Drinks

Reminder: Canadian Whisky Can Be Great

The proof? This J.P. Wiser's blend of 52-year-old malt scotch and 16-year-old whisky.

By Neal McLennan /

The proof? This J.P. Wiser’s blend of 52-year-old malt scotch and 16-year-old whisky.

You can look at the ultra-exclusive bottle from Canadian legend J.P. Wiser’s two ways: either the heretofore unheard-of blend of a single cask of 52-year-old Highland malt whisky with Wiser’s own 16-year-old stock is three times the price of Wiser’s base whisky, or it’s a fraction of the $11,850 price tag of the Glenglassaugh 51-year-old whisky that’s just a few shelves over. We prefer the latter because it’s available only in the West, and its notes of honey comb and light smoke remind us of just how great—and how great a deal—Canadian whisky can be.

J.P. Wiser’s Union 52, $70

J.P. Wiser’s Union 52, $70

Neal McLennan

Neal McLennan

Neal McLennan is the wine and spirits editor for Vancouver and Western Living magazines, where he susses out the wonderful (and occasionally weird) options for imbibing across Western Canada.