Whisky from Nisku, Alta., chosen as House of Commons' Speaker's Whisky
For the first time ever, the House of Commons' speaker has chosen a Canadian whisky for its Speaker's Whisky.
Nisku’s Rig Hand Distillery is thrilled to have its Rocking R Whisky chosen for the long-standing tradition in the House of Commons while also breaking the norms of selecting a scotch.
“We had to send samples down," Geoff Stuart of Rig Hand Distillery explained. "We ended up getting shortlisted to the tasting panel where the MPs actually go in and taste and vote. It’s a double blind taste test which is a true test if you ask me. Our hundred per cent rye whisky, Rocking R Whisky, won first place by a landslide.”
House of Commons Speaker Anthony Rota explained how the Nisku-made whisky was chosen.
“Although we chose the scotch initially, with COVID coming into play we had a hard time getting a supply from Scotland,” said Rota. “It was the perfect excuse to see what Canada had to offer.”
Rota said every distillery in Canada was eligible to send out their samples to the House of Commons for selection where the Rocking R Whisky came out on top out of the six shortlisted whiskies.
Former House Speaker Peter Milliken was inspired by British and Scottish Parliament to select a Speaker’s Scotch in 2003 with the goal of sharing the selected beverage with MPs and the general public.
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Jessica Robb
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING | U.S. President Joe Biden touches down in Ottawa
U.S. President Joe Biden arrived Thursday evening in Ottawa for a whirlwind 27-hour visit expected to focus on both the friendly and thorny aspects of the Canada-U.S. relationship, including protectionism and migration on both sides of the border.

Trudeau, Biden could agree to end 'loophole' in Safe Third Country Agreement: CP source
Canada and the United States are negotiating a deal that could see asylum seekers turned back at irregular border crossings across the border, including Roxham Road in Quebec.
Eastern Ont. mayor wants more help from feds to manage influx of asylum seekers, supports STCA renegotiation
As the federal government looks to renegotiate the Safe Third Country Agreement with the U.S., an eastern Ontario mayor says his city needs more help from Ottawa to deal with the influx of asylum seekers arriving through irregular crossings like Roxham Road.
Opposition parties affirm call for interference inquiry, amid questions over MP Han Dong
Amid renewed questions over the pervasiveness of alleged interference by China in Canadian elections and affairs broadly, opposition MPs voted Thursday afternoon to affirm a parliamentary committee's call for the federal government to strike a public inquiry.
'Scream as loud as you can': 5 boys rescued from NYC tunnel
Five mischievous boys had to be rescued after they crawled through a storm drain tunnel in New York City and got lost, authorities said.
Make sure to check your grocery bill otherwise you may pay more: Survey
A majority of Canadians have seen a mistake on their grocery receipts in the last year, according to a new survey conducted by Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University.
Asteroid to hurtle past Earth closer than the moon this weekend
An asteroid discovered just last week will pass closer to the Earth than the orbit of the moon this weekend, an occurrence so rare it happens only once in a decade, according to NASA.
Number of Canadians receiving EI at record lows, down 44 per cent from last year: StatCan
The number of Canadians receiving employment insurance benefits are at record lows and down 44 per cent from last year, new figures from Statistics Canada show.
Indigenous sisters developing video games to revitalize Mohawk language
Two Kanien'keha:ka (Mohawk) sisters from Montreal are on a mission that is close to their hearts: to save their ancestors' first language by developing video games young and old can play.