Alberta Premium Dark Horse is a very distinctive offering in the Canadian landscape.
Known for their expertise in producing 100% rye whiskies, Alberta Distillers has produced an unusual beast with their Dark Horse (also known as Alberta Rye Dark Batch in the US, due to copyright issues with the dark horse name).
Tasting Notes
"There is a pleasant savoriness coupled with sweetness that is quite enjoyable, like beef jerky dusted with brown sugar. Leather, vanilla, banana, and a bit of bitter dark chocolate are notes on the palate after the initial touch of sugar on the tongue. The rye is present on the mid-palate and comes back around on the finish. "
Nose : Red cola and maraschino cherries, then cupcakes with strawberry and cinnamon icing. Water opens up herbal notes of coriander and mint. A clean, wet slate and strawberry soda.
Finish : Sweet, unctuous and coating.
About Alberta Premium
Alberta Premium (produced by Alberta Distillers Ltd, of Calgary, Alberta, Canada) is one of the few remaining 100% rye grain rye whiskies produced in North America. The brand is owned by Suntory Global Spirits, a subsidiary of Suntory Holdings of Osaka, Japan.
Alberta Premium won "Canadian Whisky of the Year" in Jim Murray's 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2021 Whisky Bibles.
Introduced in 1958, Alberta Premium was originally only available in Canada, until its launch of their cask strength rye whiskey. Following the success of that product, they decided to introduce the original to the United States as well. Despite its unique composition, it occupies the same shelving and price bracket as the staple Canadian whisky brands.
Alberta Distillers Limited was started in 1946 by Canadian oilman Frank McMahon and Canadian newspaper publisher Max Bell, built on 23 acres of land on what was then the outskirts of Calgary, Alberta. George Conrad Reifel, a Canadian brewer and distiller who had worked in Japan to establish the Anglo Japanese Brewing Company, joined the company to assist with the complex process of distilling rye. By 1957, the distillery expanded to have three heat-controlled warehouses and contained upwards of 100,000 barrels of aging whiskies on over 28 acres of land. In 1967, National Distillers & Chemical Corporation purchased Alberta Distillers to expand their own liquor portfolio. Alberta Distillers was sold off after Standard & Poor gave a negative outlook for whiskey. By 1975, the plant site grew to 42 acres in Calgary. The final warehouse construction gave the distillery storage for over 600,000 barrels. The site is one of the few in Canada that can age barrels in both rack and pallet style warehouses. With two rail spurs onsite, the distillery can ship and receive by rail, ISO tankers, and tanker trailers. In 1986, Alberta Distillers was purchased by American Brands, which itself was renamed as Fortune Brands in 1997 and split apart in 2011 into Fortune Brands Home & Security and Beam Inc. Beam Inc. was then purchased by the Suntory multinational holding company of Japan.
