Canadian Whisky Founders
(NOTE: FOUNDERS ARE LISTED IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER)
Below is a list and links to Whiskey Founders that have made huge contributions to the growth of the Canadian Whiskey Industry. These may have been historical figures that lived long ago before prohibition or may be living leaders that have advanced the cause of the industry as a whole. Canadian Whiskey has been its own whiskey category for years.
1
Edgar M. Bronfman
Edgar Bronfman was born in 1929 in Montreal, Quebec, heir to one of North America’s most influential liquor empires. Known for his leadership in the Seagram Company Ltd., and specifically at Crown Royal distillery, its global success was part of a larger family legacy. Bronfman’s life tells the story of ambition, business acumen, and the complexities of inheriting what could be described as nothing short of a whisky dynasty.
2
Sam Bronfman
Samuel Bronfman was born on February 27th, 1889, on board a ship arriving in Canada from the Russian Empire. His parents fled religious persecution in Russia in search of a more welcoming culture in Canada. His father worked in the tobacco industry in Moldova, but not finding steady work in Saskatchewan, he decided instead to borrow money to purchase his first hotel in 1903 in neighboring Manitoba.
4
Tony Dyck
Okanagan Spirits was founded in 2004 by a group of like-minded investors led by Tony Dyck, and in the years that followed, the Dyck family bought out the original partners and made the business wholly family owned. That decision shifted the company’s trajectory and built a true farm-to-flask, locally sourced distillery.
3
Henry Corby
Henry Corby’s name is celebrated in Canadian whiskey history as a visionary who transformed the industry. Born in 1806 in Windsor, England, Corby grew up in a family of bakers, where he learned the value of hard work and resourcefulness. These principles guided his remarkable journey from baker to distiller.
5
John Gibson
John Gibson carved a significant place in American distilling history by establishing what would become Gibson’s Finest Whiskey. His entrepreneurial spirit and commitment to producing high-quality whiskey set the foundation for a brand that continues to be recognized today. Born, in 1794, Gibson immigrated to the United States at an early age, settling in Philadelphia.
6
William Gooderham
In addition to his flour mill, Gooderham created a distillery to bring in additional revenue and to utilize surplus and low-grade grain from his operation. The whiskey he made quickly became so popular that it soon became Canada’s largest distillery, and, in fact, was the largest distillery in the entire British Empire for about 8 years.
7
John K. Hall
Hall chose copper pot stills, specifically ones that had been discarded by larger distillers for efficiency’s sake, because he believed that they would best preserve the depth of flavor. Next, and perhaps most notably, he treated each grain as a unique flavor artist: fermenting, distilling, and aging each one separately.
8
Harry Hatch
Born on April 12, 1884, in Ameliasburgh, Ontario and raised in Prince Edward County, Ontario, Harry Hatch helped his father run a local hotel as a young man but it was his purchase of a Whitby, Ontario liquor store in 1911 that launched his empire.
9
Dr. Don Livermore
Dr. Don Livermore is the Master Blender of Hiram Walker & Sons Limited in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. He is responsible for some of Canada’s award-winning whiskies such as JP Wiser’s, Lot 40, and Pike Creek.
11
Hiram Walker
Hiram Walker, a trailblazing entrepreneur and visionary in the whiskey industry, was born on July 4, 1816, in Douglas, Massachusetts. He was the son of Willis Walker and Ruth Buffum. Hiram Walker married Mary Abigail Williams October 1846 had five sons and two daughters. Before delving into whiskey, he established a wholesale grocery store in 1850.
12
John Phillip Wiser
John Philip Wiser was educated in the common schools of his county, later at Hobart Hall Institute in Holland Patent, New York. Early employment included farming (until the age of 20) and a clerk in Gouverneur, New York, for several years.
In 1856, Wiser married Emily Godard, daughter of Harlow Godard. They had six children together.
10
Joseph E. Seagram
Joseph E. Seagram, a name synonymous with Canadian whisky, was a visionary entrepreneur whose legacy continues to shape the global spirits industry. Born in 1841 in Fisher Mills, near Cambridge, Ontario, Seagram's life was marked by his unwavering commitment to quality, innovation, and excellence.