Geographic Indications and International Trade (GIANT)

I. Identification

1. The Issue

2. Description

Dropping the "e " from whiskey is traditionally British and is used in the spelling of Canadian whisky. Made only in Canada, this distilled blend of rye, corn, wheat and barley is smoother and lighter than its cousins, rye and bourbon. Canadian whisky gets its flavor primarily from fermented corn and rye, which are blended.

The process also uses rye malt and barley malt. The grains and malt are ground separately and are put into different meal bins. The malt goes into a malt slurry tank with water to form malt slurry. The grain meal goes into a cooker with water to form mash. The malt slurry is then added into the mash cooker for fermentation. The mash is pumped through cooling pipes to fermenters that contain yeast, where it ferments for 3-5 days. It is then pumped to and held temporarily in a beer well, then to a whisky still. In the still, the mash flows down "a zigzag fashion over horizontal plates spaced evenly down the length of the still." Steam is injected near the base of the still and passes through small perforations in the horizontal plates as it rises, evaporating the alcohol from the mash, which then condenses on the top of the still into new whisky.

The new whisky is redistilled through an extraction column, rectifying column and barbet unit in order to purify it. This makes Canadian Whisky one of the lightest in the world. The two flavoring rye grain whiskies go through the column still at a lower alcohol strength, and are further refined in a copper pot still, to enhance their flavor.

Government excise and company representatives then check the new whiskies for quality, quantity and proof strength. The three whiskies are blended in large tanks, and then are mixed with water to reduce strength. The whisky is pumped into charred white oak barrels for a minimum of three years, but usually about 6 years. In order to avoid a heavy wood flavor, the liquid is aged in barrels that have already been used to age other whisky.

The barrels are stored in climate-controlled cells in a warehouse. The matured whiskies are blended to ensure uniformity and are diluted with water again to reduce strength. A panel then tests the whisky for any variations in flavor, color and bouquet to ensure standards. The whiskey is bright gold, smells like almonds and spice, and tastes like fruit and caramel with a hint of oak. The whiskey is again filtered to remove the charcoal sediment it picked up in aging, tested once more, and then bottled.

Sources: Canadian Club - http://www.canadianclubwhisky.com/comparing-whiskies.html http://www.canadianclubwhisky.com/grain-glass.html, http://cocktails.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://food.epicurious.com/db/dictionary/terms/c/canadia0.html
The agreement gives Canadian wine producers better access to the EU market. "The EU has also granted Canadian producers the exclusive right to use the term "rye whiskey".
In 2002, EU countries exported $440 million in wine to Canada, with France totaling more than one-half.

Warren Giles, Bloomberg News, "EU Trade Minister Vows 'Offensive' on Subsidies", Washington Post, July 7, 2003, p. A18.

II. Legal Clusters

III. Geographic Clusters

IV. Trade Clusters

V. Environment Clusters

VI. Other Factors