Canadian Club

Canadian Club is the Embodiment of Hiram Walker’s Taste Vision – An Invitation to a Finer Premium Blend

The accounts and statements in this document form the DNA of the Canadian Club brand. These truths shape the brand and help to define its future direction.

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THE DECK

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AMERICAN ROOTS BUT PROUDLY CANADIAN.

Canadian Club is a proud Canadian spirit with American roots. A legendary whisky, Canadian Club has a rich history involving everything from bootleggers and gangsters to Royal Warrants and female empowerment. Canadian Club has grown to become the most successful Canadian whisky, and is now sold in over 165 countries worldwide.

A great community surrounds the brand, perhaps best represented by the town of Walkerville, built by Hiram Walker for the employees of Canadian Club. The town was expanded and looked after by Hiram’s sons, and it is still the home of the Canadian Club distillery today, situated on the banks of the Detroit River.

This document outlines the history of the Canadian Club brand, the personality, and celebrated stories, and the distinguishing characteristics of the liquid itself.

Canadian Club Timeline

1850

Hiram Walker established the Walker Wholesale and Retail Store in Detroit selling liquor among grocery items.

1854

Walker decided to venture into the world of distilling himself creating “Hiram Walker Whisky”.

1855

US state legislature passed a law limiting the sale of liquor to druggists for medicinal purposes.

1856

Purchased land in Upper Canada with the intention of establishing a milling and distilling operation.

1858

Walker founded the “Hiram Walker Whisky” & “Walkerville” as the Master Blender of a new category - Premium Blended Canadian Whisky.

1882

U.S. Bottled-in-Bond Act requires all whisky to be labelled with its country of origin. “Hiram Walker Whisky” officially becomes “Canadian Club” – later to be known as ‘The Original Club’

1920 - 1933

Prohibition in America leading to Canadian Club becoming the best ‘selling’ whisky in America – predominately due to successful export over the Detroit River.

1926

Walker Family sells business to Harry Hatch

1984

Launch of Canadian Club Classic

1987 - 2005

Allied Ownership Years

2005

Acquired by Beam

2014

Beam Suntory Portfolio

Stories

CELEBRATED STORIES

THE LEGACY

Founded by Hiram Walker in 1858, Canadian Club was created in Hiram’s taste vision – an invitation to a finer premium blend. CC is made from premium quality ingredients and a premium quality process to achieve an exceptionally smooth and easy to drink whisky that is still true to Hiram’s original recipe. The legacy of Hiram Walker was continued by Hiram’s sons who took over the business after his passing, and the history of the brand is captured within the town of Walkerville, a testament to the richness and longevity of the Canadian Club brand.

AN ICON OF PROHIBITION

Due to the distillery’s location on the banks of the Detroit River, Canadian Club became the #1 smuggled whisky in the US as the river provided a quick and easy way to transport bottles across the US border and into the country. One of Canadian Club’s most important customers during this time was Chicago mobster Al Capone who often came to visit the distillery in Walkerville to place his order.

Furthermore, the shape of the Canadian Club bottle transformed to accommodate for undercover transportation. It was developed with thicker glass and a shorter neck for sturdiness, and a curve at the back allowing it to neatly slip into a coat pocket, a pant leg or a boot; this was where the term ‘bootlegging’ originated from.

THE COMMUNITY

Canadian Club was first known as Hiram Walker’s Club Whisky and was often served at fine gentlemen’s clubs – hence the name ‘Club Whiskey’, which later became Canadian Club. A smooth, versatile and easy to drink whisky, Canadian Club offers an invitation to an inclusive club that is open and accessible to all.

In the mid 1930’s Canadian Club whisky was the first spirit to feature women in ad campaigns. Today CC also celebrates influential women and female entrepreneurs during the Prohibition era, such as Bertha Thomas and Gertrude Lythgoe.

Bertha (top left) was a local Windsorite and a very successful restauranteur who took full advantage of whisky buyers from the USA coming to the Canadian Club distillery, receiving them for dinner and drinks after their business dealings.

Gertrude Lythgoe (bottom right) was the female companion of Bill McCoy, a famous bootlegger who also sold Canadian Club. She worked with during the Prohibition, and later, when he went to jail, she opened the very first car rental agency.

THE ACCOLADES

The Royal Warrant was first granted to Hiram Walker & Sons Limited by Queen Victoria in 1899. Upon the queen’s death, the Warrant was voided, so Hiram Walker applied for and received the Warrants of subsequent monarchs Edward VII, George V and George VI. Canadian Club is the only North American whisky to ever be granted a Royal Warrant. Canadian Club has also won an array of international awards, from the US to Europe to the Caribbean (top right).

