Review: Centennial Honey Canadian Rye Whisky

Highwood Distillers is a Canadian spirits manufacturer in the town of High River, Alberta, which is situated 40 minutes south of Calgary, in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. A few years ago, I visited this distillery, and watched first hand as they turned the local prairie grains into whisky, vodka. and gin. They make their spirits one batch at a time in a family style atmosphere which could not help but make me a fan. Recently I received a sample of their Centennial Honey Canadian Rye Whisky. The spirit represents a fusion of Highwood’s 10 Year old Centennial Rye Whisky with the decadent sweetness of natural honey. No artificial flavours or additives (except caramel for colour) have been used in the production of this whisky liqueur which is bottled at 35 % alcohol by volume.

Here is an excerpt from my review:

“… The theme of light and appealing continues with a flavoured whisky which is both smooth and delicious. I was fearful that the honey flavor (which might have been too intense) would overpower the subtle nuances of the Centennial Rye Whisky. However, I am pleased to report that although the flavour of the natural honey is obvious, the flavour of good old Canadian rye whisky also shines through…”

You may read my full review which contains my new recipe, Cool Honey, here:

Please Enjoy the review!

Review: Northern Lights Eggnog

Northern Lights Eggnog is a rum based premix from Highwood Distillers. Highwood produced 500 cases for the Western Canadian market last Christmas, and I was given a sample bottle by the distillery to sample at my leisure (and to provide feedback to the distillery). The test product must have done well as this year Highwood has reintroduced the Northern Lights Eggnog for the festive season.

I have been told by the distillery that Northern Lights Eggnog is produced with real rum from the distillery (their Highwood Brand) and uses (as much as possible) authentic natural ingredients. I admit I was very curious and I thought it would be fun to do an ‘official’ review here on the website.

Here is an excerpt from my review:

“…I am quite pleased by what I see after I pour myself a little of the premixed eggnog into my glass. This looks rich and creamy in the glass and the ‘eggnog’ aroma has a nice firm imprint of rum and a nice mild spiciness. The vanilla is obvious and I sense hints of cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg, but, none of the spices seem overpowering or out of balance. This is going to be an easy-going eggnog as far as spiciness is concerned and one in which the rum is allowed to flourish in the mix….”

Here is a link to my full review:

Please enjoy the review and the festive season!

Review: Wild Cinnamon Whisky Liqueur

Highwood Distillers is a Canadian spirits manufacturer in the town of High River, Alberta, which is situated 40 minutes south of Calgary, in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. Recently, I visited this distillery, and watched first hand as they turned the local prairie grains into whisky, vodka. and gin. They make their spirits one batch at a time in a family style atmosphere which could not help but make me a fan.

Recently I received a sample of their Wild Cinnamon Whisky Liqueur. The spirit represents a fusion of Canadian Whisky and aromatic cinnamon. No artificial flavours or additives (except caramel for colour) have been used in the production of this whisky liqueur which is bottled at 36 % alcohol by volume.

Here is an excerpt from my resulting review:

“… When I pour the liquid from the bottle into my glass and bring it to my nose, what I smell first and foremost is cinnamon. In fact the aroma is very reminiscent of those little red cinnamon heart candies which are all the rage on Valentines Day. Under this obvious cinnamon scent are some indications of whisky, but these whisky accents are only that, accents upon a strong cinnamon presence… “

Here is a link to the full review:

Enjoy the review and my wonderful cocktail that follows, the Buzz Saw.

Cheers Everyone!

Introducing White Owl Spiced Whisky

The guys at Highwood Distillery are at it again. In 2010 they broke all the rules, (and a few sales records too) when they introduced their premium aged White Owl Whisky (a clear Canadian Whisky which is aged up to 10 years). To say this product was s success is a vast understatement, as the only problem that surfaced with respect to the White Owl Whisky was that Highwood could not make it fast enough to satisfy the demand across Canada.

As I said, they are at it again. Highwood has just introduced White Owl Spiced Whisky. While other distillers are producing young brown whisky and using the spice to smooth out the flavour. Highwood is taking the other road, using a well aged clear whisky, and then using the spice to add a little depth and polish to an already smooth spirit.

