For years, Canadian whisky sat quietly in bourbon’s shadow. Smooth, affordable, and often destined for cocktails, it was the easy-drinking spirit that rarely demanded attention. That’s changing fast. Across the Great White North, craft distillers and legacy brands are reinventing Canadian whisky through superb craftsmanship, experimentation, and a renewed sense of pride. If you’re a whisky fan, now is the time to give our northern neighbor’s bottles another look, and one label in particular is helping to lead the charge.
At this year’s 2025 New York World Spirits Competition, Caribou Crossing Single Barrel was named Best Canadian Whisky. This achievement cements its place among the top performers in the field. Produced by Sazerac Company, the American powerhouse behind some of the world’s most decorated whiskeys—Buffalo Trace, Eagle Rare, and Pappy Van Winkle among them—Caribou Crossing proves that Canada can produce spirits with the same sophistication and quality as its southern counterparts.
When it first appeared in the early 2010s, Caribou Crossing turned heads as the world’s first single-barrel Canadian whisky. Each bottle is drawn from an individually selected cask at the historic Old Montreal Distillery, a facility dating back to 1929 that Sazerac revived after its 2011 acquisition. Bottled at 80 proof, the whisky is soft, elegant, and eminently approachable. Here is what the judges had to say about it.
“A sophisticated Canadian whisky with inviting aromas of fruit, cereal, oak, and a whisper of smoke, delivering a joyful palate of stone fruit, spice, pepper, and caramel, and culminating in a long, elegant finish that is refreshing, mouthwatering, and laced with lingering peppery warmth.”
That sophistication the judges mention is key to understanding Canada’s whisky tradition. Unlike bourbon or Scotch, Canadian distillers often ferment, distill, and age each grain—corn, rye, wheat, or barley—separately before blending the components to achieve a desired profile. The result is a style defined by finesse rather than firepower, with precise flavors and drinkability.
Sazerac’s involvement has only strengthened that approach. The company’s deep expertise in blending and barrel management has elevated Caribou Crossing from curiosity to a global contender, prompting connoisseurs to reassess their views on Canadian whisky. Under its stewardship, the Old Montreal operation has become a showcase for how modern technique and historical legacies can coexist. Every release of Caribou Crossing, selected from a library of over 200,000 barrels, reinforces the idea that Canadian whisky deserves the same respect as the world’s most celebrated styles.
The results speak for themselves. In addition to this year’s New York title, Caribou Crossing has taken home gold medals at the International Spirits Challenge and other prestigious competitions. Each accolade helps shift perceptions, showing that Canadian producers are not only capable of excellence but consistently achieve it.
And Caribou Crossing isn’t alone. From Alberta’s rye-driven powerhouses to small-batch innovators in British Columbia and Ontario, a wave of distillers is redefining what Canadian whisky can be. Some experiment with sherry or port casks, others highlight regional grains or unique yeast strains. The common thread is ambition and the sense that Canadian whisky no longer needs to play the supporting role in someone else’s story.
For consumers, that makes this a moment worth paying attention to. The category offers exceptional value, a wide range of flavor profiles, and the thrill of discovering bottles before they become cult favorites. What bourbon was a decade ago, affordable, interesting, and ripe for exploration, Canadian whisky is right now. For those willing to look north, the next great whisky chapter may already be pouring, and Caribou Crossing is one bottle to lay your hands on, especially at this price.
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