J.P. Wiser's Whisky

J.P. Wiser's Whisky is Canada's oldest continuously produced Canadian whisky. The brand was established in 1857, and Hiram Walker & Sons Limited currently produces it at their Windsor, Ontario, distillery. Since 1935, J.P. Wiser's  has been the majority shareholder of Corby Spirit and Wine. Both companies came into ownership of international liquor company Pernod Ricard in 2005.

Early history 

John Philip (J.P.) Wiser was born in 1825 in New York. He was the son of Isaac J. Wiser and Mary Egert. In 1857, Wiser began running the Charles Payne Distillery and Farm in Prescott, Ontario, which was owned by his uncle, Charles Egert, and his uncle's business partner, Amos Averell.

Five years after starting as manager of the distillery, Wiser bought out Egert and Averell to become its sole owner, which was producing 116,500 gallons of whisky a year. Wiser introduced his first bottles of whisky at the Chicago World's Fair of 1893. Prior to this time, whisky was only sold in casks or barrels. By the time of the U.S. Civil War, J.P. Wiser's Red Letter Rye was sold in Canada, and J.P. Wiser's Canada Whisky was available for export. Wiser's son, Harlow, operated the distillery to an output of 500,000 gallons a year until he died at the age of 36 from a heart attack in 1895.

By the early 1900s, J.P. Wiser was exporting whisky around the world, and his distillery in Prescott became the third largest in Canada behind Hiram Walker's in Windsor and Gooderham & Worts' in Toronto. Wiser died in 1911, and the distillery was taken over by Albert Whitney, a treasurer who had worked at the distillery for over 50 years.

The company struggled after the death of J.P Wiser, and at the end of World War I, J.P. Wiser's was sold and merged with Corby, J.M. Douglas and Company Limited and Robert MacNish and Co. Limited of Scotland. In 1935, the company merged with Hiram Walker.

Recent history 

Newest Label Launches

In keeping with market trends, Wiser's Spiced was launched in fall 2012. Wiser's Small Batch was also launched to replace Wiser's Reserve, with upgraded packaging and advertising. In September 2013, Wiser's Red Letter was re-introduced to celebrate J.P. Wiser's 150th anniversary.

J.P. Wiser's in the U.S.

J.P. Wiser's Rye and J.P. Wiser's Spiced whisky were introduced to the U.S. market in October 2013.

Advertising slogan 

The J.P. Wiser's brand is advertised with a quote from J.P. Wiser, saying "Quality is something you just can't rush. Horses should hurry, but whisky must take its time."

Awards and accolades 

2014

BEST CANADIAN WHISKY, DOUBLE GOLD Medal, J.P. Wiser's 18 Years Old
GOLD Medal, J.P. Wiser's Red Letter
SILVER Medal, J.P. Wiser's Legacy
SILVER Medal, J.P. Wiser's Spiced
BRONZE Medal, J.P. Wiser's Small Batch
Gold, Best Blended Canadian Whisky 13 – 20 Years Old, J.P. Wiser's 18 Years Old

2013

Canadian Whisky of the Year: Wiser's Legacy – The Whisky Advocate
Canadian Whisky of the Year: Wiser's Red Label – Jim Murray Whisky
Flavoured Whisky of the Year Export Market: Wiser's Spiced No. 5 – Canadian Whisky Awards
Gold Medal: Wiser's Red Letter – Canadian Whisky Awards
Gold Medal: Wiser's Legacy – Canadian Whisky Awards – Canadian Whisky Awards
Silver Medal: Wiser's 18 – Canadian Whisky Awards
Silver Medal: Wiser's Small Batch – Canadian Whisky Awards
Silver Medal: Wiser's Deluxe – Canadian Whisky Awards
Silver Medal: J.P. Wiser's Spiced No. 5 – Canadian Whisky Awards
Bronze Medal: J.P. Wiser's Rye – Canadian Whisky Awards
Bronze Medal: J Wiser's Spiced Whisky – Canadian Whisky Awards

2012
Double Gold Medal: Wiser's Small Batch – San Francisco World Spirits Competition
Silver Medal: Wiser's 18 – San Francisco World Spirits Competition
Best Canadian Blend: Wiser's 18 – World Whiskies Awards

2011
Gold Medal, Sippin' Whisky of the Year: Wiser's Small Batch – Canadian Whisky Awards
Gold Medal, Connoisseur Whisky of the Year: Wiser's Legacy – Canadian Whisky Awards
Silver Medal, Connoisseur Whisky of the Year: Wiser's 18 – Canadian Whisky Awards
Gold Medal: Wiser's Legacy – Beverage Testing Institute
Best Canadian Blend: Wiser's Legacy – World Whiskies Awards
Canadian Whisky of the Year: Wiser's 18 – Whisky Advocate
Best Canadian Blended Whisky: Wiser's 18 – World Whisky Awards

Wiserhood marketing campaign 

In 2008, Wiser's introduced the "Wiserhood" campaign created by John St. advertising from Toronto. The campaign focuses on The Wiserhood, the "Society of Uncompromising Men", represented by a group of dapper men who recognize a small victory for men everywhere.

The campaign resumed in 2010, introducing a "Slow Clap App" and more TV spots. After three years, the Wiserhood took a hiatus.

In 2013, Wiser's launched a modified version of the campaign with social media components. "Wiser's Wants You!" is a Facebook-hosted contest that encouraged entrants to audition for a role in a Wiserhood TV spot.

An article published by The Globe and Mail on April 7, 2011 described a back-and-forth between Michael Bliss (Order of Canada, Royal Society of Canada) and Corby Spirit & Wine president, Patrick O'Driscoll. Allegedly, Bliss said a Wiserhood commercial (in which a bored man on a date at an art gallery begins touching fine art in order to get kicked out of the gallery) was tasteless and suggested it contravened the Canadian Code of Advertising Standards by encouraging the desecration of art. O'Driscoll replied it was intended to be humorous and outlined Corby's support of Canada's artistic community.

Distillery 

Hiram Walker & Sons Distillery

Since the 1980s, J.P. Wiser's Whisky has been distilled and bottled at the Hiram-Walker & Sons distillery in Windsor, ON and aged in the Pike Creek area of Lakeshore. Hiram Walker & Sons has the largest distillery capacity in North America with 39 fermenters, producing approximately 55 million liters of absolute alcohol and 60 - 70% of all Canadian whisky. About 75% of this whisky is sold to independent bottlers in Canada and abroad.

The manufacturing process distils 180,000 litres of alcohol every 24 hours and operates 24 hours a day, five days a week and every second weekend to produce a variety of alcohol products. In a year, the facilities handle more than five million cases of spirits. Hiram Walker & Sons holds 1.6 million barrels of spirits in their maturing warehouse, which are blended and eventually bottled on four high-speed lines. The distillery is the only "grain to glass" distillery in Ontario, with over 50 bottle molds available.

In recent years, the distillery has launched environmental initiatives, including reducing the amount of water diverted to waste by 60%, reducing waste water contaminant by 90% and reducing overall energy consumption by 40%.

Labels 

J.P. Wiser's Deluxe – Wiser's signature blend. Oak, toasted grains and toffee flavours. Five to nine-year-old whiskies in blend. 40% abv.
J.P. Wiser's Spiced – 100% corn grain. Canadian spiced whisky with a hint of vanilla. 43% abv.
Wiser's Special Blend – Number one economy whisky in Canada. Fresh wood, spice and vanilla flavours. Three-year-old whiskies in blend. 40% abv.
Wiser's Small Batch – Canadian whisky using traditional methods. Rich oak, vanilla and spice flavours. 43.4% abv.
J.P. Wiser's Rye – Developed from the Canadian whisky mash recipe used in 1869. Caramel, honeycomb toffee, vanilla, dried fruits, rye spices, green apple and pear drops flavours. 40% abv.
J.P. Wiser's 18 Years Old – Blended Canadian whisky aged for minimum 18 years. Mature oak, baked apples, spice, caramel, fresh pine and autumn floral flavours. 40% abv.
J.P. Wiser's Legacy – Most whiskies in blend are aged 10 years. 33% of the blend is Lot 40. Rich oak, apple, toffee, vanilla, spice and red apple flavours. 45% abv.
J.P. Wiser's Red Letter – Tribute whisky to J.P.Wiser's 150th anniversary. Aged 10 or more years. Oak, vanilla, toffee, wood spice and dried fruits flavours. 45% abv.

Production 

J.P. Wiser had high standards for his signature product, aiming to refine the process for making Canadian whisky and raise above the impure and under-aged whiskies of the time. He soon became known for being blended with exacting care and aged to perfection in white oak barrels.

Canada's Food and Drugs Act requires whisky labeled as "Canadian Whisky" be mashed, distilled and aged three years in wooden casks of less than 700 L. Due to the openness of this definition, a Master Blender is free to be innovative in comparison to other whiskies around the world. Today, J.P. Wiser's follows a process similar in tradition to that established from J.P. Wiser's original whiskies:

 Wiser's production begins with high-quality grains sourced from the Great Lakes Region.
 Using malt purchased from a supplier, J.P. Wiser's cooks, ferments, distils and ages all grains—corn, rye, barley and wheat—separately in a variety of casks, including virgin oak or once-used American Bourbon casks, used wine casks or multiple-used Canadian whisky casks. J.P. Wiser’s then blends the components at the end using recipes created by the Master Blender. Canadian whisky is a blended product.
 Flours are combined and mixed into a pre-mix tank along with cold water, back stillage and nitrogen to make the mash.
 Mash is cooked at 72 °C or higher using steam to release enzymes that break the starch down into sugar units. Enzymes from the malt help convert the starch to sugar.
 Using a non-contact method that utilizes plates, mash is cooled with non-contact water from the Great Lakes Water Shed to a fermentation temperature of 32 °C — the optimum temperature for yeast.
 Yeast is added, which converts sugar into equal parts alcohol and carbon dioxide.
 Mash enters the top of the distillation column and flavour compounds are separated by boiling points to create high wines. High wines can be further distilled using the pot still (batch process) for concentrated flavours, or double distilled in a column still to strip out flavours and create a base whisky.
 J.P. Wiser's uses white oak American Bourbon, once-used AB casks, or port casks, wine casks or multiple-used casks (depending on the recipe) that have been charred on the inside to age whisky for a minimum of three years. The temperature extremes of the Great Lakes Region have a unique effect on the aging of Canadian whiskies not found anywhere else in the world.
 Depending on the desired whisky, the solution may be filtered chilled, non-chilled or remain unfiltered.

Master Blender: Dr. Don Livermore 

Dr. Don Livermore has been the J.P. Wiser's Master Blender since early 2012. He took over from his mentor, former Master Blender David Doyle—with whom he helped influence the J.P. Wiser's Legacy label. After beginning his career with Hiram Walker and Sons Ltd. as a microbiologist in quality assurance, Livermore worked in research and product development for 11 years. He obtained his BSc in microbiology at the University of Waterloo and earned a MSc and a PhD in Brewing and Distilling at Heriot-Watt University.

Global Ambassador: Dave Mitton 

Dave Mitton is the co-owner of The Harbord Room, a Toronto bar he opened in 2007 with partners Chris Shiki and Cory Vitiello. In 2012, they expanded operations to include its sister restaurant, THR & Co. Dave was also the inaugural President of The Canadian Professional Bartenders Association, Ontario Chapter, for its first three years.

Since joining J.P. Wiser's in his current role of Global Canadian Whisky Brand Ambassador, Dave utilizes his knowledge from over 15 years over bartending experience to train and provide restaurant and bar staff with the knowledge and tools they need when it comes to making great cocktails and working behind the bar.

Popular culture 

Wiser's has used actors in their Wiserhood campaign who have gone on to become celebrities in other roles, including Canadian comedian Gerry Dee (Mr. D, Last Comic Standing, Just For Laughs) and English actor Charles Dance (HBO's Game of Thrones, The Last Action Hero, Alien 3).

Further reading 

References
"The historical geography of the distilling industry in Ontario: 1850-1" by Tanya Lynn MacKinnon
Canadian Whisky » Wiser's 18 years old, aka Wiser's Very Old (40% alc./vol.)
Canadian Whisky » Wiser's Legacy: Canadian Whisky Review
Canadian Whisky » Wiser's Red Letter, 150th Anniversary (45% alc./vol.)
Canadian whisky Archives « Whisky Advocate Whisky Advocate
Canadian Whisky Distilleries, Wiser's, Crown Royal, Club, Glenora, Forty Creek, Winnipeg
Canadian Whisky's Top Players Take Share, Boosted By Flavored Offerings | Shanken News Daily
How Booze Ads Fuel Rape Culture | Christine Sismondo
Pernod Ricard USA Brings J.P. Wiser's North American Whisky To The U.S. Market | BevNET.com
Pernod Ricard USA(R) Awarded Top Honors at Prestigious 2014 Spirits Competitions – WSJ.com
Prescott.ca – Our Heritage
That's the spirit! Corby listed again among Canada's Best Workplaces – Press Release – Digital Journal
The Canadian biographical dictionary and portra... - title page – Early Canadiana Online
Uncompromising Man pans Wiser's whisky ad – The Globe and Mail
WhiskyFest Chicago Speaker Don Livermore « Whisky Advocate
Wiser Whisky Wiserhood Marketing Campaign Analysis | Nina Wang – Academia.edu
Wiser's looking for more uncompromising men | Marketing Magazine
www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk1/tape4/PQDD_0020/MQ53273.pdf
www.demetergroup.net/docs/perspective/Spirits.pdf
www.frymybacon.com/articles/articles.php?articleID=311

References

External links 
 

Category:Alcoholic drink brands
Category:Canadian brands
Category:Canadian whisky
Category:Pernod Ricard brands