Royal Canadian Small Batch Whisky

Despite the name, this is a cross-border whisky. The spirit is indeed Canadian but it’s made by the New Orleans-based company Sazerac, which has been amassing a stable of Canadian brands to add to its bourbons and American rye. In fact, Sazerac just bought a Canadian brand, McGuinness Silk Tassel, last month from Corby. Select barrels from Sazerac’s previous inventory in Canada went into this small-batch offering, launched last year in the United States and now available in Ontario and British Columbia. It is sweet at first with an almost syrupy texture. Notes of nuts, spice and citrus join the initial dried-fruit, caramel and chocolate characters. It’s a fine tip of the tuque from the United States, where Canadian whisky is starting to enjoy a small revival.