Whisky fun facts

Whisky has a long history in Waterloo, and our collection holds many unique bottles. Explore these fun facts to learn how to date an old bottle, tell if it’s safe to drink, and uncover some Crown Royal history.

On this page

1. Learn about Waterloo's whisky history
2. How do you spell whisky
3. Determine a whisky bottle’s value
4. How to tell if your whisky is safe to drink
5. Date an unopened bottle of whisky
6. Date a bottle of Crown Royal
7. Explore bottles from our collection

How do you spell whisky

In some countries, like Canada, Scotland, and Japan, whisky is spelled without an “e”. Other countries, like the United States and Ireland, more commonly spell it with an “e” as in “whiskey”.

Determine a whisky bottle’s value

The age and condition of your bottle will help determine its value. To learn more about the product and its current worth, we suggest that you check out some of these websites:

• Kovels antique collectables pricing
• Ebay
• Collectors Weekly whisky bottle auctions
• Canadian Trademark database

Your local library may also have informative books on the subject.

How to tell if your whisky is safe to drink

Before opening your bottle of whisky, you need to visually examine it for clarity and quantity. Whisky, unlike a fine wine, does not mature or improve in the bottle. When removed from the barrel, whisky has reached its peak quality. Under normal storage conditions, whisky will maintain its quality for several years. After long-term storage, whisky can begin to diminish in palatability. Even if the bottle is capped and the date stamp unbroken, the liner between the cap and bottle will gradually dry. As the liner dries, the whisky begins to evaporate which results in loss of flavour. If there is visual evidence of loss of volume or a degree of cloudiness, your whisky may be past its prime. 

Date an unopened bottle of whisky

If you have taken the year from the excise, or tax, sticker on the top of the bottle, you must add at least three years. Canadian Law requires that Canadian whisky be aged for a minimum of 3 years. The year on the excise label is not the year the whisky was bottled. This year indicates when the first whisky in the final blend was poured into a barrel for ageing. For example, if the excise label says 1935, that puts the bottle in the liquor store in 1938. If the bottle says that the whisky was aged for six years, you add six years to the excise label.

Date a bottle of Crown Royal

Since 1939, the Crown Royal bottle and label have undergone a series of changes that can help date your bottle. To start, due to the brand’s origins, the name “Waterloo” continued to appear on its label until the early 21st century although the Seagram Distillery closed in 1992.

You can also consider the following changes to the bottle and label:

• in the early 1950s, the colour of the bottle cap changed from black to purple. Additionally, they changed the ages of the whiskies from the original 35 and 10 years to 30 and 9 years
• in the 1950s-1960s, the ages of the oldest and youngest whiskies were included on the back label
• in the 1970s, the company stopped including the age information on the back label
• in 1977, metric measurements were added to the front label
• in the early 1980s, a government health warning statement was added to the back label
• in 1981, the name “Seagram’s” was removed from the front label and a neckband with a single crown was added. A handle was also added to the 1.75 litre bottle
• in 1993, the colour of the curtains and crown jewels were enhanced on the front label. Also, the lion and the unicorn were removed and multiple crowns were added to the neckband
• in 2000, Diageo purchased the brand and production moved to Gimli, Manitoba

The earliest example of Crown Royal in our collection dates to the late 1940s. Of the 1,200 bottles of Crown Royal originally produced in 1939, only one privately owned example is known to exist.