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| Type | Canadian whisky |
|---|---|
| Proof | 80 |
| Manufacturer | Fortune Brands |
| Country of origin | Canada |
| Introduced | 1854 |
Canadian Club is a brand of whisky from Canada. Popularly known as C.C., Canadian Club began production in 1858. It was established by Hiram Walker, and was known as Walker’s Club Whiskey.
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History
Walker founded his distillery in 1858 in Detroit. He first learned how to distill cider vinegar in his grocery store in the 1830s before moving onto whisky and producing his first barrels in 1854. However, with prohibition looming and Michigan already becoming "dry", Walker decided to move his distillery across the Detroit River to Windsor, Ontario. From here, he was able to export his whisky, continue to perfect the distillation process and start to develop Walkerville, a community that Walker financed and sourced most of his employees from.
Walker's whisky was particularly popular in the late 19th century gentlemen's clubs of the U.S. and Canada; hence it became known as "Club Whisky." Walker originally positioned his Club Whisky as a premium liquor, pitching it not only on its smoothness and purity but also the length of the aging process (Walker’s whisky was aged in oak barrels for a minimum of five years). This was revolutionary at the time, as all of the U.S. bourbons and whiskies were aged for less than a year.
Club Whisky became very popular and American distillers petitioned for the inclusion of the word “Canada” on the bottle to distinguish it from their competing whiskies, thinking it would halt the popularity of Walker’s. This backfired, only making Club Whisky more exclusive. Walker saw this and changed the label again in 1889 adding the word “Canadian” to the top of the label, distinguishing Walker’s recipe for his whisky from the other processes of the time (Scotch, Irish and U.S.). Hiram blended corn and barley in addition to rye before putting it in the barrels for maturation, a recipe that is now renowned throughout the world as that of Canadian whisky.
In 1890, the word “Canadian” was moved down from the top of the label and incorporated into the name of the whisky. This, however, was only temporary, as three years later the logo was changed again, transforming from a bold font into the scripted typeface that we see worldwide today (See logo above).
It was not until the American government introduced the Bottled in bond law in 1894 that the people of America really started drinking Canadian Club. It was thanks to the passing of this law that all whiskies had to carry their maturation time. This re-affirmed the fact that aging whisky was not just a fad and that, generally speaking, the older the whisky, the better the quality.
Walker's distillery went to his sons upon his death in 1899. Over the years, the family has branched out into other businesses. At one point, the Walkers employed almost the entire population of Walkerville, where they built police and fire stations, brought in running water and installed street lights. In 1890, the Canadian government acknowledged Walkerville as a legal town. It was incorporated into Windsor in 1935.
During the years of Prohibition, one of the distillery’s most important clients was Chicago gangster Al Capone. He smuggled in thousands of cases of Canadian Club via a route from Windsor to Detroit.
Canadian Club has received the royal warrants of Queen Victoria, King Edward VII, King George V, King George VI, and Queen Elizabeth II. Hiram Walker & Sons was the only North American distiller to have been granted a royal warrant.1. This was later withdrawn.
The Walker distillery remains in production in Windsor. Hiram Walker's main production is now Wiser's Whisky (Canada's best-selling whisky family), Polar Ice Vodka, Lamb's Rum and Malibu Rum.
Canadian Club is now part of the Jim Beam portfolio. It is its No. 4-selling alcoholic product, behind Jim Beam bourbon whiskey, Sauza tequila and DeKuyper cordials.
Types
Canadian club comes in seven varieties. All are 80 proof (40% alcohol by volume) unless otherwise noted.
- Canadian Club 6 Year Old / Canadian Club Premium
This is the most popular of the Canadian Club range, a basic brand. Often used as a mixer, the whisky typically matures for, as the name suggests, six years. It is sold in more than 150 countries. The product sold in Australia and New Zealand is 74 proof (37% abv).
- Canadian Club Reserve
The reserve line is matured for a decade, according to the company, to give it a richer flavor.
- Canadian Club Classic
A 12-year-old whisky.
- Canadian Club 100 Proof
Matured for six years and distilled to 100 proof (50% abv), supposedly to give it a stronger, richer flavor.
- Canadian Club Sherry Cask
Double matured, first in white oak barrels for at least eight years, then sherry casks made from Spanish wood. It is 82.6-proof (41.3% abv) and is touted by the company the finest in the Canadian Club range.
- Canadian Club Dry
Launched in Australia in April 2001, this ready-to-drink beverage is a pre-mixed blend of six-year old Canadian Club and ginger ale. It is 10 -proof (5% abv) and is sold in a 330ml bottle.
Canadian Club is also produced in limited quantities in older agings (15 years and up) for special markets. For the whisky's 150th anniversary in 2008, a 30-year-old version has been released in a very limited bottling.
In Popular Culture
- Canadian Club is the drink of choice for the alcoholic character Glen Whitehouse (James Coburn) in the 1997 film Affliction.
- Canadian Club was used by Curtis Salgado and, subsequently, "Joliet" Jake Blues in a vulgar sense to represent a penis in the song "I Don't Know".
- The longest-reigning British monarch, Queen Victoria, enjoyed Canadian Club.
- In James Bond’s inaugural cinematic outing in Dr. No, he can be seen sitting in the garden watching the sun set in Beau Desert with a tall, ice-filled glass of Canadian Club and soda water.
- The opening ski sequence in the James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me -- in which Roger Moore is pursued on skis by enemy henchmen only to escape their clutches by skiing off the edge of a mountain to his seemingly certain death, only to open a Union Jack parachute -- was inspired by an early 1970s Canadian Club TV commercial starring Rick Sylvester.
- Canadian Club is snooker star Ian McCulloch’s favorite drink.
- Canadian Club sponsors IndyCar racing team Andretti Green Racing and its driver Dario Franchitti, winner of the 2007 Indy 500.
- Canadian Club Classic won a double-gold medal at the 2003 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
- In the 2003 film Festival Express, Canadian Club is the liquor of choice on the train and journeys between cities for the artists – including Janis Joplin, The Band and Grateful Dead.
- Professional poker player Chris Moneymaker was the figurehead for Canadian Club’s “Dealing Up a Smoother Night” poker tournament in the Summer of 2005.
- In the film 16 Blocks, Bruce Willis plays a cop with a penchant for Canadian Club and can be seen drinking (and lusting after it) at various points during the film.
- Canadian Club is mentioned in the Roxy Music song "Mother of Pearl" (from the 1973 album Stranded).
- Tim Kasher laments over a night "spent alone with Canadian Club" in the song "Needy" from The Good Life's album Album of the Year.
- Barry Melrose stated in an episode of his podcast on ESPN.com than he cannot even stand the smell of Canadian Club, having had a bad experience with it as a teenager.
- Notably contrarian and scholar, David Cohen, has become a symbol of Canadian Club due to his frequent use of it in his daily Manhattan.
- In the classic British sitcom Only Fools & Horses, the dopey character Mickey Pearce is often seen ordering a 'CC Dry'.
- Mentioned in the first chapter of Denis Johnson's novel Jesus' Son.
- Canadian Club is the drink of choice for the alcoholic character Tony Stark, also known as Iron Man.
- In Marilyn French's novel The Women's Room, Mira and Norm are seen drinking Canadian Club at different times.
- In AMC's "Mad Men," the character of Don Draper is identified as liking his Canadian Club neat.
See also
A Triple C is a home-blended whiskey cocktail comprised of a halfshot of C.C. and a halfshot of Old Crow over ice. The combination of C.C. and Crow creates a flavor profile that is smooth and comparable to an expensive bourbon like Maker's Mark.