GrainHenge Whisky, from Red Deer, Alberta, has changed the game in the whiskey world by winning the title of World’s Best Rye at the 2025 World Whiskies Awards. This small city, home to just over 100,000 residents, managed to produce a rye whiskey that outshone competitors from around the globe.

The GrainHenge Arrowwood was awarded the prestigious Best Rye title, raising the profile of Canadian whiskey in a domain often dominated by other countries. Winning the Canadian category qualified it for the overall title, where it bested entries from countries like the United States, Ireland, and Scotland.

The success of GrainHenge is not an accident; it stems from the expertise of its founders at Troubled Monk Brewery. This brewery gained recognition previously, winning a silver medal for its American brown ale at the World Beer Cup in 2016.

Red Deer is ideally located within North America’s barley belt, producing more barley than the entirety of the U.S. GrainHenge’s approach to whiskey production combines their brewing skills with high-quality local grains. The brand name itself nods to the region’s agricultural history, evoking the grain elevators that characterize Alberta’s landscape.

Charlie Bredo, the President of GrainHenge, highlighted their journey from craft brewing to whiskey-making, stating, “We realized we had a great opportunity to make great whiskey with our knowledge of grain and beer.” Their method emphasizes flavor, utilizing a unique combination of flaked and malted rye to create distinctive profiles for their whiskey.

With a subversive view of Canadian whiskey, which has been perceived as less flavorful, GrainHenge’s goal is to elevate the category. In contrast, previous Canadian winners have sparked a larger trend indicating that Canadian whiskey is gaining international recognition.

Each release of Arrowwood is limited to a small batch of bottles, currently sold out due to its recent accolade. Future batches will be available at select liquor stores or through the GrainHenge website, priced around CAD$125. Bredo sums up their ethos well: "This isn’t your grandpa’s Canadian whiskey. It’s new. It’s bold. It’s flavorful.