Corby Spirit and Wine's Canadian whiskies earned top accolades
at the 2018 Canadian Whisky Awards

TORONTO, Jan. 23, 2018 /CNW/ - Corby Spirit and Wine is pleased to announce that 21 of its whiskies were recognized with prestigious honours at the eighth annual Canadian Whisky Awards, which took place on Thursday, January 18^th during the Victoria Whisky Festival in Victoria, British Columbia. J.P Wiser's 35 Year Old won the coveted title of "Canadian Whisky of the Year", and the distillery where it is proudly produced – Hiram Walker and Sons Ltd. – was named "Distillery of the Year".

Canadian Whisky of the Year winner J.P. Wiser's 35 Year Old is one of the oldest Canadian whiskies ever produced. Launched in 2017 as part of Corby's Rare Release Northern Border Collection, it represents a traditional blended rye whisky that has experienced 35 harsh Canadian winters and 35 hot summers throughout its ageing period, while housed in oak barrels at Hiram Walker's maturation facility in Windsor, Ontario. J.P. Wiser's 35 Year Old has sold out in nearly all markets within three months of its release in the fall of 2017.

"We are ecstatic to win a number of top honours at the Canadian Whisky Awards, including J.P. Wiser's 35 Year Old as the Canadian Whisky of the Year for 2018," says Chris Bhowmik, Brand Director, Corby Spirit and Wine. "It demonstrates Corby and Hiram Walker's commitment to producing quality whisky, and to continue innovating diverse products for an ever-changing market."

"We absolutely could not be prouder to take home the title of Distillery of the Year", says Dr. Don Livermore, Master Blender. "Hiram Walker and Sons is well known for being one of the largest distilleries in North America, but our size isn't what makes us exceptional – instead, it's the fact that each and every one of our employees is passionate and dedicated to creating the very best whisky that Canada has to offer, and sharing that spirit from coast to coast and beyond."

Located in the city of Windsor, Hiram Walker & Sons distillery is the only "grain to glass" operation in Ontario and boasts the largest distillery capacity in North America with 37 fermenters. The manufacturing process distills 180,000 litres of alcohol every 24 hours and operates 24 hours a day, five days a week, to produce a variety of quality Canadian products including vodka, rum, and whisky. The majority of Corby's owned and represented brands are bottled and blended by Hiram Walker & Sons.

Select list of awards:

• Whisky of the Year – J.P. Wiser's 35 Year Old
• Distillery of the Year – Hiram Walker & Sons distillery
• Connoisseur Whisky of the Year Domestic – J.P. Wiser's 35 Year Old
• Lifetime Achievement Award– Jim Stanski, Hiram Walker & Sons Distillery

Gold Medals

• Gooderham & Worts Four Grain
• Lot No 40
• Lot No 40 Cask Strength 12 year old
• J.P. Wiser's 150th Commemorative
• J.P. Wiser's 35 Year Old
• J.P. Wiser's Dissertation
• J.P. Wiser's Last Barrels
• J.P. Wiser's Triple Barrel Rye
• J.P. Wiser's Union 52
• J.P. Wiser's Vanilla

For a full list of winners, please visit: www.canadianwhisky.org

About the Canadian Whisky Awards
Founded in 2010, the Canadian Whisky Awards recognize the very best Canadian whiskies and encourage distillers to maintain the highest standards for making whisky. To qualify, the whisky must be distilled and matured in Canada. An independent panel of whisky writers, bloggers, and journalists selects the winners after tasting each whisky blind. Operated on a not-for-profit basis, the Canadian Whisky Awards are fully independent of the Canadian whisky industry.

About Corby Spirit and Wine
Corby Spirit and Wine Limited is a leading Canadian marketer and distributor of spirits and imported wines. Corby's portfolio of owned-brands includes some of the most renowned brands in Canada, including J.P. Wiser's®, Lot No. 40®, Pike Creek®, and Gooderham & Worts® Canadian whiskies as well as Lamb's® rum, Polar Ice® vodka, McGuinness® liqueurs, and the recently acquired Ungava® gin. Through its affiliation with Pernod Ricard S.A., a global leader in the spirits and wine industry, Corby also represents leading international brands such as ABSOLUT® vodka, Chivas Regal®, Aberlour® and The Glenlivet® Scotch whiskies, Jameson® Irish whiskey, Beefeater® gin, Malibu® rum, Kahlúa® liqueur, Mumm® champagne, and Jacob's Creek®, Stoneleigh®, Campo Viejo®, and Kenwood® wines. In 2017, Corby was named one of the 50 Best Workplaces in Canada by The Great Place to Work® Institute Canada for the sixth consecutive year, and was also listed among Greater Toronto's Top 100 Employers for the third time. Corby is a publicly traded company based in Toronto, Ontario, and listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the trading symbols CSW.A and CSW.B. For further information, please visit our website or follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter (@CorbySW) and Instagram (@CorbySW).

SOURCE Corby Spirit and Wine Communications

View original content with multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/January2018/23/c4372.html