against its classic white background with a shiny design that accentuates the “refreshing” highball flavor and premium cool cues of Jim Beam. A juicy grapefruit image is also depicted in the center to convey the refreshing taste.
Malt of the Month – Bruichladdich Scottish Barley
The Whisky Exchange’s Malt of the Month for June is Bruichladdich Scottish Barley (also known as The Classic Laddie but different to Laddie Classic) – we’re offering £4 off for the whole of the month.
Sitting on the western shore of Loch Indaal on the island of Islay, Bruichladdich distillery was established in 1881, and having endured some troubled times, was reopened and revitalised by independent bottler Murray McDavid in 2000. Current owners Rémy Cointreau took control in 2012 and today the distillery produces three single malts: super-heavily peated Octomore, smoky Port Charlotte and Bruichladdich itself, which unusually for Islay whisky, is unpeated. The Classic Laddie is made with barley grown in the north-east of Scotland, and is aged in a combination of American and European oak. It is the distillery’s signature bottling – an elegant and floral expression of the house style.
Nose: A hint of sea spray, but rich and plush, with punchy fruit, sweet malt and floral aromas.
Palate: Enticing mix of creaminess and salinity with peaches and cinnamon – rich and refreshing.
Finish: Medium in length, with nice balance between the sprightly fruit and tangy sea-spray elements.
Comment: This is a great everyday Islay whisky. The balance between fruit and salinity is exceptional, with a delightful creamy texture all the way through.
Bruichladdich Scottish Barley (The Classic Laddie) is an easy-drinking whisky that’s perfect as we head into summer months. It is available to buy at just £37.75 on The Whisky Exchange website.
PRIVATE BARREL UPDATE
In Stock:
JOHN J BOWMAN Single Barrel Bourbon #1* $51.99 (750 ml) *Limit 2 bottles per person
1792 Small Batch Bourbon TPS Private Barrel #10 $29.99 (750 ml)
Future Private Barrels: 1792 Small Batch Bourbon TPS Private Barrel #7, #8, #11 and #40
BLANTON’S Single Barrel Bourbon TPS Private Barrel #37 and #96
BUFFALO TRACE Single Barrel Bourbon TPS Private Barrel #43, #67, #203, #7, #111, #162, #169*
CROWN ROYAL Canadian Whisky TPS Private Barrel #30
Eagle Rare TPS Private Barrel #67, #170*
Four Roses Barrel Strength OESK, OESF, OBSF, OBSQ* [Bottled in July] OBSV, OBSO [Bottled in Sept]
MASTERSON Rye Finish in French Oak TPS Private Barrel #40
SMOOTH AMBLER Old Scout Single Barrel Bourbon TPS Private Barrel 1288*
W.L. WELLER 107 Antique Bourbon TPS Private Barrel #118*
JEFFERSON RESERVE Small Batch Bourbon TPS Private Barrel #843, #856
KNOB CREEK Single Barrel Reserve Bourbon TPS Private Barrel #1726B
*John Hughes Collection
The Party Source, 95 Riviera Drive, Bellevue, KY 41073.
Beam Suntory is to launch Jim Beam Kentucky Dram, a premium bourbon infused with highland Scotch whisky. Inspired by the brand’s adventurous forefathers, the distillers who travelled from Scotland, Jim Beam Kentucky Dram is a limited edition which will drive interest in premium bourbons, a focus for growth in the category.
The new product, which is to be released exclusively in global travel retail and appear in store from July, is made with Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey expertly blended with a touch of peaty Highland Scotch, resulting in the time-honoured taste of Jim Beam with a hint of something new. At 40% ABV, the smokey flavour of the Scotch enriches the smooth vanilla and oaky notes of the bourbon. It is recommended to be served neat, on the rocks or in a cocktail, such as a Dram Manhattan.
Encased in a premium gift tin, Jim Beam Kentucky Dram commands standout on shelf and introduces consumers to the seven generations of Jim Beam master distillers since 1795. The packaging tells the story of T Jeremiah Beam who took on the family business in 1943 and travelled the world, fulfilling his ambition to bring a taste of home to Americans stationed abroad, transforming the brand forever.
