The Prairies
A grain ocean
Between the Rockies and the Great Lakes lies a sea of grain — and two very different giants. Alberta Distillers in Calgary is the world's largest producer of 100% rye whisky, mastering a famously difficult grain so well that celebrated American labels have quietly bottled its spirit for decades. North of Winnipeg, on the shore of Lake Winnipeg, Crown Royal's Gimli plant turns Manitoba corn and rye into the best-selling Canadian whisky on earth.
- Character
- Big-sky grain country with brutal winters and hot summers — casks breathe hard here.
- Style
- The rye specialists: full-throttle 100% rye alongside the huge, gentle blends the world knows.
- Born
- Calgary, 1946
- Signature
- Rye at full volume — baking spice, dill and dark bread
- Distilleries
- 6+
- Top houses
Tip · Alberta Premium Cask Strength Rye is the insider's bottle — a world-whisky-of-the-year winner that still sits on shelves at a sane price.
Value pick
Alberta Premium Cask Strength Rye · ~$70
Jim Murray's 2021 World Whisky of the Year — thunderous 100% rye at barrel proof.
Collector pick
Crown Royal Extra Rare 18 · ~$180
Gimli's oldest regular statement — silk-textured corn and rye from the lakeshore warehouses.
Test yourself
Question 1 of 40/4
Awards
Jim Murray's 2021 World Whisky of the Year was: