Canada's single malt whiskey from Glenora

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The mash-ton of the distillery

The Glenora Distillery is Canada's single malt whiskey

Canada's single malt whiskey is distilled at the Glenora Distillery & Inn on Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia. In addition to being a whiskey distillery, Glenora also has the Glenora Distillery Pub and a restaurant with some of the best cuisine on the island. With great taste, a paradise for whiskey lovers and friends of culinary travel has been created in the valley of the McLellan River near the small town of Glenville not far from Mabou on Cape Breton, which is unparalleled in Nova Scotia and all of Canada.

For us as enjoyment travel bloggers, it is a compulsory stop on our journey through Nova Scotia's largest island. We take half a day and spend the night there, which is good. So, on a tour of the distillery, we learn how to make whiskey in Canada, learn more about the history of the distillery, and then have time to enjoy the beautiful grounds.

 

The Glenora Distillery
The Glenora Distillery burns Canada's Single Malt Whiskey
The McLellan Brook
The McLellan Brook delivers the water for Canada's Single Malt Whiskey

 

Why does whiskey go well with Nova Scotia?

The idea of ​​distilling whiskey in Canada actually only came up Cape Breton Island an island where Gaelic is more spoken than in Scotland itself. The island lured in the first half of the 19. Century. Afterwards, many Gaelic-speaking Catholics came out Scotlandwho cultivate their cultural heritage until today. Fiddle music, Scottish clans, kitchen parties and tap dancing are just as much a part of this as a good glass of golden whiskey. Therefore, it is not far fetched to burn on Cape Breton whiskey.

Bruce Jardine from the tiny town of Glenville loved whiskey and he dared to adventure. Bubbling brooks flow through the gentle hills of his home. The McLellan Brook provides the perfect water to make whiskey from. At first, Jardine knew nothing about distilling the "Uisce Beatha", the water of life. That's what whiskey is affectionately called in Gaelic. He therefore traveled to the island of Islay in Scotland, where he found support for his plans at one of the country's most renowned whiskey distilleries, the Bowmore Distillery. With the help of experienced whiskey distillers, Jardine built his still in the hills of his home.

The two stills and two giant copper pots that make up Glenora Whiskey, Canada's Single Malt Whiskey, are from Bowmore. Its experts also provided the knowledge to make Glenora a successful whiskey distillery.

 

The two stills in the Glenora Distillery
The two stills in the Glenora Distillery Cape Breton
New: Battle of the Glen
New: Battle of the Glen

 

Canada's whiskey is made from barley at the Glenora Distillery

Canada's single malt whiskey is made from malted barley. It is burned twice, and matured in oak barrels for several years. The barley gets the distillery from other parts of the country. There they are malted according to the strict guidelines of Glenora. In winter, the time of burning is in Glenora. Then you mash the malt, mix it with the fresh water of the McLellan Brook and cook it until the sugar dissolves. The wort is separated from the waste and made into yeast with yeast. Thereafter, the liquid is distilled twice in the stills.

The condensate has an alcohol content between 65 and 70% after the second firing cycle and is filled into American Bourbon barrels, where it ripens for several years. It loses about 2% of the content per year, which evaporates through the pores of the wood. To give the whiskey its final flavor, it ripens for years in sherry, rum, port wine or wine barrels, before being finally bottled. Before that, add more water to reduce the alcohol content to drinkable 40-46%.

 

Pub and restaurant in the Glenora Distillery
Pub and restaurant in the Glenora Distillery Mabou

 

In 2000 there was the first whiskey from Canada in the Glenora Distillery

It took several years for the first bottles of Canada's single malt whiskey to be bottled in Glenora. In the year 2000 it was time: 12.000 bottles were offered, of which almost half were ordered before the sale. However, the first bottles of Glen Breton Rare were numbered, signed and packed in wooden boxes, and over the years become coveted collector's items. There are now nine-year and ten-year whiskeys from the Glenora distillery. The Wine Enthusiast Magazine even counts the Glen Breton Rare among the 50 top fires in the world.

 

McLellan Brook flows through Glenora
McLellan Brook flows through the Glenora Distillery

 

How to produce Canada whiskey

During the guided tour of the distillery we are told how the whiskey is made. In order to see the process, you have to come here in winter, because only during the winter months, the actual burning process takes place. We also do not see the bearing of the old whiskey barrels in the lead. This is located elsewhere. Instead, we can taste Canada's single malt whiskey. It runs rough down our throat and is not as mild as the three times distilled Irish whiskey, but it tastes good and warms quickly from the inside.

 

What is essential in your suitcase?

  • rain jacket - Which is the best, you can read here
  • If you want to hike in the area, are rainproof hiking shoes  are essential.
  • An backpack serves well on a trip to the Ceilidh Trail Nova Scotia. Hiking trails and beaches invite you to go for walks and hikes.
  • Check our hiking checklistwhether you have packed all the hiking equipment you need for your tour.
  • Travel Guide* for information on the go

If you purchase via a link marked *, we receive a commission, which we use to run this blog.

 

The great garden of Glenora
The great garden of Glenora

 

Glenora also offers a beautiful environment

Before settling down for dinner at the Glenora restaurant, we'll take a walk around the grounds, which today includes a hotel and well-kept gardens alongside the distillery, through which the McLellan Brook flows. With great taste, they have created an ensemble that not only invites to tasting Canada's single malt whiskey, but to a restful stay, in which the Scottish Spirit Cape Bretons can be enjoyed in a very pleasant way.

 

Wonderful Lobster Trio

Wonderful Lobster Trio

Fresh Tuna - Catch of the Day
Fresh Tuna - Catch of the Day
Delicious almond chicken
Delicious almond chicken

 

How about a glass of whiskey in the evening?

At the end of the day, Canada's single malt whiskey should of course not be missed. It forms the perfect end to our delicious dinner, which we enjoy in the Glenora restaurant: A lobster trio for starters with lobster salad, sushi and lobster wonton, a wonderful tuna, the freshest fish of the day, and almond-coated chicken. Here we enjoy the best dinner on our tour of Cape Breton. And we call you an enthusiastic "Slainte" - "Cheers" - with the great whiskey from Glenora! You can also enjoy it in the Glenora Distillery Pub.


Travel Arrangements:

Parking at the airport

Here you can reserve your parking space at the airport.

Getting to Glenora Distillery:

Arrival by plane, bus or train*. Air Canada, Lufthansa, Condor and Icelandair fly from Germany to airports in eastern Canada.

Glenora Distillery & Inn
13727 Route 19
Glenville, Nova Scotia

Hotels near Glenora Distillery:

Hotels along this route * and on Cape Breton Island * you can, for example, book through our partner booking.com.

Camper Rentals:

Book your motorhome here.


 

Glenora Distillery
Click on the photo and then mark “Glenora Distillery” on Pinterest

 

Do you know this?

You can find further travel tips on culinary and enjoyment in ours TravelWorldOnline.

You can also find tips on wine and drinks at Wine tourism - wine regions.

Source Glenora Inn & Distillery: Local research. We would definitely like to thank Tourism Nova Scotia for inviting us on this trip. However, our opinions remain our own.

Text Glenora Inn & Distillery: © Copyright Monika Fuchs and TravelWorldOnline
Photos Glenora Distillery Pub: © Copyright Monika Fuchs and TravelWorldOnline

 

Canada's single malt whiskey from Glenora

Monika Fuchs

Monika Fuchs and Petar Fuchs are the authors and publishers of the Food and Slow Travel blog  TravelWorldOnline. They have been publishing this blog since 2005. TravelWorldOnline has been online since 2001. Their topics are trips to Savor, wine tourism worldwide and slow travel. During her studies Monika Fuchs spent some time in North America, where she - partly together with Petar Fuchs - traveled to the USA and Canada and spent a research year in British Columbia. This intensified her thirst for knowledge, which she satisfied for 6 years as an adventure guide for Rotel Tours and then for 11 years as a tour guide for Studiosus Reisen around the world. She was constantly expanding her travel regions, but curiosity still gnawed at her: "What's beyond the horizon? What else is there to discover in this city? Which people are interesting here? What do they eat in this region?" As a freelance travel journalist (her articles have appeared in DIE ZEIT, 360° Canada, 360° USA, etc.), she is now looking for answers to these questions as a travel writer and travel blogger in many countries around the world. Petar Fuchs produces the videos on this blog as well as on YouTube. Monika Fuchs from TravelWorldOnline is among Germany's top 50 bloggers in 2021. Find more Information about Monika and Petar Fuchs here.