People

WALKER & HATCH

THE WALKER FAMILY

THE VISIONARY FOUNDER AND ‘MASTER BLENDER’

Hiram Walker – ‘Whatever Hiram touched turned to gold’

THE SONS

THE SOPHISTICATED

Edward Chandler Walker, the eldest son

THE ENFORCER

Franklin Walker, the middle son

THE MAN OF WALKERVILLE

James Walker, the youngest son

THE GUARDIANS

HARRY C. HATCH AND SONS

H. Clifford Hatch and Cliff Hatch Jr.

Family Bios

HIRAM WALKER

THE VISIONARY FOUNDER & ‘MASTER BLENDER’

Hiram Walker was born on 4th July 1816 in Douglas, Massachusetts, son of Willis Walker and Ruth Buffum. In 1838, Hiram moved to Detroit, aged 22, where he founded several unsuccessful businesses. He married Mary Abigail Walker in 1846, and together they had five sons and two daughters, of which two sons and one daughter passed away at an early age. It wasn’t until 1850, when Hiram established the Walker Wholesale and Retail Store that he started to find success. His store sold liquor among other grocery items, and in 1854 Hiram decided to venture into the world of distilling himself.

While Hiram enjoyed some success as a distiller, it was tempered by Michigan’s ambivalent attitude towards temperance. The warning signs were apparent to Hiram, and he began to diversify his interests, getting involved with the grain buying business. He began supplying grain to the local Detroit area millers, and thus made initial contact with the abundance of grains in the southwestern part of Upper Canada. Hiram found success as a grain merchant, and through this venture he saw an opportunity to invest in the more affordable Canadian land across the river. He purchased land in 1856 with the intention of establishing a milling and distilling operation, and by December of 1857, he had completed construction of a grocery store, vinegar manufactory, and steam-mill.

THE FOUNDING OF CANADIAN CLUB

Hiram Walker officially founded Canadian Club in 1858 and created a new style of blended whisky and a new category: Canadian. Shortly after the opening of the distillery, the Walker family left Detroit and moved into a large house closer to his operations called the Cottage. Hiram owned a big cattle farm, and he kept them fattened by feeding them the left-over mash. Other than the distillery, he had a furniture company (Globe Furniture), a foundry (Kerr Foundry), a brewery (Walkerville Brewery), and the Walker Power Building which still stands today – constructed in the hopes of drawing other businesses to Walkerville.

Hiram began selling his whisky as Hiram Walker’s Club Whisky, in containers that were clearly marked. It became very popular, angering American distillers, who leaned on the US government to pass a law requiring all foreign whiskies to state their country of origin on the label. From that point forward, Hiram Walker’s Canadian Club was Canada’s top export whisky. Eventually Hiram’s sons, Edward Chandler and Franklin, joined the company, and it thus became known as The Hiram Walker & Sons Distillery.

By 1864, all of Hiram’s ventures were doing well, so he returned to Detroit, where he lived for the remainder of his life. Despite moving back to Detroit, Hiram continued to spend much of his time supervising his Canadian holdings which had begun to form the centre of a community known as Walkerville. By the early 1880s, Walkerville was home to 600 people, and in 1869 it was officially recognised as a village by the Canadian government.

Hiram Walker was responsible for the Canadian law stating that all Canadian whiskies need to be aged for a minimum of two years in a once used white American oak barrel. This law changed to a three year minimum in the 1970s.

In the last few years of his life, after having divested all his worldly assets to his sons, Hiram took an interest in oil and natural gas in Essex Country. He became the sole owner of the Natural Oil and Gas Company, and upon his death in 1899, the company was given to Harper Hospital and the Children’s Hospital. The Hiram Walker & Sons Distillery remained in the Walker family until 1926 when they sold it to Harry C. Hatch. Canadian Club whisky is still produced at the distillery site Walker founded.Hiram walker was an astute businessman, but also a kind-hearted, humble, generous and loyal family man. He gave a lot throughout his life, and looked out for many people.

EDWARD CHANDLER WALKER

THE SOPHISTICATED

When Hiram Walker passed away in 1899, Edward Chandler Walker, being the eldest son, inherited the business. He served 20 years as head of the company.