Beam Suntory’s Marketing Director, Michael Cockram says: “We are committed to inspiring consumers to discover the rich history of Jim Beam, the #1 bourbon in the world. Jim Beam Kentucky Dram celebrates Jim Beam’s globetrotting heritage, honouring in particular its Scottish ancestry.
“Bourbon is growing at a phenomenal rate across the globe and with our retail partners we are committed to building the category, focusing on premiumisation, enhancing the shopping experience and educating drinkers on bourbon’s heritage.
“The launch of this product will provide not only something unique for consumers in travel retail but also elevate bourbon, by inviting consumers who already enjoy it to explore the category at a higher level.”
Beam Suntory has one of the largest whisk(e)y portfolios globally, comprising leading brands across bourbon, Japanese, Irish and Canadian whiskies and Scottish malts and blends.
About Beam Suntory Inc.
As the world’s third largest premium spirits company, Beam Suntory is Crafting the Spirits Brands that Stir the World. Consumers from all corners of the globe call for the company’s brands, including the iconic Jim Beam and Maker’s Mark bourbon brands and Suntory whisky Kakubin, as well as world renowned premium brands including Knob Creek bourbon, Yamazaki, Hakushu and Hibiki Japanese whiskies, Teacher’s, Laphroaig, and Bowmore Scotch whiskies, Canadian Club whisky, Courvoisier cognac, Sauza tequila, Pinnacle vodka, and Midori liqueur.
Beam Suntory was created in 2014 by combining the world leader in bourbon and the pioneer in Japanese whisky to form a new company with a deep heritage, passion for quality, innovative spirit and commitment to Growing for Good. Headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois, Beam Suntory is a subsidiary of Suntory Holdings Limited of Japan. For more information on Beam Suntory, its brands, and its commitment to social responsibility, please visit www.beamsuntory.com and www.drinksmart.com.
Crown Royal’s High-Proof Single Barrel Whisky
Connoisseurs Laud New Approach to Making Whisky
Growing interest in high-end Canadian whisky is prompting big changes in the styles of whisky going into the newest bottlings. Until recently, Canadian whisky has been considered a light mixer by many drinkers, and not the stuff to inspire connoisseurs.
However, that image is changing as richly flavourful bottlings, until now available only in Canada, join the better-known mixing whiskies and gain broader distribution outside their homeland.
More than that, on the prodding of hard-core whisky lovers, producers have begun to introduce new, robust bottlings that cater specifically to aficionados and connoisseurs. The latest, and one of the most innovative, comes from Crown Royal.
Yes, whisky lovers spoke and the makers of Canada’s best-selling whisky listened. A new version of Crown Royal currently rolling out across the US has two qualities rarely seen in Canadian whisky, and unheard of from a major distiller.
Crown Royal Hand Selected Barrel – photo by Mark Gillespie, WhiskyCast.com.
Not only is Crown Royal Hand Selected Barrel genuine single barrel whisky, it is bottled at high proof – a full 51.5% abv. Until now such a thing was just a connoisseur’s dream. Of course single barrel bourbons and Scotches have been around for some time. However, Canadian producers have just dabbled in this area.
A few years ago, Sazerac demonstrated a demand for single barrel Canadian whisky with their successful Caribou Crossing. Pernod Ricard found they could barely keep up with sales of Lot 40, a powerful Canadian whisky they make using just rye grain, at their distillery in Windsor, Ontario.
With Alberta Premium Dark Batch (it’s called Dark Horse in Canada) Beam Suntory demonstrated that the massive rye flavours bartenders covet abound in Canadian whisky.
When they released the value-priced Canadian Club 100% Rye, Beam Suntory scored a bullseye with the much-courted Millennial generation. CC 100% Rye has put Canadian Club and Canadian whisky front and centre on the upscale younger drinker’s radar.
Crown Royal Hand Selected Barrel is clearly the next giant step forward in the 21st-century evolution of Canadian whisky.
Initially, release was limited to Texas where Crown Royal is a perennial best seller. The team at Diageo, which owns the brand, wanted to reward top individual retailers with bottlings specific to their own store. Enthusiasm for the new whisky spread quickly though, and now it is being rolled out barrel by barrel to retailers right across America.
