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Thursday, October 3, 2013

The Bottom Shelf: Windsor Canadian Whiskey

Welcome back to The Bottom Shelf!  This time, we have another Canadian whiskey: Windsor Canadian.


Ever notice how the word Canadian or Canada always pops up on the label of all Canadian whiskeys? Not a criticism, just an observation. Canadians are proud of their booze and they should be. After all, during the prohibition era in the states, Canada was a huge supplier of illegal hootch to the dry USA.

Windsor Canadian is one of the better bottom shelfers I have tried. Like most of the rest from the bottom shelf it is lacking (fill in your own blank).  I found this whiskey on the bottom shelf of an out of the way mom and pop party store in northern Michigan.  I met a rather raggedy looking man at that store who approached me about the bottle I was buying.  He was getting a fifth of Seagram's 7 Crown whiskey.

He started up a conversation with me about cheap whiskey as I was checking out. He said he had Windsor Canadian before, but he preferred others.  He told me the whiskey he was buying was for the next day, and that he usually drinks a fifth of whiskey a day.  He has done this for the last 34 years and was very proud that father taught him to drink at a very young age.  He filled me in that the secret was to take small amounts all day starting just after breakfast, but not before.  

He was a thin and weathered man, but with attitude and spark!  Better conditioned then one would think after such a huge consumption of cheap whiskey.  He insisted that the key was to space out the drinks through out the day and never have to much at once.  

I left the party store only to notice he was rummaging through the trash to find a few returnable cans and bottles, and then he vanished into the night on a bmx bicycle.  I think his life was like Bill Murray in Groundhogs Day, same day every day (I got you babe).  Good luck whiskey buddy! I took my bottle home, but I did not drink it right away.  When I did got around to trying the Windsor Canadian, it was actually pleasant. Not much of a harsh aftertaste, but if you don't care to much about taste this is for you! 

I watched some baseball on a warm summer night in the patio room with Windsor Canadian.  Passed out on the futon. Made for some great sleeping outside.


Now, lets get to the ratings!

Taste: 4 - North of the border whiskey, has it going on.   

Effects: 4 - Mellow with no hangover. Seems to improve longterm memory, but not short term memory.  

Cost: 3 - Mom and pop convenience plus friendly atmosphere and 7.50 a bottle makes me happy.  

Packaging: 2 - You already know I hate plastic bottles. Not an eye catching label but did look very official.

Mixability: 3 - Tried this whiskey straight up and that was a mistake. Take the advice from my party store whiskey friend, and just have small amounts at a time, but not until after breakfast.  Now that I think about it, he really should get a headlight for that bmx bike.  

I will call Windsor Canadian the Windsor Wannabe, because it wants to be a middle shelf whiskey.  

The next whiskey I will review will be Beams 8 Star Kentucky stuff. Also, I will be watching a few Halloween movies just like Jeremy, but my movies will be 50s and 60s genre with bottom shelf whiskey . Look for those comments along with the whiskey. 


Here's looking up yours from Bottom Shelf Russ!

You can read the other entries from The Bottom Shelf With Russ here: 

Fleischmann's
THE Northern Lights
Canada (Out)House
R&R
Canadian LTD
G&W Five Star
Kessler
Ten High