Rockies, Rye and Uncommon Batch: Alberta’s Daring eightieth Birthday Bottles

Alberta Distillers is marking its eightieth 12 months the best way any self-respecting Calgary whisky home ought to: by releasing bottles meant to be conversed over, lengthy after the glasses are drained.

The corporate is rolling out two limited-edition expressions that lean into very totally different moments on the bar – a high-octane rye constructed for a single, contemplative pour, and a long-aged Canadian whisky designed for sluggish sharing amongst individuals who care what’s of their glass.

The primary headliner is Alberta Premium Cask Power 10 12 months Previous, a whisky that has already snagged “Finest Canadian Rye” on the World Whiskies Awards 2026, and makes its intent clear with a bracing 67 per cent ABV. Drawn from charred oak casks after a decade in storage, it’s aimed squarely at drinkers who like their rye to come back at them with full drive however nonetheless present self-discipline. Within the glass, the nostril strikes from caramel and praline into espresso and woody undertones, earlier than opening onto a palate of layered caramel, toffee and darkish chocolate, all saved in verify by agency rye spice and a thread of candy espresso. The end is lengthy, clean, heat and spicy, the sort that invitations small, deliberate sips fairly than carefree refills.

Alberta Distillers pitches the ten 12 months Previous as “the one good pour” bottle – the sort you attain for while you need one critical drink fairly than a number of forgettable ones. Senior high quality assurance spirits supervisor Maria Palafox calls it the cask power Canadian rye she now measures others in opposition to, citing the depth of rye spice, vanilla and oak alongside a cleanliness and precision that hold it from tipping into chaos. Completed with a cork closure and carrying a instructed retail worth of $75, it’s positioned to drink effectively above its weight in flavour and construction, particularly for followers of cask power whiskies used to a lot greater worth tags. It’s out there now in Western Canada, with Ontario distribution slated for early spring.

If the ten 12 months Previous is constructed for a solitary nightcap, Uncommon Batch Concern No. 2 is explicitly crafted for firm. The second launch in Alberta Distillers’ Uncommon Batch sequence, this 21-year Canadian whisky is assembled from shares which have spent greater than 20 years in rack-style warehouses within the foothills of the Rockies, resting in Canadian whisky, bourbon and new white oak barrels. Bottled at 50 per cent ABV, it arrives as a restricted allocation throughout the nation, with bottles already on cabinets in Western Canada and a late spring launch deliberate for Ontario following an look at LCBO in January 2026.

On the nostril, Uncommon Batch Concern No. 2 leans into vanilla, darkish molasses and a contact of pepper, establishing a profile that mixes dessert richness with spice. The palate follows via with a spicy core accented by hints of caramel and oak, earlier than sliding right into a end described as candy and clean. Stylistically, it’s framed as a “pull this out on goal” whisky – meant for sluggish, neat pours after winter dinners, small tastings and nights while you plan to revisit the identical glass because the dialog stretches on. At $149.95, it clearly targets collectors and fanatics who need to see how long-aged Canadian whisky can carry out when given a highlight outdoors the standard blended mainstream.

Collectively, the 2 releases are supposed to showcase Alberta Distillers’ vary – from muscular, cask power rye to rigorously blended, decades-old Canadian whisky – whereas underlining the distillery’s religion in endurance, exact manufacturing and the character that comes from their nook of the Rockies.