Windsor Canadian Whisky

@JasonHambrey, thanks for your review. It is useful to read about these whiskies which lurk about the shelves, but which many of us are a bit afraid to try. I can buy 750 ml of Windsor Canadian for $ 8.06 including the tax, locally, but I'd really rather read about it first...and maybe take a taste from someone else's bottle. 80 is a pretty great grade for an $ 8 bottle, actually. I am pretty amazed that it even gets into the same discussion with Alberta Premium and Alberta Springs.

yes, I thought it was decent. Granted, I don't think my Alberta Premium experiences have been quite yours @Victor. But I always like to try the cheaper offerings to see what bargains I can find. What is more, this was a 0.99 mini so really there wasn't much to lose.

@JasonHambrey, I was very pleasantly surprised by Windsor Canadian. Actually, I'd usually rather take a drink from my bottle of Windsor Canadian most days over a very sweet batch of Alberta Premium. I'll drink Windsor in preference to half the Canadian whiskies I own. In my 750 ml bottle the spicing is so intense that it overrules the sweetness, which is also present.

Is Windsor Canadian "...the worst ADL product"? I actually greatly doubt it. I have been on the hunt for Luxco's Lord Calvert, also made at ADL. Jim Murray rated Windsor at 86 pts, and Lord Calvert at 72.5 pts. Makes you take a step back, even at $ 10 for 750 ml. I haven't found it locally yet, though I expect that there is some around.

Lord Calvert whisky, or, more accurately, its name and the original distillery, actually has enormous sentimental value to me, personally. The Calvert Maryland Distilling Company was founded in 1890 on the outskirts of Baltimore. The company was named after the founder of the Maryland colony, Lord George Calvert, aka Lord Baltimore. In 1964 Seagrams bought the distillery. Many Calvert and Lord Calvert brands came and went over the years. 2014 marks the 50th anniversary of the 1964 decision to produce the brand Lord Calvert as 100% Canadian produced whisky.

As a child in the late 1950s and early 1960s our regular family dentist was in Baltimore, 40 miles up the road. Every time we hit that one stretch of highway coming into town you could smell the mash from the distillery. It is a very pleasant memory for me.

Erratum: Seagrams bought the distillery in 1934. The 50 years of all Canadian production of the whisky is accurate.

hmm...yes, perhaps you are right. I also haven't tried Lord Calvert, though I've also looked for it. And, recently, I did have a batch of AP that I'd put below this one - but this was after this review. However, the independent and CC bottlings of AP, and AP dark horse, are definitely better.

Thanks for the history of Calvert! I knew that ADL acquired the brand at around that time, but I didn't know if was near Baltimore. Glad to hear you tried it! I like to know what the budget brands offer, especially in light of a culture which seems to go nuts over single expensive limited editions which aren't always very good, while the good regular offerings are forgotten. It's always nice to find cheaper enjoyable bottlings.

What would you roughly have rated this one, @Victor?

oh just saw your review @Victor. now to read it.

@JasonHambrey, we do have some of the Calvert Extra locally, but I am not buying a bottle of a product which is 70% neutral spirits.

Also on the subject of "worst ADL product", I would prefer to drink Windsor Canadian 365 days out of the year over Tangle Ridge.

oh yes I also forgot about tangle ridge. As I can't get it here I tend to forget about it too. Perhaps the title needs a change...