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There is a lot of talk about Canadian Whisky these days. Canadians have been boycotting Bourbon whiskey because of Trump’s actions, and I cannot blame them. The tariffs have hurt both sides of the border, but have hit hard on American whiskey distillers. But what are the differences between Canadian Whisky and Bourbon whiskey besides the way we spell “whiskey”? I thought I would walk through the six sources of flavor and compare the two whiskeys.

The first source of flavor is the grain. Bourbon has to be at least 51% corn. Other grains can be used as “flavor grains” and malted barley can be used to create the fermentation, however, Bourbon can be made with 100% corn and enzymes are then used for fermentation. Canadian Whisky does not have a grain requirement. They use any grain they want to make their whiskey, but traditionally, they have used rye and corn.

The second source of flavor is the water. In today’s distilling, water is less important because many distillers on both sides of the border are using Reverse Osmosis treated water to make their mash. I am sure there are some Canadian distilleries that have excellent, iron free water from natural sources to make their whisky, but they generally don’t talk about their water source in American marketing.

The third source of flavor is fermentation. Both sides of the border use various methods of fermentation – Sweet mashing or Sour mashing, mash versus a wort. Pot still distilleries tend to use a wort to distill from as it is easier to clean the still after distillation. Bourbon takes pride in their yeast strains and I assume the Canadians do the same. Seagram was famous for their five different yeast strains for Four Roses and it is assumed they used the same strains to make their Crown Royal Canadian Whiskey.

The fourth source of flavor is distillation. Bourbon has to be distilled at no higher than 160 proof (80% alcohol). Canada has an upper distillation proof of 180 proof (90% alcohol). Both sides of the border have distilleries that use column stills and other distilleries use pot stills to make their whiskey.

The fifth source of flavor is maturation. Bourbon has to be aged in unused, charred barrels. Canada does not have any such requirement for their whiskey so you get aging in reused or uncharred barrels. Bourbon has to enter the barrel at no higher than 125 proof (62.5% alcohol), but many distillers are entering the whiskey into the barrel at a lower proof. Canada does not have any such requirement and can enter their whiskey at any proof they wish. Bourbon is considered Bourbon as soon as it is entered into the new, charred barrel. No age requirement, but if you want to call it “straight Bourbon”, it must be aged at least two years and if you age it less than four years, it has to have an age statement on the bottle. Canadian Whisky has to be aged at least three years in barrels no larger than 700 liters.

The sixth source of flavor is bottling the whiskey. This is where the Canadians and Bourbon whiskey distillers have another big difference. Bourbon must be bottled at least 80 proof (40% alcohol), with nothing but water added to the whiskey to adjust the proof. Canadian whiskey can have added caramel coloring and flavoring agents such as prune or cherry juice to their whiskey. Canadian Whiskey can also add up to 9.09% wine or spirits (neutral spirits) if these spirits have been aged for at least two years.

These are the differences between Bourbon and Canadian whiskeys. Both can be excellent products. Of course, Canadian whiskey has to be made in Canada and Bourbon has to be made in the United States. Let us hope that sanity returns to the United States soon and that this trade war ends and Canadians return to purchasing Bourbon.

Photos Courtesy of Rosemary Miller