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Black Velvet Canadian Whisky
When distiller John Napier first tasted this Canadian whisky, he was completely crazy about the velvety smooth taste. Thus, the name Black Velvet was born. This brand has been around since 1951, but the history actually goes back to the mid-19th century. Now meet this special blended whisky from Canada. At Tasting Collection we have a nice assortment at competitive prices.
All Black Velvet Whisky:
The origin of Black Velvet
Although Black Velvet first appeared on the market in 1951, the legend of this brand began 94 years earlier in 1857, when brothers Walter and Alfred Gilbey returned to England after the end of the Crimean War. There they started by importing wine from South Africa. This eventually led to their own gin, the so-called Gilbey's Gin.
With that gin, the brothers gained fame beyond national borders, leading to a new business opportunity in Canada. In 1933, they opened the W&A Gilbey Distillery in Toronto, where distillers Crosbie Hicks and John Napier focused on making whisky.
Originally, the whisky from W&A Gilbey was marketed as Black Label. To avoid confusion with placeholder To avoid Black label, another name was later sought. Due to the silky smooth taste, the choice then fell on Black Velvet.
Legendary marketing
In the 60s and 70s, Black Velvet was hugely popular, partly due to extensive marketing campaigns with famous ambassadors. At a time when whisky was mainly promoted towards men, the so-called Black Velvet Ladies hit home. And they were no small names: including Christie Brinkley, Cybill Shepherd, and Cheryl Tiegs.
In addition, a number of well-known actors and singers were recruited as ambassadors. Think of actor Larry Hagman from Dallas and I Dream of Jeanie, country singer Tanya Tucker, and actor Telly Savalas from the TV series Kojak.
How is Black Velvet made?
This Canadian whisky is made by the Black Velvet Distilling Company in Alberta, Canada. The distillery is state-of-the-art and only two employees are needed to run it completely. In total, there are 60 people employed, of whom 15 are designated to continuously test the product for quality.
The original recipe of distillers Hicks and Napier is still largely followed. Corn is the main grain — approximately 1.4 million kilos are used annually to make the whisky. After fermentation and distillation in columns, the whisky is immediately blended at birth with 2 to 6 year old rye whisky. After that, the whisky matures for at least 3 more years in bourbon barrels.
Buy Black Velvet Whisky online
Curious about Black Velvet? We don't blame you at all — it is indeed a very interesting whisky. Besides the well-known Imported Black Velvetthere is also an 8-year edition on the market. So take a look around our webshop and place your order when you've made a choice.
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