Edward joined the business after he finished school, and he remained there all his life. Several years before his father’s death, Edward took charge of the practical affairs of the company. During his time as president, he worked to expand the distillery, carrying on the business with the same passion as his father before him.

Unlike his brothers, Edward made his home in Walkerville as he preferred more tranquil surroundings, with an approach to life inspired by that of an English country gentleman. He loved the British influence and even renamed all the streets of Walkerville with British names.

ELIZABETHAN MANSION

Edward built a great Elizabethan mansion out to the water which he decided to name after his older brother Willis who had passed away at the age of 36. It became known as the House of Willis. An art enthusiast and collector, Edward filled the house with paintings from around the world. When Edward passed at the age of 64 (1915), his wife Mary Emma Walker sold the mansion to the city for $1.00. The town then changed the name to Willistead Manor.

Together with his brothers Franklin and James, Edward helped with municipal improvements in Walkerville. Among other things, they gave the St. Mary’s church to the town, a beautiful piece of gothic architecture.

In 1905, the first Ford Motor Company of Canada factory opened on a piece of land that Edward sold to Henry Ford, just a block away from the distillery. The building and the land, originally called Walkerville Wagonworks, belonged to the Walkers, and they sold it to the Ford Family.

FRANKLIN WALKER

THE ENFORCER

Franklin was the middle son of Hiram Walker. Being that he was the only one to attend university (U of Michigan), he had high society connections and hung around with some of the most influential people of that time. He is the reason Al Capone came to know this small Canadian distillery and why, during Prohibition, he became Canadian Club’s biggest customer.

Hiram Walker and Sons were known for producing the most popular ‘Canadian Club Whisky’ of the 19th century, and people started imitating the product and selling it off. Some counterfeiters would label their bottles Canadian ‘Type’ Whisky, as opposed to ‘Club’ Whisky, and would imitate minor details such as the Walkerville crest and the characteristic script font.

The people that were making these fake products were known as ‘rascals’, and it became Franklin’s mission to find them and shut them down. These counterfeit Canadian Club whiskies were aged for as little as a couple of weeks, making the quality so poor that many people became ill after consuming them; there are even accounts of people going blind.

Due to the growing number counterfeiters, Franklin ran large wall ads displaying 65 different counterfeit bottles. Another ad was what the original Canadian Club bottle looked like as well, as they were always trying to train their consumers to memorize the bottles so they would buy fake ones.

Franklin passed away in 1916 at the age of 63, survived by his daughter, Ella Walker (1876-1959). Ella was Hiram’s only granddaughter, and became known as ‘The C.C. Girl’. She married a Hungarian nobleman and moved to Europe in 1897, arranging for Canadian Club whisky to be imported to the small town.

JAMES HARRINGTON WALKER

THE MAN OF WALKERVILLE

James Walker, Hiram’s youngest son, took control of the company after his brother Franklin’s death in 1916. James was not as hands-on and involved with the whisky business as his two brothers had been. However he was incredibly invested in Walkerville, and in helping to build up the places he cared about. In his will, he left his money to churches, hospitals and charitable and educational institutions in Detroit, Windsor, Walkerville and Toronto – among these St. Mary’s Church in Walkerville.

James had two sons, Harrington Edward Walker (1884-1958) and Hiram Holcomb Walker (1886-1953) – Hiram’s only grandsons. Harrington and Hiram inherited the business when James passed away in 1919, the same year Prohibition came into effect in the US.

THE GATE BOTTLE

During Prohibition, Harrington and Hiram created the ‘Gate Bottle’, designed to better accommodate the ‘unique’ shipping methods of that era. The Gate Bottle held up better in transport than the original bottle as it had a shorter neck and was constructed of thicker glass to make it sturdier. A curve in the back of the bottle allowed it to fit neatly in a jacket pocket or a pant leg. In fact, the term ‘Bootlegging’ comes from this bottle as it could easily be slipped into a boot, curving around the ankle or calf.

Furthermore, the excess weight of the bottle (due to the thicker glass) allowed it to sink in water, so if the coast guard was approaching, one could simply throw it overboard and it would sink to the bottom of the Detroit River. It has been confirmed that there are still thousands of bottles sitting at the bottom of the river, however it is illegal to swim or dive in the river to retrieve them.

While Harrington and Hiram were Canadian distillers, they were still American citizens, and distilling during Prohibition, though legal in Canada, was greatly frowned upon by American law. Harrington and Hiram found their position rather uncomfortable and decided to sell the company to Harry C. Hatch in 1926.

