Glen Breton Rare is a Canadian single malt whisky. It is distilled and produced by Glenora Distillers of Glenville, Inverness County, Nova Scotia, Canada.
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Created by Glenora Distillers, the whisky's name was put into question before it had ever sold a bottle. The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA), a firm representing 57 different Scotch whisky companies from Scotland, felt that the whisky from the village of Glenville, Nova Scotia, Canada, on Cape Breton Island, was misleading potential international buyers by using the term "Glen" in its name—a term used almost exclusively on Scotch whisky labels. The word "Glen" is not uniquely a Scottish one - the word might even come from the Welsh language (see Glen) - and there are Glens all over the world, including in Cape Breton. The packaging and bottle have a large red maple leaf on them which looks very Canadian. The trademark name "Scotch" does not appear on the bottle anywhere. The distillery started production in June 1990, with bottles hitting the shelves in the early 2000s.
Around August, 2006, Glenora Distillery introduced the world's first ever single malt aged in Ice Wine barrels, from the Jost Winery of Nova Scotia. The new malt was named Glen Breton Ice. The single malt is aged 10 years and bottled at Cask Strength (57.2% alcohol). Glenora offered the bottles only at the distillery until the fall of that year, when they were commercially released.
On January 24, 2007, CBC News reported that the Canadian Trademarks Opposition Board rejected the arguments of the Scotch Whisky Association, clearing the way for the distillery to continue to use the Glen Breton Rare label. The Scotch Whisky Association responded that the ruling was inconsistent with international case law, and that it would file an appeal.[1]
In 2008, Glenora Distillery released an extremely rare 15-year-old version of their Glen Breton Ice Single Malt. The bottles were only available from the distillery and came with a Letter of Authenticity and a wooden box. They sold for $320.
On April 3, 2008, the Federal Court of Canada ruled in favour of the Scotch Whisky Association's demand that the word Glen be dropped from the product's name.[2][3] On December 18, 2008 Glenora Distillers appealed to the Federal Court of Appeal in Ottawa and on January 22, 2009 the court overturned the lower court’s ruling.[4] The president of the Glenora Distillery, Lauchie MacLean, said, "It takes a big monkey off our back and financial burden, it allows us to plan and distribute and work with our agents around the world to sell our product." SWA spokesman David Williamson said that the association has 60 days in which to file and appeal and “will be studying the ruling carefully with a view to a possible appeal.” [5]
On 11 June 2009, the Supreme Court of Canada refused to hear the Scotch Whisky Association's appeal of the Federal Court ruling, dismissing its application for leave to appeal with costs.[6][7]
Glen Breton Rare is aged 10 years and is marketed as Canada's only single malt whisky. The natural water source of the distillery is MacLellan's Brook. Glen Breton Rare and Glen Breton Ice are Glenora Distillers' only bottlings of single malt whisky as of yet. The distillery is open to tours.
According to Glen Breton Rare's promotional in-box pamphlet, the nose (aroma) of the whisky is medium-bodied, pleasantly fiery, offering a tight combination of butterscotch, heather, honey, and ground ginger, with wood-infused undertones.
The whisky's colour is golden-yellow highlighted with hints of amber and orange.
The palate (taste) of the whisky is light to medium bodied with noticeable alcohol expression. Creamy with toasty wood, almond, caramel, and a subtle hint of charcoal and peat.
A lingering finish (aftertaste), lightly tasting of wood.
Peatiness is essentially nonexistent (hence the light body), owing to the malting taking place over wood fires, rather than peat.