Tag: Canada

Scots left reeling as Canadian whisky named world’s best

On By A.P.In Canada, whiskyLeave a comment

The Scots are renowned for their whisky but, for the second year in a row, whisky from another country has been named the best in the world.

Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye, a Canadian malt whisky, was awarded 97.5 marks out of 100 in Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible, earning it the title of world whisky of the year.

Despite its stellar reputation in the whisky world, not a single Scottish whisky made the top five.

Jim Murray’s 2016 World Whiskies of the Year
1. Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye (Canada) – £47 a bottle
2. Pikesville Straight Rye (USA) – £33 a bottle
3. Midleton Dair Ghaelach (Ireland) – £180 a bottle
4. William Larue Weller Bourbon (Bot.2014) (USA) – £65 a bottle
5. Suntory Yamazaki Mizunara (Bot.2014) (Japan) – £45 a bottle

Editor of Scotchwhisky.com Becky Paskin said: “While it’s disappointing that Scotch has been omitted from Murray’s top five again, it’s heartening to see that he’s included a real mix of whiskies from around the world that aren’t all selected from the luxury sphere.

“The absence of Scotch, however puzzling, has no bearing at all on the quality of whisky coming from Scotland. Interest in world whisky is increasing and drinkers are likely to want to experiment with the medley of styles and flavours available.

“It’s important to remember that, whether you agree with Murray’s top five or not, this is just one man’s opinion. My advice would be to go out and taste these whiskies for yourself.”

Despite not winning the coveted whisky of the year award, Scotland’s Glenfarclas 1957 Family Cask 2110 did win the single cask of the year award.

Whisky expert Murray tasted more than 1000 whiskies before deciding on the Crown Royal and called it a masterpiece: “Rye, that most eloquent of grains, not just turning up to charm and enthral but to also take us through a routine which reaches new heights of beauty and complexity.

“To say this is a masterpiece is barely doing it justice.”

Tom Sandham, one half of the Thinking Drinkers, said: “The news of a Canadian winner might surprise some, but it shouldn’t.

“The country has extraordinary whisky heritage. And rye is one of the original grains in North American whiskey production, it has long been re-asserting itself with connoisseurs and leading bartenders who use it in classic cocktails. So to see it break through here is evidence of the grains’s resurgent popularity.

“But remember this is only one view, and a nice bit of publicity for man, brand and whisky as a whole, but the only way you’ll determine what you like is if you try things. Lots of different things. The great thing about whisky is that a wider demographic is now engaging, which is excellent because there are hundreds of stunning whiskies being made all around the world right now.”

Yvonne Briese, Vice President of Crown Royal said: “Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye showcases the rye whisky that has been such an integral component of the Crown Royal Deluxe blend since 1939. This is a testament to the unbelievable blending and distilling that’s been taking place in Gimli for over 75 years.

“We are thrilled that Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye has been named World Whisky of the Year.”

Some whisky connoisseurs were sceptical of the win, with specialist whisky author Charles MacLean telling The Times the success of foreign winners was a marketing ploy: “You should compare like with like. These whiskies from around the world are all made to be different. Canadian whisky allows for all sorts of additives, such as prune juice to sweeten it.

“This is forbidden in Scotch, which has strictly defined terms of how it can be made. It must have the flavour derived only from the raw materials: barley, water and yeast. Nothing may be added.”

However, Murray defended his choice robustly: “Last year people were shocked when I gave [Japanese whisky] Yamazaki the award – until they tasted it. Then they saw it was not the affront to Scotch they first thought and something truly extraordinary.

“This year, doubtless there will be many more eyebrows raised because rarely is Canada mentioned when it comes to the world’s top whiskies. But, again, I have no doubt people finding the bottling I tasted will be blown away with this whisky’s uncompromising and unique beauty. It certainly puts the rye into Canadian rye.”

UP! Calgary man flies lawn chair attached to helium balloons.

On By A.P.In UncategorizedLeave a comment

In an UP-inspired stunt, 26-year-old Daniel Boria soared above Alberta, Canada, Sunday on a lawn chair tethered to 110 helium balloons.

The Calgary resident reached an altitude between 8,000 and 10,000 feet, according to the Calgary International Airport’s estimates, before jumping with a parachute. He hoped to draw attention to his cleaning business by flying above crowds at the Calgary Stampede.

“The chair was shaking and I was looking down at my feet dangling through the clouds at a 747 flight taking off,” Boria told CBC News.

He did not suffer any serious injuries, but was arrested shortly after landing, charged with one count of mischief causing danger to life.

Boria had been planning his stunt for two months, after plane and helicopter services refused to bring him into the no-fly zone above the rodeo to advertise his company.

CBC News reports that Boria spent upwards of $20,000 on the stunt. However, the total cost will increase if he’s hit with fines. Boria could also face additional charges for endangering flights.

“I think he’ll end up out of pocket quite a bit,” Calgary Police acting Insp. Kyle Grant told CBC News. “It probably would have been cheaper to get a billboard,” he said.

“It’s disappointing that they’re perusing it that heavily …” Boria told CBC News. “I thought it was quite creative.”

Read more at http://www.flyingmag.com/news/man-balloon-chair-lands-jail-after-stunt#9JcIF1Dek9f34WWh.99

Discarded pet goldfish are multiplying and becoming enormous

On By A.P.In Canada, carp, Fish, goldfishLeave a comment

If you have a goldfish, and you are kind of over that goldfish, to the point where you are now wondering whether it might be best to set that goldfish free, please rethink that decision.

That’s the request from the Alberta government, which is trying to get Canadians to refrain from dumping out their fish tanks into ponds. Because those ponds are filling up with those discarded goldfish, which are getting really, really big in the wild.

Or, as the CBC notes: “Goldfish the size of dinner plates are multiplying like bunnies.”

“It’s quite a surprise how large we’re finding them and the sheer number,” Kate Wilson, aquatic invasive species coordinator at Alberta Environment and Parks, told the broadcaster.

According to CBC News:

In one case, the municipality of Wood Buffalo pulled 40 of the domestic fish species from a stormwater pond.

“That’s really scary because it means they’re reproducing in the wild, they are getting quite large and they are surviving the winters that far north,” said Wilson.

“Their size is limited in the tank, but when you release it into the wild, that doesn’t exist anymore,” Wilson told The Post.

Like other species of carp, the domestic goldfish Carassius auratus will basically keep growing as long as water temperatures and food resources support it. There are obviously limits — you’re not going to accidentally create fishzilla if you overfeed your goldfish — but given a big body of water with tons of food and warm summers, a fish is bound to get supersized.

Then you end up with a bunch of goldfish bruisers competing with local fish for resources, and you better believe the fish you flushed will give native species a run for their money. Plus, some scientists say, goldfish feces might help support certain types of algae, leading to algal blooms that further disrupt the eco-system.

The CBC reports that a campaign designed to curb this trend, called Don’t Let It Loose, will “focus on educating Albertans about the dangers of releasing domestic fish into nature.”

If people are dumping their aquariums, Wilson explained, they’re also dumping the water it holds, which can carry disease and parasites. What’s more, the goldfish can survive in poor water conditions, she said, and “could be competing with our native species for both food and habitat.”