Diageo’s Gimli, Manitoba distillery where Crown Royal is made.
I’m tickled to be able to say I had a hand in introducing this new concept to Diageo. In May 2014, I visited Diageo’s distillery in Gimli, Manitoba, with whisky guru, Dave Broom. Gimli is where Crown Royal is made.
Among the many samples we tasted, a rye whisky made in North America’s last operating Coffey still stood out. We were blown away by its hearty well-balanced flavours and told plant manager, Pauline Rooney she needed to get this to market.
Rooney has since moved to the US Diageo organization and is chairwoman of the Kentucky Distillers’ Association. However, before she left she passed our enthusiasm on to Crown Royal’s brand managers. Low and behold, by Christmas the first barrels were bottled and on store shelves.
Inside the GImli distillery discovering the joys of Coffey Rye along with Dave Broom and Dwayne Kozlowski.
Normally, this “Coffey Rye” is one of the 50 whiskies that are blended together to make the various versions of Crown Royal. It is also one of the very few Canadian whiskies made using a mash bill.
In a process found only in Canada, a fermented mash of 64% corn, 31.5% rye, and 4.5% malted barley is distilled in a Coffey still, then matured in brand new, charred, American white oak barrels.
During distillation, the still house is overwhelmed with the fragrances of milk chocolate and ripe bananas. When mature, the whisky shows remarkably robust baking spices, dark fruits, butterscotch, milk chocolate, clean crisp oak, simmering white pepper and citrus zest. It’s a conoisseur’s delight.
It is a pretty good feeling to have helped come up with the idea. Then, to top things off, by way of a thank you, Diageo invited me to help them celebrate the success of Hand Selected Barrel by giving me a barrel of my own.
On a cold winter’s day I sat down at the Gimli distillery with manager, Dwayne Kozlowski to taste samples from various barrels in three of their warehouses. After much to-ing and fro-ing Crown Royal has bottled my selection for distribution to key spirits media across the US. And, as the picture above attests, along with a few bottles just for me, they sent the empty barrel.
Dwayne Kozlowski and I sampling barrels in the maturing houses in Gimli, Manitoba.
Thank you Dwayne. It was a very cool ending to a great learning experience.
Will you be in New Orleans for Tales of the Cocktail this July 15 to 19? If so you’ll join more than 20,000 bartenders and spirits professionals. They’ll be there to share their knowledge and learn what’s new in the world of spirits and cocktails.
I expect to be in New Orleans for the week, talking about Canadian whisky. If you are one of their 80 apprentices, I’ll be joining you for lunch to tell you about Canada’s newest whisky, Alberta Rye Dark Batch.
For those not in the apprentice program, why not join Shawn Soole, Dave Mitton and me at 10:00 on Friday, July 17 for our seminar Canadian Whisky: The Giant Awakens? Learn all about the great Canadian whiskies from Pernod Ricard and Campari – that’s Wiser’s, Lot 40, Pike Creek and the full Forty Creek range.
As well, I’ll be signing books at the Octavia book shop in the lobby of Hotel Monteleone. We’re bound to run into one another, and when we do, I hope you’ll stop me and say ‘Hi.”
Ontario Whisky = Ontario Grain = Ontario Jobs
Canada is a large country with a small population. Nearly 40% of Canada’s 36 million residents live in the province of Ontario. From the beginning, Ontario’s economy has been strongly supported by its distilling industry. Until just before Canada’s Confederation, the largest source of government revenue was Toronto’s Gooderham and Worts, a distillery.
Spirits Canada CEO, Jan Westcott explains the benefits of selling whisky in convenience stores to Christine McMillan and Yvan Baker, Ontario Liberal MPP for the riding of Etobicoke Centre. Centre: Ontario Agriculture Minister, the Hon. Jeff Leal dons a Canadian whisky tee-shirt. Right: Westcott purchases Canadian whisky in an LCBO agency store located in Comber Food Market, a small grocery store in the Village of Comber near Windsor, Ontario. Windsor, incidentally is the home of Hiram Walker distillery, the largest beverage alcohol distiller in North America.