HARRY C. HATCH & SON

THE GUARDIANS

Harry C. Hatch was the son of a Canadian hotelkeeper, and a highly successful businessman, becoming a millionaire by age 23.

In 1911 he started his career in the liquor business when he purchased a Whitby liquor store for $2,500; it prospered under his management – so much so that he was able to sell it eighteen months later for $14,000.

He sold liquor by delivery service to customers he could not reach over the counter, and when prohibition came to Toronto in 1916, he survived Canada's fluctuating prohibition laws by selling by mail order when he could not sell liquor directly. And when he lacked home markets, he sold his liquor overseas.

PURCHASING THE DISTILLERY

Not burdened by the guilt over border trade, Harry purchased the Hiram Walker and Sons Distillery in 1926. He paid $15 million for the company: $6 million for the land, buildings and machinery, and $9 million for the ‘goodwill’ associated with the Canadian Club trademark.

Harry had previously purchased Canada’s oldest distillery, Gooderham & Worts, which had been established in Toronto in 1832. In 1927, he merged Hiram Walker and Sons and Gooderham & Worts under the name Hiram Walker-Gooderham & Worts Ltd. and thus came to own the largest distillery in Canada. Together the Walkerville and Toronto plants had a capacity of eight million gallons a year.

With a penchant for growth, Harry C. Hatch continued to expand the company until his death in 1946, aged 62. After his passing, his son H. Clifford Hatch took over the business.

Place

ONTARIO & MICHIGAN

THE HOME OF CANADIAN CLUB

WALKERVILLE, ONTARIO

Walkerville began as a 468-acre plot of land east of Windsor, Ontario across the river from Detroit, Michigan. It was initially chosen because of its proximity to the Detroit River and to the premium high-quality Canadian grains.

Walkerville’s location across the river from Detroit proved critical to Canadian Club’s lasting impact. Much of Canadian Club’s early success came in the form of the US market. Americans considered it special as it was sold exclusively in fine Gentlemen’s Clubs, and hence, the whisky took on the name ‘Club Whisky.' Eventually, the U.S. Government forced all Canadian distillers to put the Country of origin on their label, and so the Canadian Club legacy was born.

By the early 1880s, 600 people called Walkerville home. They lived in homes built and owned by Hiram Walker. They worked in Walker-owned industries, drank water pumped through Walker pipes, received Walker funded police and fire services, and could attend the church built by Hiram Walker (though he eventually closed it down after the preacher began promoting temperance). There was no commercial bank in town, so Walker’s employees even deposited their earnings in the private Walker bank.

At Walkerville, Hiram built an integrated ecosystem and community for the Home of Canadian Club. By 1867 the settlement boasted the distillery, a hotel, a store, and several tenement buildings for Walker’s employees. Two years later, the Canadian government officially recognized Walkerville as a post-office village.

Today there is no official town of Walkerville, as it has merged with Windsor. Everyone who lives in Walkerville all ‘own’ the Canadian Club brand and they feel that it is their whisky.

THE BOOTLEGGER’S PARADISE

DETROIT, MICHIGAN

When Hiram Walker first started his distilling business, Detroit was a booming and vibrant city, and it quickly became Hiram’s immediate market.

During Prohibition, Detroit was a driving force behind the trade of illegal liquor, and smuggling became a huge industry in Michigan, second only to the auto industry. Waterways running between the US and Canada carried 75% of the liquor supplied to the U.S. during Prohibition, with Canadian Club becoming the #1 smuggled whisky in the US due to its proximity to the United States border.

The Detroit River was key to the operation, allowing smugglers to transport Canadian liquor into the US using small boats and even cars during the winter when the river froze. When the liquor arrived at the US coast, escape cars were waiting to distribute it to speakeasies and whisky-lovers like Chicago gangster Al Capone, who smuggled thousands of cases of Canadian Club whisky from Windsor to Detroit. With a wealth of speakeasies operating in the city (some accounts estimate as many as 25,000), Detroit became known as ‘Whiskeytown, its gritty underground bars called ‘blind pigs’.

At the end of the Prohibition era, the increased demand for Canadian Club proved to be lasting in effect, making Canadian Club one of the most well-known brands and whisky styles in the US.

Sources: NPR; Detroit Public Library; Detroit News Archives

Liquid

House Style Liquid

HIRAM WALKER'S TASTE VISION of a Finer Blend

Canadian Club is true to the original recipe from 1858.