I was sent a sample bottle of this new whisky, and here is an excerpt from my review:

“…I really like what I am sensing on the nose, and during one of my tasting sessions when I had invited my friend Lucasz to join me I discovered I was not the only one who really liked it. We both sat in our chairs for a good ten minutes just enjoying the subtle soft aroma of the spiced whisky smiling and exchanging those knowing glances of anticipation as we both relished the scents above our glasses…”

Here is a link to the full review:

Review: White Owl Spiced Whisky

Review: Northern Lights Eggnog

Northern Lights Eggnog is a new rum based premix from Highwood Distillers. Highwood produced 500 cases for the Western Canadian market this Christmas, and I was given a sample bottle by the distillery to sample at my leisure (and to provide feedback to the distillery).

I have been told by the distillery that Northern Lights Eggnog is produced with real rum from the distillery (their Highwood Brand) and uses (as much as possible) authentic natural ingredients. I admit I was very curious and I thought it would be fun to do an ‘official’ review here on the website.

Here is an excerpt from my review:

“…I am quite pleased by what I see after I pour myself a little of the premixed eggnog into my glass. This looks rich and creamy in the glass and the ‘eggnog’ aroma has a nice firm imprint of rum and a nice mild spiciness. The vanilla is obvious and I sense hints of cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg, but, none of the spices seem overpowering or out of balance. This is going to be an easy-going eggnog as far as spiciness is concerned and one in which the rum is allowed to flourish in the mix….”

Here is a link to my full review and my suggesting serving, Northern Lights Eggnog Supreme:

Please enjoy the review and the festive season!

Introducing Ceili’s Cream

Last week I reviewed Ceili’s Cream Cappuccino and I found it to be a likable cream liqueur with a nice firm coffee flavour. This week I had a chance to taste another Cream Liqueur from Highwood Distilleries, the lightly flavoured Ceili’s Cream. Ceili (pronounced Kay-lee) is an Irish word for a sort of community get-together complete with music, song, dance, and of course, a little food and the drink. Thus Ceili’s Cream is produced to be a Cream Liqueur  suitable for such an occasion. It is a product of Highwood Distillers, and is a cream liqueur which melds authentic Canadian Whisky with a lightly flavoured cream. It is bottled at 15 % alcohol by volume, and occupies the same market niche as Bailey’s Irish Cream, and Kahlua.

Here is an excerpt from my review:

“…The flavour in the mouth is rather sweet with butterscotch and vanilla accented by hints of mocha. The rye influence is very noticeable, and I suspect that some persons will really like this while others would prefer the rye to be more buried in the cream and butterscotch. I also taste a little hint of spice…”

You may read the full review here:

Review: Ceili’s Cream

Enjoy!

Review: Ceili’s Cream Cappuccino

Ceili (pronounced Kay-lee) is an Irish word for a sort of community get-together complete with music, song, dance, and of course, a little food and the drink. Thus Ceili’s Cream Cappuccino is meant to be a Cream Liqueur suitable for such an occasion. It is a product of Highwood Distillers, and is a rich and creamy liqueur which combines Canadian Whisky with a richly flavoured coffee cream. It is bottled at 15 % alcohol by volume, and occupies the same market niche as Bailey’s Irish Cream, and Kahlua.

I was given a sample of the Ceili’s Cream Cappuccino by the Highwood Distillers Marketing team, and I am happy to share my review here on my website:

Here is an Excerpt from that review:

“…When poured, the Ceili’s Cappuccino is light brown in colour with a creamy appearance similar to that of melted ice-cream. The aroma of coffee is obvious, but we catch glimpses of other scents and smells as well. Some light cocoa, some butterscotch and a bit of vanilla rise into the breezes as well…”

You may read the full review here:

I have included a nice recipe which combines the Ceili’s Cream Cappuccino with White Owl Whisky and Coffee. I call this recipe, the Morning Owl.

Please enjoy the recipe and the review!

