The first week of November 2026 is an exciting time for Canadian whisky.

Glenora Distillers (Cape Breton, Nova Scotia) was crowned Canada Whisky Distillery of the Year at the New York International Spirits Competition.

Their expression Glen Breton – Rare Canadian Single Malt Whisky 21yr took in 96 points/Double Gold from the judges in the 21 – 24 years, Canadian Whisky, Islands category. They didn’t stop there. The distillery’s expression Glen Breton – Rare Canadian Single Malt Whisky 10yr took in 95 points/Gold in the Canadian Whisky, Islands, Up to 10 years category. Glenora hasn’t stopped there. Also, in 2026 the distillery earned Double Gold for the Glen Breton Rare 10yr at both the San Francisco World Spirits Competition and the International Women’s Spirit Competition.

References: NYISC https://nyispiritscompetition.com/winners/2026-winners/ ; SFWSC https://thetastingalliance.com/events/san-francisco-world-spirits-competition; IWSC: https://www.winecompetitions.com/international-women-spirits-2026

British Columbian tipplers are gearing up for the BC Liquor Stores Fall Premium Spirit Release, which is scheduled for November 21. An exclusive preview tasting will occur in the evening on the 17th at the Hideaway Lounge at Time Out Market Oakridge Mall. Experts will lead guests through a curated whisky and food pairing experience. You can join the waitlist here. The exclusive Prestige Collection is set to release on Nov 20th at the flagship 39th & Cambie BCLIQUOR store in Vancouver. Finally, the anticipated General Release day will occur on Nov 21st. Doors open at 8:00 a.m. at all participating BCLIQUOR locations across the province. Select stores will host complimentary morning tastings. Read more here.

You won’t want to miss the new Master Distiller’s Release from J.P. Wiser’s crafted by Canada’s treasure Dr. Don Livermore who won the Rest of World Master Distiller/Master Blender at the 2025 Icons of Whisky as part of the World Whiskies Awards. Dr. Livermore is the Master Blender for Hiram Walker & Sons Ltd. in Windsor, Ontario, and the master distiller of brands such as J.P. Wiser’s.

J.P. Wiser’s reports the Master Blender’s Release is a blend enhanced with “a distinctive combination of Black Sea oak, Speyside malt barrels, port casks, and dark oak, delivering depth, complexity, and global character” (Reference: J.P. Wiser’s). Order your own bottle here.

There’s plenty more happening in Canadian whisky this week. These are merely the highlights. Stay tuned for more news on the best in Canadian whisky.

In between being a mom and a modern woman, I am continuing to work on Canada’s Whisky Trail. You can check-in as I (slowly…sorry about that) continue to build this website to bring you the best Canadian whisky road trips from coast to coast.

As always, all words (and grammatical errors 🙈) are my own. No AI was used to create this one of a kind blog post.

Here’s to your health! Sip wisely and embrace joy always.

C.M. 🥃