Reifel Rye⁠
Alberta Distillers⁠
Canada⁠
42% ⁠
Mashbill: over 90% rye ⁠
Barrels used: Charred white oak & ex-bourbon barrels⁠ ⁠

Welcome to our very first day of the whisky advent calendar! I am so excited for this journey we are about to embark on. Each day we will explore a new whisky in a morning post then showcase a custom created cocktail by one of Victoria’s incredibly talented bartenders in an afternoon post! Be sure to turn your notifications on for our page so you get all the hot gos! If you need guidance on how to do that, check out my last post, there are some screenshots to follow along. Without further ado… ⁠ ⁠

Onto the whisky! ⁠ ⁠

This brand new to market rye is a delightfully smooth high-rye dram created in honour of George H. Reifel. He was the master distiller who laid the groundwork for Alberta Distillers 75 years ago. Due to his hard work and dedication to quality, Alberta Distillers became one of the first distilleries in the world to create a 100% rye whisky. ⁠ ⁠

Worth noting is the price point on this bottle is right around $40, making it an easy choice for a house rye. ⁠ ⁠

Tasting notes: Toffee, banana bread, chocolate, poached pear and crème brûlée. Less spicy than you’d expect for a rye, the <10% of the mash bill that is not Canadian rye certainly has some sweetness to it and brings a warmness to the dram. ⁠ ⁠

What do you think?⁠ ⁠