Canadian Club Whisky

Damn Right your Dad Drank it. (But should you?)

by Patrick Gary

Sometimes you need a reminder that you've unintentionally let something go. You used to like it, and you probably still would, but it's just not been top of mind recently. I find that, for me, that's the only way that advertisements really change my buying habits. I've never been one to try the new thing because a commercial tells me to. When I already know something though, the ad can be like a short email from an old friend that I haven't spoken with in a while

Canadian Club Whisky earlier this year started a new advertising campaign. One of my passions (and sometimes one of my primary means of income) is as a musician, so the picture of the '60s garage band that says "Your Dad Had Groupies" caught my eye. In my case it isn't really true (I can say lovingly that my dad has all of the musical talent of a tin-eared sea slug) but they accomplished their goal. I looked at my bar and found it might be lacking in a small way.

After all, Canadian Club does have history going for it. It's been around since 1858. It's distillery has been in Windsor since the mid 1800s, and moved there from just across the Detroit river. Hiram Walker certainly made a lasting recipe as well. It is the original Canadian-style whisky with corn, barley, and rye all in the mash. In the 1890s this became one of the most popular alcoholic drinks in the U.S., and the distinctiveness of the whisky's ingredients and import status made it seem exclusive and exotic. In comparison with other alcohols of the time it also seems to have been considered very smooth and easy to drink. The 6 year (aged twice as long as the minimum required by Canadian law) is still, in essence, the same spirit that he distilled and passed onto his sons. Al Capone was one of their biggest clients in the 1920s and the whisky of the speakeasy was this one. Top that off with the fact that Canadian Club founded one of the major families of whisky. Any whisky drinker has to eventually taste it and see just what gives it such staying power.

The answer must be a combination of versatility and price. At half the price of Crown Royal it's a good value, and the "Damn Right your dad drank it" campaign points out that has long been a masculine drink. Whisky cocktails seldom would be considered "girly" and they're really trying to play up the image. I can say that this tastes like something that will put hair on your chest While this may have been one of the smoothest whiskys in the gentleman's clubs of the pre-Prohibition era, the same cannot be said today. It has none of the smokiness of a Scotch or body of a good Bourbon. Then again, that's largely the point. It is sweet, crisp, and clean at the end, but with an intentionally sharp initial taste. Even considering that it's 80 proof, it smells and tastes strong. This is definitely not a drink for sipping neat. Attempting to mellow it with ice or water does little to help. Crown Royal or Canadian Mist are both better suited to the purpose of strait whisky.

That said, Canadian Club hardly markets itself to the whisky neat crowd. Instead they talk about your dad drinking cocktails that weren't in martini glasses. According to them, your dad was a whisky cocktail drinker. If you go to their website, once you log in you see a section for recipes and cocktails. Here is where CC excels.

Canadian whisky, in general, is a great drink for mixing. Canadian Club is better than most Canadian whiskys for this purpose, and for about half the price of Crown Royal. The color is lighter than the Crown Royal, but darker than the Seagrams and not as as sweet. This makes excellent Manhattans, Old Fashioneds, Side Cars and whisky sours. It blends well with all kinds of sodas, enhancing the taste without overpowering it. A Jack and Coke beside a CC and Coke will always seem overpowering. In fact, for my money, CC is among the best blending whiskys made in any country.

So the next time you're looking for a taste of the past, or for a reasonably priced whisky cocktail, you might want to give Canadian Club a chance. This has been a solid product for a very long time.

-Patrick Gary is a Dallas based technical consultant and multifaceted musician who refuses to let any single realm of life or group of interests completely define or encapsulate him.