Barrel & Maturation

Ontario knows nothing of Scotland's mild coastal winters. The warehouses in Windsor and Collingwood experience temperature swings from minus 25 degrees Celsius in winter to plus 30 degrees in summer. With each shift, the oak wood expands or contracts. It pushes the whisky through the fibers, a rhythm that makes maturation in Ontario noticeably faster than in milder climates.

Canadian law requires every whisky to age for at least three years in wooden barrels, no larger than 700 liters, stored within Canada itself. Both new and used barrels are permitted. Because used barrels are cheaper and impart fewer tannins to the whisky, Base and Flavouring Whisky in Ontario typically mature in barrels that have already been filled once before.

What evaporates in the process is called the Angel's Share. In Ontario's cool, humid warehouses, this loss runs at about 1.5 to 2 percent per year. That's roughly half of what's lost in the hot rickhouses of Kentucky. Longer maturation without the whisky tipping too far into the wood – that's the advantage of Canada's climate.

Even within a single warehouse, not every barrel ages the same way. Barrels on the upper shelves experience greater temperature swings, evaporate faster, and pick up more wood character than barrels near the floor. An experienced blender knows exactly which row to draw from for which character before finally bringing Base and Flavouring Whisky together.

In Windsor, Hiram Walker's warehouses sit right next to the column stills. This is where the foundation of Canadian Club and J.P. Wiser's still matures today. In Collingwood, Canadian Mist ages along the shores of Georgian Bay, where the wind off the lake tempers the summer heat somewhat before turning again in autumn.