22
Escarpment Magaz ine
fal l
2011
There was a time
when, rye whisky was the most popular spirit in Canada, in fact, my Dad’s
beverage of choice was always rye and ginger. Since then however rye whisky has fallen from its’
former place of prominence – replaced by spirits from far-away, exotic lands. Perhaps in our typical
Canadian fashion, we believed that what we produced at home could not be as good as what was
produced elsewhere.
Now, for the first time in over twenty years, a newCanadian whisky has been launched—Collingwood
Canadian Whisky and its’ producers believe that it is so good and so unique that it will change the
way the world thinks about Canadian whisky.
In 1968, the Canadian Mist distillery was built on the east side of Collingwood by Barton Distilleries.
In 1971, that distillery was purchased by Brown-Forman, the company that still owns it and produces
Canadian Mist there as well as the new Collingwood Canadian Whisky. The company claims that
this distillery has the longest on-going ownership of any Canadian distillery. Brown-Forman also im-
ports and distributes a number of wine and spirit brands including Jack Daniels, Southern Comfort
and Finlandia.
This new product represents a collaboration between Brown-Forman, the Town of Collingwood, the
Government of Ontario and the Grain Farmers of Ontario. Brown-Forman is very pleased with the
support that it has received from the town. At the product launch event that was held in late August
at the Tremont, Collingwood mayor Sandra Cooper spoke of the benefits to the community, noting
that this was a case where “manufacturing and tourism enhance one another”. No doubt, tourism to
Collingwood will benefit from having the town’s name displayed on an attractive premium product.
So what is it about Collingwood whisky that makes it so special? Well, it can be summed up in two
words... ingredients and process. First, the simple ingredients - rye (a grain grown locally) corn, malt
and water. The company is very proud of the fact that Collingwood whisky uses the highest quality
grains available — all-natural ingredients sourced from local farmers — all of the corn used is grown
within 100 miles. Just as many consumers are choosing to “buy local" when they purchase food, they
can do the same with their distilled spirits.
!
FEATURE
|
there’s a new taste in town