Gibson’s Finest Whisky has an unusual heritage which stretches back to 1856 when John Gibson purchased 40 acres and set out to build a distillery along the shores of the Monongahela River in Pennsylvania. In fact in the early 1900′s, the Gibson’s Distilling Company was the largest distiller of rye whisky in North America. Of course, we all know what happened to American distilleries at that time in history; it was called prohibition, and unfortunately in 1923, Gibson’s Distilling Company was bankrupt and was forced to sell all of its assets ( Sheriff’s auction) to the highest bidder. The highest bidder turned out to be Schenley Industries of New York. It took 50 years, but Gibson’s whisky, formerly an American whisky, was re-introduced as a Canadian Whisky in the 1970′s at the Schenley Distillery in Valleyfield, Quebec. Thirty years later, in 2002, the Gibson’s Whisky was sold to William Grant & Sons who acquired the brand to strengthen their position in the Canadian spirits marketplace. William Grant & Sons has moved the production of Gibson’s Whisky from the Schenley plant in Valleyview Quebec to the Hiram Walker Distillery in Windsor, Ontario.
Here is an excerpt from my review:
Here is a link to the full review:
Review: Gibson’s Finest Sterling Canadian Whisky
I have included a nice recipe for the Gibson’s Sterling which I call, The Long Autumn.
Please enjoy the review and the cocktail that follows.
Gibson’s Finest Whiskies are some of the smoothest Canadian whiskies ever made. This, of course, makes them some of the smoothest in the world as Canada is renowned for its smooth whisky. The 12 year old is a step up from Gibson’s regular Sterling brand. I found it to be a mildly sweet well balanced whisky with a nice honey and rye flavour profile.
