First Canadian to win top global whisky award hangs it proudly in Windsor, Ont.

Windsor, Ont. marks the home of Canada's first global master blender award.

A global honour has found a permanent place at the J.P. Wiser’s Experience Centre in Windsor, Ont. now home to a prestigious award won by the master blender at Hiram Walker and Sons.

After nearly three decades at the distillery, Don Livermore was named “Master Blender/Master Distiller of the Year – Rest of World” at the 2025 World Whiskies Awards in London, U.K.

The “Rest of World” classification includes every whisky-producing nation, except Scotland and Ireland, which have their own separate categories due to their longstanding traditions and volume of entries.

It’s the first time a Canadian has received the award — and for Livermore, the recognition comes with a sense of national pride.

“It puts Canada on the map,” he said.

“It’s such great timing with what’s all going around in the community and around Canada to have Canada recognized as a good whiskey producer.”

The award — recently brought back from London — is now on display at the Experience Centre. It hangs among bottles Livermore helped design alongside a team he credits as key to his success.

“We’ve got some of the most talented people here in Windsor-Essex County at the Hiram Walker distillery,” he said.

“I certainly rely on their abilities. They make me look good, and then I can design those whiskeys and put them forward. This is such a wonderful place. The Hiram Walker distillery is such a treasure to our community.”

Part of his role involves anticipating what future whisky drinkers will want — a challenge made more complex by the spirit’s long aging process.

“Because we all know whisky is aged,” Livermore said.

 “What do people want to drink three years, five years, 10 or 15 years down the road? That makes the tricky part.”

To answer that question, Livermore spends a lot of time connecting with whisky lovers across the globe.

“The most important job for the master blender is talking to the consumer,” he said.

“I get out into the field quite often, all across Canada — from Victoria all the way to St. John’s. I get into the United States. I get over into Europe.”

Livermore uses those conversations to help shape his creative decisions.

“I’ll ask them, ‘What are the tastes you’re looking for in whisky? What do you find interesting? How do you see the path forward for whisky?’ I’ll take that, funnel it down, and that’s how I get creative,” he said.

When it comes time to craft a new blend, Livermore focuses on three core elements: Fermentation, grain, and the cask.

“I think about the yeast and fermentation – that brings out a lot of your fruity and floral notes,” he said.

“I think about the local grains. I rely on the farmers here in Essex and Kent County to bring out the spicy notes into our whiskey. That’s what rye does.”

He added the barrels used for aging play a key role in shaping the final product.

“Casks are like sponges — so what was in the cask before comes out into my product,” he said.

Livermore believes Canadian whiskey stands apart for its flexibility in flavour and production.

“I think Canadian whiskey is the most innovative, creative, adaptable style of whisky there is,” said Livermore.

“All we have to do is be made of grain, fermented, aged and distilled in Canada, aged in a wooden cask of less than 700 litres for a minimum of three years. That’s it,” he said.

His career began in Windsor 29 years ago, when he arrived to interview for a job as a microbiologist.

“The company’s fantastic. They have a great educational policy,” Livermore said.

“So, while I worked here, I went and did my Master of Science in Brewing and Distilling in Edinburgh, Scotland, and I finished my PhD in Brewing and Distilling.”

Livermore worked in several departments to gain hands-on experience with every stage of the distilling process before eventually becoming a master blender in 2012.

“As a master blender, I have to understand where all the different flavours come from in the distillery,” he said.

“It is a training ground. You have to be knowledgeable for everything. Making whiskey is very complicated, and it’s such a team effort.”

When developing products under the J.P. Wiser’s brand, Livermore also draws inspiration from the distillery’s founders.

“J.P. Wiser’s has a very distinctive taste. Lot 40 is 100 per cent rye — it’s very big and bold. Pike Creek whiskey — it’s very light and smooth,” he said.

“The founders, like J.P. Wiser, inspire me in the traditions that they put into place. Hiram Walker the same way. They all laid down a legacy — rules for me to follow.”

That legacy, Livermore said, is something he’s proud to share with the world.

“When I’m at whisky festivals around the world and they don’t know who J.P. Wiser is or who Hiram Walker is, I’ll explain the whisky to them,” he said.

“All of a sudden, you’ll see in their eyes that they just light up. ‘Where are you from again? Who are you again?’ And then I’m just proud to say that I represent J.P. Wiser’s and the Hiram Walker distillery.”

The Experience Centre along Windsor’s riverfront has also been showcasing several new releases — including limited-edition bottles of J.P. Wiser’s Deluxe with Stanley Cup branding.

“How appropriate it is for this hockey season,” Livermore said.

“Hockey and whisky certainly go hand in hand.”