By Alia Akkam
A
mericans' fascination with—and predilection for—brown spirits continues to accelerate. Whether it's sipping a single-malt
Scotch, making a homemade Manhattan
with rye, collecting the finest bottles of
bourbon or kicking back with a simple shot of Jameson,
whiskies have gained significant attention—and all signs
indicate the streak will continue. Amid the amber-hued
flood, however, the one segment of the category that has
often shied away from the limelight is Canadian whisky.
But with clamored-for flavored expansions and craft
newcomers, spirits from the Great White North are
sought after now more than ever before.
According to statistics complied by the Beverage
Information Group, depletions of Canadian whisky
gained 0.9% to about 15.5 million 9-liter cases nationwide in 2012 (the last year for which there are full-year
statistics.) This generated more than $1.6 billion in revenue for distillers. In the control states, the category
performed even better, gaining 1.8% overall (on a 12month rolling calendar through September 2013), to
about 4.2 million 9-liter cases. Driving this growth were
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premium and superpremium brands—a departure from
the iconic value labels most often associated with
Canadian whisky.
At New York wine and spirits retailer Whiskey &
Wine Off 69, owner Frank Giresi says he's seen the
Canadian whisky drinker evolve from "a Seagram's,
Canadian Club and Crown Royal crowd." A younger
Category leader Crown Royal entered the flavored whisky segment last year with its maplefinished expression. Recently, the brand
debuted Crown Royal XO, an ultra-premium
Canadian whisky finished in cognac casks from
the French Limousin Forest.
StateWays I www.stateways.com I January/February 2014
