Description

There’s a ton of good whiskey on the shelves these days, but that wasn’t always the case. Following prohibition in the United States, the whiskey supply took some time to recover and quality sometimes took a back seat to quantity. To get a better idea of what whiskey was like during this mid-century period, we’re going to be taking a look at four whiskies that were popular in the 1960s. And where better to start than with the favorite of Don Draper himself: Canadian Club 1858 Original Blended Canadian Whiskey.

History

Hiram Walker was born in Massachusetts in 1816, the son of a schoolteacher. He moved to Detroit in 1838, where he worked his way up from being a grocery clerk to owning his own grocery store by 1846. He invested in a number of business ventures over the course of his life and, in 1849, decided to start producing vinegar. His product was known for it’s high quality and low cost and he sold that successful business for a tidy profit.

Using the profits from his grocery and vinegar businesses, he decided to get into the whiskey business. He produced whiskey in Detroit for five years despite the local prohibition laws. Seeing an opportunity with the relaxed laws in Canada, he purchased some land across the river in Windsor, Ontario and in 1857 began construction of a dedicated distillery which opened the summer of the following year. Hiram’s original whiskey process used grains from his grain business in the United States to create the mash, and ran his finished whiskey through a charcoal filter much like the Lincoln County process.

The distillery was a success, and with the outbreak of the American Civil War, demand for Canadian whiskey skyrocketed. This demand included the smuggled variety in the “dry” Michigan, and there are apocryphal rumors that Hiram actually built a pipeline across the river from his Canadian distillery to the United States to surreptitiously sell his booze.

Walker’s whiskey became particularly popular in gentleman’s clubs of the late 19th century and in 1889 this fact, combined with the country of origin, created the “Canadian Club” brand that remains to this day.

Walker died in 1899 and the distillery passed to his son, who continued to build and expand production. At one point the facility was so large and employed so many people that they built housing on-site for the workers that was dubbed “Walkerville” and even sported police and fire stations.

During prohibition the distillery remained open thanks to its location in Canada, and its best customer became the famous gangster Al Capone who smuggled thousands of cases into the United States.

After the end of prohibition, Canadian Club remained a popular spirit. At some point in the mid-20th century, the company was sold to the Japanese spirits company Beam Sutory. Canadian Club remains in production to this day, and was most recently featured as the favorite whiskey of Mad Men character Don Draper.