Canadian Masterpiece

[doubleblank]

This is directed mostly at Gary as our in-house canadian expert......I recently picked up a "Candian Masterpiece" by Lord Calvert on ebay. 4/5 Quart, 80 proof and bottled in 1958 per tax stamp. The bottle is pristine, decanter style, in the original satin lined case. Color is similar to current canadians I've had......perhaps a little darker. The back label refers to five distilleries owned by Calvert...New Westminster on the pacific, Beaupre on the St. Lawrence, Amherstburg, Waterloo and the "rich and full bodied from Ville La Salle" at Montreal.

Are any of these still operating? The label implies the master blended selects whiskies from each of these distilleries to creat the "Masterpiece". Any experience with this bottling?

Randy

[Gillman]

Fascinating, Randy, thanks. The New Westminister distillery may have been what was later called (but I am not sure) Potter's, which no longer operates but whose whiskey is still bottled, e.g. Century 21 year old Canadian whisky is Potter whisky. The Waterloo (Ontario) and Lasalle (Montreal, Quebec) distilleries were Seagram installations, now both closed. Lasalle production was relocated to Gimli, Manitoba, where e.g. Crown Royal is now put together. Amherstville is in Nova Scotia and there is no more distilling in that town. Beaupre too would be long closed. So this sounds like a vatting of whiskies from various Seagram-owned properties of the day. I am sure it is good, it should have a rich, caramel palate underpinned by a noticeable spearmint rye character. Try it and tell us what you think! By the way I recall that name (Canadian Masterpiece) and believe modern (or maybe it was other) colourful art festooned the labels, was that so?

Gary

[Gillman]

Postscript: Potter's is, in fact, in Kelowna, B.C. (well in the interior, west of the Alberta/B.C. border) and the B.C. distillery mentioned by Randy was in New Westminister, which is far from there (on the coast, I believe). So all the distilleries mentioned on that 1950's bottle are long-closed. Also, Amherstville is in Ontario, not Nova Scotia, in old Loyalist country but again, no distillery there now.

Gary

[doubleblank]

Thanks for the update on the distilleries......I had assumed they were long closed. Here is a picture.

Randy

[wadewood]

Postscript: Potter's is, in fact, in Kelowna, B.C. (well in the interior, west of the Alberta/B.C. border)

I was in Kelowna on business trip earlier this year. Is Potter's still open and distilling? I searched prior to trip and found no information on distilleries operating in this area.

[Gillman]

Wade, in Jackson's new book, Whiskey, it states that Potter's has not distilled for some time but is still bottling whisky from older stocks and also, Potter's isbuying whisky in bulk to age on its premises, so there must be some kind of warehouse/bottling operation at least, there, possibly under a different name. They are putting out Century Reserve 21 and the others in in that line so maybe a label check will give further information.

Gary

[barturtle]

Both LaSalle and Waterloo have been razed(waterloo after a fire damaged the closed distillery)...I hate to see a distillery go.
Timothy

[Blackkeno]

After having heard about this bottling for years, I too picked one up on ebay. I'll posting notes when I open it.

[Gillman]

Is this the one that states on the back label that it is half composed of bourbon? It was either this one or Order of Merit. (Both of these have not been offered here for many years). More proof that adding more bourbon than usual to Canadian was always considered part of good blending practice here.

Gary

[Blackkeno]

CM didn't mentions bourbon, so perhaps it was OoM.