Review: Pristina Espresso Flavoured Vodka

Four of us were gathered around my kitchen table sampling four flavoured Vodkas and two new rums on a lazy Sunday afternoon a couple months ago. The line up of flavoured Vodkas included Alchemia’s Chocolate Infused Vodka and their Ginger Flavoured Vodka. We also had the Birch Special from Nemiroff.  And the two rums were great, Panamonte’s Panama Red 108, and Atlantico’s Private Cask Rum. If you follow the links you can read all the reviews; but, I did save the last review from that lazy Sunday afternoon flight of spirits for the one which surprised me (in a most delightful way) the most. The Pristina Espresso Flavoured Vodka towered over the rest in that informal tasting session, and it is time for me to provide a review.

As a bit of background information, the Pristina Espresso Flavoured Vodka was introduced to the Western Canadian market in 2009 by Highwood Distillers. The product is produced from Highwood’s own quadruple distilled, triple filtered, wheat vodka (called Pristina Vodka), and flavoured with the extracted oils from real espresso coffee beans (and inverted sugar from Taber, Alberta). A final filtration is completed after the flavoring process is complete to ensure spirit clarity and removal of any suspended particles. The result of Highwood’s care and attention to detail is evident in the final spirit.

Here is an excerpt from my review:

“…I wish that I would have had a video camera rolling when I poured those first shot glasses of Pristina Espresso on that lazy Sunday afternoon with three of my friends. The reactions each of them had as they raised the glass to their noses to take a sniff was absolutely priceless. It was a look of shock, mingled with joy and excitement, and that look was the same on all of the faces (probably my face as well)…”

You may read the full review here:

Please enjoy the review and the suggested recipe that follows!

Review: Sweet Sippin Canadian Maple Whisky

As I promised a few weeks ago, I have completed my full review of a nice Maple Whisky Liqueur from Highwood Distillers.   To refresh your memory,  Sweet Sippin’ Maple Whisky is the fusion of three ingredients, Highwood Canadian Rye Whisky (a five-year old wheat based Canadian Whisky), 100% pure natural Amber Maple Syrup from Quebec, and Pure Natural Spring Water.  No additives are used in producing the Maple Whisky which probably accounts for the inviting flavour profile I encountered.

Here is an excerpt from my review:

“…In the glass, the liqueur has a very nice aroma. A gentle sweet maple rising up with just a hint of rye whisky. The maple is very dominant and effectively hides the more subtle nuances of the whisky.  If one allows the glass to sit caramel tones become apparent,  and very light alcohol tones begin to disperse as well….”

You may read the full review here:

Review: Century Reserve 21 Year Old Canadian Whisky

In November of 2005, Highwood Distilleries Ltd. finalized the purchase of Potter’s Distilleries (founded by Ernie Potter in 1958). Part of this acquisition, was the purchase of all of the remaining aged barrel stocks of whisky in the Potter’s facility. These barrels of whisky were then transferred from the Potter’s warehouse facilities in Kelowna B.C. to the newly constructed warehouse facility in High River, Alberta, where they were allowed to continue to age at the foot of the Rocky Mountains on the western edge of the Canadian Prairies.

The brands which Potter’s had established, Potter’s Special Old Canadian Whisky, and the Century Reserve Brands were continued and expanded upon. Subtle changes in the taste of these whiskies may be occurring due to the change in location of the aging warehouse; however, these Potter’s brands are still produced  entirely from the aging whisky reserves which were originally distilled and barreled at the Potter’s Distillery.

I was recently provided with a sample of one of these brands, the Century Reserve 21 Year Old Whisky, a corn whisky produced from a single bond, and not blended.  In fact, we are able to call this a 21-year-old single grain whisky, which is a rarity upon the landscape of Canadian Whisky.

Here is a snippet from my review:

“…The initial entry in the mouth is mellow with a flavour of soft corn leading the way. Butterscotch, and a honeyed oaky spice quickly follow making the whisky lively in the mouth but not sharp and uncomfortable…”

You may read the entire review here: