Alas t'is true....
Last week I was searching the LCBO website for blended whisky and was alarmed to find a big red "Product Discontinued" disclaimer next to the entry for Grant's Ale Cask Reserve. Remembering that the labelling has recently changed to Grant's Ale Cask Edition, I re-entered the search terms only to be met with the same results.
Pioneered by David Stewart, the former Master Blender at William Grant & Sons, the Ale Cask Edition is finished in casks that previously held Innis & Gunn Ale for a month. In fact, without the shared vision of Stewart and Master Brewer Dougal Sharp we may never have tasted either!
It's quite a shame really that Ontario is losing access to such a uniquely finished blended Scotch whisky. Although it was knocked out in the second round of our Battle of the Blends, I still prefer it to the runner up and I am sad to see it go. Distinctly "creamy," and malty, with honey flecked by vanilla rounded out by a light fruitiness; the Ale Cask is highly awarded and recently won the IWSC Gold Medal for Best in Class.
Sources at Grant's confirmed that the Grant's Ale Cask Edition is still being produced however, at the moment, there's no plan to bring it back to Ontario. Unfortunately, the LCBO made the call and decided to de-list the Ale Cask presumably because it wasn't performing as well as other whiskies in its price range. It's worth noting that Grant's Sherry Cask seems to being doing quite well in the market and, for now, is still readily available at the LCBO. I asked if any new blends from Grant's were coming into Ontario to fill the void left by the Ale Cask, perhaps an aged blend? But no, for the time being there's nothing in the works...
Formerly a fixture on the LCBO shelves, at the time of publication, there are just 11 bottles left in the GTA and 111 in the rest of the province. After those run out, that's it. You'll either have to travel to the U.K. or place a private order with the LCBO and no, there's no "deal" for making a bulk order above the minimum 1 case requirement. For those of you still doing some Christmas shopping, the gift of an Ale Cask Edition coupled with a brief note explaining its imminent departure from the province would be an economical gift with added cache for any Scotch whisky drinker on your list.
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