Canadian Club 30 Year Old Reserve Whisky

In celebration of Canadian Club’s 150th anniversary late last year, they released a limited edition 30-year reserve Whisky ($200, only 3,000 bottles distributed). Since their Classic is already aged 12-years, you can only imagine what 30-years of aging will taste like.

Known to many as “CC”, Canadian Club is also the drink of choice of Mad Men character Donald Draper. As readers of this site know, I am a huge fan of the show Mad Men. So when I heard CC was releasing this reserve I really wanted to give it a whirl in the glass.

Having sampled the Canadian Club whisky, you can see the fruits of the 30-year aging process results in a nice luscious oak character with subtle hints of fruit and some cinnamon spice. The first few sips hit me right in the face, but after the initial turbulence it was very very smooth. The color was rich and antique and there was a velvety texture which complemented its warm finish to the last sip.

The bottle itself was presented in a stylish black satin-lined box with gold etching. And the bottle had a wax dipped cork which added a very impressive touch.

If you’re interested, be sure to check out more about Canadian Club’s history which actually started in the United States (go figure).

And for all of you out there who haven’t drank much whisky, here are some great tips from Canadian Club’s main whisky man Dan Tullio.

Dan is a true whisky lover and has a job most men would kill for–he travels the US talking about and drinking whisky. Below are his tasting tips if you’re interested in trying them out.

Dan Tullio’s at home Whisky tasting tips:

Step 1: Color
Use a clear glass with a narrow mouth and a wide bottom to pour ¾ oz of room temperature Canadian Club.  Notice the color of the whisky – the darker the whisky the longer the product has been aged.

Step 2: Aroma
Some of the flavor compounds found in whisky are volatile, and the smell is part of the experience.  Hold the glass in your hands to warm up the whisky.  Put the mouth of the glass an inch from your nose and inhale the aroma.  You are looking for fruity smells – take note of what you smell and try to describe it. Then put the glass closer to your nose (almost in the glass).  You should now smell more spice, perhaps butterscotch.

Before you get ready to taste, add a tiny bit of room temperature bottled water to open up or release the flavor of the whisky.  The water will also dilute the concentrated spirit somewhat, allowing you to taste the complex flavors more clearly without the burn from the strong spirit.

Step 3: Body
Take a sip of the whisky and notice the body of the flavor in your mouth.  Is it aggressive; is it sharp, obtrusive?  Take note.

Step 4: Taste
The final step is to really “taste” the whisky.  Notice where it hits your tongue (tip – sweet, back – bitter, top – salty, side – acidic).

Step 5: Repeat and enjoy!