LCBO Food and Drink Autumn 2016

TREND SPOTT ING

Definitions

The basic definition of whisky (whiskey if you’re Irish or American) is a distilled spirit made from fermented grain mash, typically aged in wooden barrels—but everyone has their own take on the specifics. By law, for a product to be sold in Canada as Canadian whisky, it must be made and barrel-aged here for at least three years. This is why so-called white whisky is often labelled as moonshine— though the base spirit is the same, it hasn’t been aged and can’t be called whisky. Whether a product is called Canadian whisky, Canadian rye whisky or simply rye whisky, it can be made from any cereal grain—meaning in theory, a whisky could be called “rye” even if it contains no rye grain at all. That said, most rye whiskies on the market contain a proportion of rye-based spirit for flavour blended with the product of other grains, mostly corn. What is whisky, really, and how is it made? Here, we clear up the confusion with some helpful explanations.

[ WHAT TO BUY ]

There’s more than a little romance in J.P. Wiser’s Last Barrels, a limited-edition release distilled in 2001 using a sour-mash method that has since been retired. Alongside the whisky itself, Toronto’s Drake General Store has worked with 10 local chefs to create custom preserves, sauces, maple syrup, mustard and chocolates using the premium spirit. Find them in-store and online at drakegeneralstore.ca. Honouring Last Barrels

BARREL PHOTO ©iSTOCK.COM/KOYA79

A HINT OF WHISKY

66 Gilead’s Du Bois Barrel Aged Maple Syrup brings the taste of whisky barrels to your breakfast table. hold flavour—which can be transferred to other foods and drinks. Dark syrup harvested in Prince Edward County is aged in the distillery’s Wild Once whisky’s been aged and bottled, the barrels still

Oak Whisky barrels to produce a condiment with oaky, smoky depth— and not a lick of alcohol. (375 mL, $18.95, store.66gileaddistillery.com)

FOOD & DRI NK AUTUMN