Premium Quality Ingredients:
Rooted in the selection of Prime Quality Canadian Grains (Rye, Rye Malt, Corn and Barley Malt)

Premium Quality Process:
Canadian Club produces three different types of mash that ultimately make up the blends (and two different mashes that make up its rye). The 100% corn mash is run through a continuous still, as is the 100% rye mash. The mash of rye, rye malt, and barley malt is distilled through both a continuous still and a pot still. Canadian Club, utilizes once-used oak barrels for aging.

Premium Quality Flavor:
Exceptionally Smooth, versatile and easy to drink. Unaggressive oak flavor profile with a rich, mellow wood character.

Consistent in taste, no matter the year, Canadian Club is a well-balanced, full-bodied whisky that is inviting to all. A whisky that is ‘class-less, but classic’.

A PREMIUM QUALITY PROCESS

Canadian Club produces three different types of mash that ultimately make up the blends (and two different mashes that make up its rye). The 100% corn mash is run through a continuous still, as is the 100% rye mash. The mash of rye, rye malt, and barley malt is distilled through both a continuous still and a pot still.

The liquid is aged in once-used oak barrels, creating a spirit that has a less aggressive oak flavour profile with a rich, mellow wood character. Depending on the final product, the liquid can rest in these barrels for up to 12 years.

Products within the Canadian Club portfolio differ in terms of mash bill and age. Canadian Club Premium 1858, for example, is a five-year-old blend of premium grains (corn, rye, malted rye, and malted barley), while Canadian Club Classic 12 year is a twelve-year-old blend of the same grains however with different ratios and longer aging.

WALKER’S CLUB WHISKY

is a blended whisky using premium grains (corn, rye, malted rye and malted barley), aged for five years. It created in 1858 in Walkerville, Ontario, Canada. As it was considered a super-premium blended style of whisky, all the finer clubs in the USA were buying it, and it began outselling the native bourbon whisky. To deter people from buying Club Whiskey (an unsuccessful attempt), bourbon distillers demanded that all foreign whiskies state their country of origin on the label, and so Club Whisky was renamed Canadian Club in 1882.

THE ORIGINAL MANHATTAN

was invented on a warm summer evening in the mid 1870s. Winston Churchill’s mother, Lady Randolph Churchill, hosted a party in downtown Manhattan, New York, where she ordered a Club Whisky with a splash of sweet vermouth. Shortly after, the cocktail was requested at many high society events, and the Canadian Club Manhattan was born.

CC RYE

is a 100% Canadian Club rye, launched in 2014 to give consumers something new and exciting. This whisky is distilled in a pot still and is made from Canadian rye only, nothing else.

CC CHRONICLES

is a series of premium aged Canadian Club whiskies. The first was released in 2017 in honour of Canada’s 150th anniversary – 7,000 bottles of 40-year-old CC, dating back to 1977 when our then master blender laid down once used, rye saturated, white American oak barrels with corn distillate. The second release, the 41-year-old, was blended with aged sherry and cognac, and dedicated to all the USA consumers crossing the Detroit/Windsor border during Prohibition. The 42-year-old released the following year was dedicated to ‘The Dockman’ who used to send people from around the world to the CC distillery for the ‘real’ Canadian Club whisky. The 43-year-old, released in 2020, was dedicated to ‘The Speak Easy’ as many people who came to the distillery would ask for a more private meeting space.

CC RTDS (READY TO DRINK)

were created around 2000 to provide convenience. They became, and still are, very popular for sporting events, outdoor events and concerts – allowing people to enjoy their CC and Ginger Ale without the hassle of mixing it themselves.

Experience

THE FIRST SIP

AN INVITATION TO A FINER PREMIUM BLEND

Canadian Club is an invitation to a finer premium blend – exceptionally smooth, versatile and easy to drink. Canadian Club can be enjoyed neat, at room temperature, or on the rocks, ideally with one neat, clean piece of ice. The versatility of Canadian Club also makes it shine in cocktails like an Old Fashioned, or a CC and Ginger Ale. It is perfect in a Manhattan, with a high quality vermouth and some bitters. In fact, its believed that Canadian Club whisky was used in the first ever Manhattan, made for Winston Churchill’s mother in Manhattan on a hot June night.

Exceptionally Smooth, Versatile & Easy to Drink.

Personality

Personality & Behavior

PROUDLY CANADIAN

Visionary

Trailblazing, adventurous, and entrepreneurial

Generous

Kind-hearted, convivial, and inviting

Elegantly Understated

Sophisticated, classy, and quietly confident