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Alberta Premium
Alberta Premium
TypeRye whiskey
ManufacturerAlberta Distillers Limited
Country of origin Canada
Websitealbertadistillers.com

Alberta Premium (produced by Alberta Distillers Ltd, of Calgary, Alberta, Canada) is one of the few remaining 100% rye grain rye whiskies produced in North America. The brand is owned by Beam Suntory[1][2]

Alberta Premium won "Canadian Whisky of the Year" in Jim Murray's 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2021 Whisky Bibles.[3]

The whisky is quite strongly flavoured for a Canadian whisky, and could be considered less approachable (analogously to the Islay malts in the Scotch whisky domain).[citation needed] There is a distinctively firm, somewhat acid note from the rye grain, which distinguishes Alberta Premium to any taster in a blind lineup of Canadian Whiskies.[citation needed] Unlike its 10-year-old blended stablemate, Alberta Springs, Alberta Premium is only aged for five years  – perhaps accounting for some of the comparative feistiness.[citation needed]

Originally, Alberta Premium was only available in Canada, until its launch of their cask strength rye whiskey.[4] Following the success of that product, they decided to introduce the original to the United States as well.[5] Despite its unique composition, it occupies the same shelving and price bracket as the staple Canadian whisky brands.

Production Process

The process uses 100% Canadian Prairie rye grain that is unmalted. The rye grain is ground to a fine flour by a hammer mill at the distillery.[6]This meal is added to water, the mash is exposed to a proprietary enzyme, cooked, and fermented. The resulting liquid is distilled using two different distillation types - continuous distillation and the pot still. The liquid is aged in three different barrel sources: ex-bourbon barrels, once-used bourbon barrels, and the new white oak charred barrels. It is then blended to create the final liquor. The blended rye whiskey is believed to be five years old; the age is not stated on the bottle label.[7][8][9]

Appearance in television series

Although blurred out for copyright reasons, the distinctive bottle (and some parts of the label uncensored) can be seen in the Trailer Park Boys series as Jim Lahey's (John Dunsworth) brand of choice. In the episode "Jump the Cheeseburger" (S07E07), the label on Lahey's bottle reads "Jeddore Premium", a fictitious brand in an Alberta Premium bottle. Jeddore is a small community in Nova Scotia near Cole Harbour where Trailer Park Boys is filmed.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Beam Global Spirits & Wine, Inc". Archived from the original on 19 November 2010. Retrieved 23 November 2010.
  2. ^ HighBeam[dead link‍]
  3. ^ Whisky Bible
  4. ^ "Alberta Premium Cask Strength Rye Whisky". www.binnys.com. Retrieved 2022-03-25.
  5. ^ "Alberta Premium Is Finally Available in the US & Why It Matters". Alcohol Professor. Retrieved 2022-10-07.
  6. ^ "The Mash Hall at Alberta Distillers in Calgary". InsideHook. 21 July 2022.
  7. ^ "Alberta Distillers Makes The World's Best Selling Rye Whisky". Forbes. 21 July 2022.
  8. ^ "Meet the Canadian Distillery Behind the World's Best Rye". InsideHook. 29 June 2022.
  9. ^ "Alberta Premium Is Finally Available in the US & Why It Matters". The Alcohol Professor. 6 July 2022.


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