Wayne Gretzky introduces new No. 99 ‘Red Cask’ Canadian Whisky

Wayne Gretzky and Andrew Peller Limited are proud to introduce the first ever Wayne Gretzky No. 99 ‘Red Cask’ Canadian Whisky. Made with locally-sourced grains that are individually distilled, matured and blended, then finished with premium red wine casks from the Wayne Gretzky winery, Wayne Gretzky No. 99 ‘Red Cask’ Canadian Whisky is made the Canadian way for a smooth, elegant and rich whisky.

“I have always enjoyed a good whisky and was thrilled to work with Master Distiller Joshua Beach to create a new fabulous Canadian whisky,” said Wayne Gretzky. “What’s truly exciting is we are using oak wine barrels from our red wines to finish the whisky for a really smooth and refined taste.”

According to Master Distiller Beach, this process polishes the whisky, adding rich oak, vanilla and spice, and balancing all of the elements to produce a refined and smooth, very drinkable whisky.

“What makes us stand out is that each of these barrels has a story and they all bring together this unique and consistent taste profile with aromas of caramel, toasted oak and a hint of allspice for a truly elegant and rich taste,” said Beach.

Wayne Gretzky No. 99 ‘Red Cask’ Canadian Whisky can be enjoyed neat, on the rocks or in premium cocktails including:  “Top Shelf”, “The 99” and “The Great Old Fashioned”.

Wayne Gretzky No. 99 ‘Red Cask’ Whisky available for sale in Ontario, Alberta and Manitoba. (CNW Group/Gretzky Estates Winery & Distillery)
Wayne Gretzky No. 99 ‘Red Cask’ Whisky available for sale in Ontario, Alberta and Manitoba.

Wayne Gretzky Estates Winery & Distillery

The new Wayne Gretzky Estates Winery & Distillery in the heart of Niagara-on-the-Lake will open to the public in the spring of 2017. Nestled among the vineyards, the distillery will be home to state of the art distilling equipment, while the winery will feature a beautiful barrel fermenting and aging cellar and tasting room. The 23,000 square foot facility is the first of its kind in the region, featuring both wine and distilling production and tasting rooms. The springtime water feature that guests will see when the property opens will become an ice rink in winter, complete with a ‘loonie’ buried at centre ice, dropped by The Great One himself at the groundbreaking ceremony in September, 2015.

The Product:

Wayne Gretzky No. 99 ‘Red Cask’ Canadian Whisky is made in small batches from grain (rye, malted rye and corn) that has been individually mashed, fermented and distilled.  After aging, the whisky is finished with red wine casks from the Wayne Gretzky winery.

Master Distiller:

Canadian Joshua Beach completed his MSc in Brewing and Distilling from Heriot Watt in Scotland and then gained experience in brewing and distilling in Europe before starting a distillery in Vancouver.  He is proud to be the first Master Distiller at the Wayne Gretzky Estates Winery & Distillery in Niagara.

 

You can order Wayne Gretzky Red Cask Whiskey online at the LCBO.

I would drink this neat, but I found a Whisky Sour recipe in the LCBO Top 10 Holiday Cocktails Guide. I used to drink Whisky Sours about 20 years ago.

Whisky Sour Recipe courtesy of LCBO

2 oz whisky
½ oz fresh lemon juice
½ oz simple syrup (see recipe below)
Lemon or orange slice and Maraschino cherry

  1. To a cocktail shaker filled with ice, add the liquid ingredients and shake vigorously.
  2. Strain into a chilled sour glass filled with ice.
  3. Garnish with the lemon slice and cherry.

Simple Syrup

1 cup water
2 cups sugar

  1. Bring water to a boil.
  2. Stir sugar into the boiling water to dissolve, stirring constantly.
  3. When sugar has dissolved completely, cool syrup.
  4. Store in an airtight jar for up to 1 week.