Field Note 007: Don’t Blend In, Instead Blend With the Best
Written & Photos By Reece Sims
Overview: Ninety whiskies. Five tables. One master blender. At Hiram Walker, Dr. Don Livermore leads a blending experience that’s equal parts education and inspiration. From historic mash bills and grain distillates to 40-year-old corn whisky and ryes finished in Black Sea oak, it’s a sensory playground where chemistry meets creativity. This is Canadian whisky at its most interactive—hands-on, history-rich, and surprisingly accessible.
Date: July 31, 2025 [2:00 pm - 5:00 pm]
Location: Hiram Walker Distillery (Windsor, ON, Canada)
The People & Places: Dr. Don Livermore, Dave Mitton, Julie Federman, Andrea Fujarczuk, Heather Storgaard, Dana Dickerson & Reece Sims
Reflections: Blending isn’t perfection, it’s possibility. At Hiram Walker, each glass becomes a story of history, chemistry, and personal taste.
Have you ever been asked what your perfect day would look like? I’ve always struggled to answer that question, mainly because I’m someone who craves variety. But after experiencing a blending session with Dr. Don Livermore (alongside four wonderful whisky women and friends, plus the incomparable Dave Mitton), I think I may have found my answer. This was about as close to perfect as a day can get.
To me, blending feels nothing short of magical. As a former bartender and someone who loves to cook, I’m wired to mentally bookmark flavor profiles, waiting for that spark of inspiration to combine them into something greater than the sum of their parts. Something that surprises. Something that delights. And most importantly, something you can share, making a multi-sensory experience that’s etched into memory. Nothing beats that.
We began with about half an hour on Canadian whisky’s history. Some people are captivated by this part (Heather, for example, could moonlight as a whisky historian), while I gravitate more toward the chemistry side. Still, a few mash bills stuck with me. Gooderham & Worts in the 1830s–40s used a fascinating mix of 10% wheat, 83% “middlings,” and 7% malted barley. Middlings were the leftovers from the mill, but honestly, didn’t taste all that great when distilled. To bolster the flavor, distillers would add a portions of other grains and/or potentially add additional flavourings like simple syrup, tea, prune juice etc.
By 1893, J.P. Wiser’s had shifted toward a mash bill that was 80% corn, 15% rye, 4% malted barley, and 1% oats. And Hiram Walker’s original recipe from 1888 leaned 76% corn, 17% rye, and 7% malt. In the 1860s, distillers even experimented with adding non-whisky ingredients like tea or syrup to the blend (something that wouldn’t fly today). By the 1940s, Hiram Walker had moved away from mash bills altogether, focusing instead on single-grain distillates that could later be blended with precision.
But enough about history—this wasn’t a lecture, it was a full-bodied adventure. The blending experience itself was unlike anything I’ve ever seen before.
Imagine a room set with five tables, each laden with a treasure trove of whiskies and distillates: over 90 in total, ranging from youthful spirits to decades-old masterpieces.
Table One was our primer, a deep dive into grain character. Dr. Don led us through corn, rye, malted rye, wheat, malted barley, and even unmalted barley distillates—each presented in both column and pot still styles to highlight the differences.
Table Two was corn whisky heaven: a vertical lineup from 4 to an astonishing 40 years old, all ex-bourbon cask aged. This was whisky as time capsule—tasting how oak and years transform spirit was nothing short of mesmerizing.
Table Three was where things got playful. Corn and rye whiskies finished with wood inserts or rested in an eclectic mix of casks: cherry wood, hickory, walnut, tequila, and more.
Table Four quickly became my personal favorite: 100% rye whiskies, double-distilled in pot stills, at different ages and finishes. Bold, spicy, and endlessly expressive.
Table Five offered a wild card—ryes and malted ryes in both column and pot still formats, alongside cheeky “Canadian twist” blending options like rum agricole, brandy, port, and sherry (Canada allows up to 9.09% of other aged spirits or wine in whisky).
Faced with this sensory playground, I plotted my attack: first a fast nose through everything, noting what caught my attention, then tasting (diluted to 20% ABV) to lock down contenders for my own signature blend.
My palate leans toward bourbons and corn-led whiskies backed by a strong rye core, or just an all-rye whisky, ideally bottled at 48–52% ABV. I also wanted to keep my blend focused—five to six whiskies at most, so each could sing.
Here’s what I built for Blend One (my signature):
35% Double Distilled 21-Year Corn Whisky (for body and maturity)
20% Double Distilled Corn Whisky aged in Virgin Oak (structure and spice)
13% Double Distilled Corn Whisky finished in PX Casks (a touch of sweetness)
25% Double Pot Distilled Rye aged in Black Sea Casks (my favorite of the day, bringing spice and a saline edge)
7% Barley Whisky, column and pot distilled (slightly phenolic complexity)
Dr. Don nosed and tasted it… and had no notes. A clean pass! A proud moment, considering how exacting a master blender’s standards can be.
But he wasn’t about to let me stop there. He challenged me next to craft a “Lot 40-esque” whisky: 100% rye, pot-distilled only. This was Blend Two.
Blend Two (Lot 40-inspired):
20% Rye aged in Black Sea Casks
20% Rye aged in French Oak
20% Rye aged in American Oak (seasoned 48 months)
12% Rye aged 18 years in Virgin Oak
10% Rye finished in Sauternes Casks
8% Rye aged in Chestnut Casks
10% Rye aged in Char 4 Virgin Oak (a component of Dark Oak)
Bottled at 48%, it came alive with layers: rye spice, nuttiness, marmalade brightness, vanilla, and a foundation of rich cigar and dark chocolate. A dram that could easily stand shoulder-to-shoulder with established classics.
Finally, we capped the day with a collaborative Group Blend—each of us picking one whisky to contribute. Somehow, against all odds, it worked:
Reece: 9-Year Rye aged in Black Sea Casks — 10%
Julie: Double Distilled Corn, 24 Years, finished in Peated Quarter Casks — 5%
Andrea: 7-Year Rye aged in French Oak — 10%
Heather: 9-Year Rye finished in Ruby Port Casks — 10%
Dana: 9-Year Rye finished in Maple Syrup Casks — 10%
Dave: 9-Year Rye aged in Char 4 Virgin Oak (Dark Oak component) — 10%
Dr. Don: Double Distilled Corn Whisky aged 41 Years — 45%
The result was astonishing: a whisky stitched from our collective tastes, grounded by Dr. Don’s rare 41-year-old corn. Proof that blending is both science and art, and occasionally pure alchemy.
And here’s the kicker: this wasn’t just a one-off VIP experience. J.P. Wiser’s actually offers this blending workshop to the public—for just $100. You spend the day at Canada’s most storied distillery, learn from the best, and walk away with your own custom 200ml whisky. Honestly, it’s probably the best whisky experience deal in the country (or possibly the world).
Check out their next blending classes here:
(not sponsored and would happily go again)