Americans make the original Rye Whiskey. By law, American Rye (whiskey) must use at least 51% rye.
Canadian whiskies, though they are referred to as Ryes, are actually inferior as a Rye Whiskies because they will generally only contain 3 to 10% Rye Whiskey — the rest of the content is mostly blended, neutral alcohol.
The neutral alcohol may have been distilled from rye, but it is more likely to have been distilled from corn. In any case, the neutral alcohol is distilled until it is “neutral” in taste, so it doesn’t matter whether it came from rye or corn. This neutral-tasting, inexpensive alcohol has a small amount of pure Rye Whiskey added to it to flavour it.
Canadian whiskies as a result are pretty much inferior to other whiskies in the world, and most are best just used as a mixer in cocktails or drinks, rather than being drunk on their own.
Literature & Lore
In 2006, the brand called “Alberta Premium” was named “Canadian Whisky of The Year” by Jim Murray, British author of the “Whisky Bible 2006” (London: Carlton Books Ltd). He called it “the great hope for Canadian whisky”.