Today, the spirits industry supports some 6,000 good, full-time jobs in Ontario and, in so doing, contributes about $1.5 billion to Ontario’s gross domestic product annually. Even in today’s burgeoning global economy that’s far from chump change.
Remarkably, there is only one source of beverage alcohol in Ontario and that is a government agency called the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO).
Through the LCBO, beverage alcohol continues to make a significant economic contribution to the province. According to their website, “… in 2013-14, LCBO sales exceeded $4.997 billion and delivered a $1.74 billion dividend to the Ontario government, not including taxes. This revenue helped pay for health care, education, infrastructure and other important government services.”
The LCBO tells us it is “one of the world’s largest buyers and retailers of beverage alcohol. Through 639 retail stores, catalogues, special order services and over 217 agency stores, the LCBO offers nearly 24,000 products annually, from more than 80 countries.” Today, according to their website, these 24,000 products include just 67 Canadian whiskies.
For decades whisky drinkers have lamented the limited selection of whiskies available in Ontario. While a single private store “out west” in Alberta, where the private sector handles retail sales, stocks over 300 whiskies, the LCBO, among all its 639 stores, carries just 438. That includes, Scotch, Irish, bourbon and everything else.
Some cynics believe that the token regard LCBO gives to whisky is a deliberate attempt to move Ontario drinkers away from spirits to wine. A walk through any LCBO store confirms what these numbers suggest: LCBO is a wine store that tolerates whisky. Today, LCBO stocks more than 7,300 wines.
The Government of Ontario is proposing to expand sales of wine and beer, but not spirits, to private retailers. Research has shown that in Ontario, most beverage alcohol is purchased for immediate consumption. People pop by the LCBO on their way to a party or event.
Thus, when convenience stores begin selling wine and beer, this can’t help but boost sales of these products, at the expense of spirits. Once again, this could be seen as a next step in weaning the public off spirits. Moreover, the economic benefit of favouring largely foreign beverages over those made in Ontario is questionable.
According to Statistics Canada, in Ontario whisky exports alone were worth $45 million to the province in the first 3 months of 2015. Adding in all the other spirits distilled in Ontario brings the value of first quarter exports to almost $100 million. All of these spirits are made from Ontario grain.
Export revenues do a lot of good in Ontario. Farmers especially, benefit from reliable long-term markets for their grain. Fears that their farm businesses could be destabilized by the proposed changes are real.
Despite LCBO disinterest, Ontario remains one of the largest markets in the world for Canadian whisky. If the government chooses to make it more convenient for consumers to buy wine and beer than spirits, the market for grain is bound to shrink.
Every day politicians are faced with tough choices. They have many competing interests to consider. But as they ponder the welcome extension of beverage alcohol sales into convenience stores, it is important that they remember that Ontario spirits and particularly Canadian whisky are made right here in Ontario, by Ontario workers, using Ontario-sourced grains.
Already, the LCBO operates 217 agency stores, most of which are located in convenience stores in areas too remote for the LCBO to service directly. There is a precedent: selling spirits in convenience stores can work. Rather than hamstring Ontario’s spirits industry, when the government extends sales of wine and beer to the private sector, they need also include spirits. It just makes good economic sense.
Let’s hope Spirits Canada’s efforts to educate decision makers about the economic benefits of Ontario’s spirits industry succeeds.
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This newsletter has been somewhat intermittent lately as I work on a new book with Toronto spirits writer, Blair Phillips. The book, called Liquid Six, takes an amusing look at drinking customs and anomalies across Canada. It’s still a ways away, so I’ll remind you when we get closer to publication date.
Meanwhile, watch here for upcoming features on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, Authentic Caribbean Rum making on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, and of course the latest news about Canadian whisky.
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Canadian Whisky: The Portable Expert
The world’s first in-depth book about Canada’s national spirit.
WINNER, GOURMAND BOOK AWARDS
BEST SPIRITS BOOK CANADA 2012
WINNER, 2013 IACP BOOK AWARDS
WINE, BEER AND SIRITS
Canadian Whisky: The Portable Expert is published by McClelland & Stewart and distributed by Penguin Random House. It is available from most book shops and on-line book sellers.
