Aaron Ward has whiskey, or rather whisky, in his blood. His ancestors were whisky masters at the Glenrothes Distillery in the Speyside area of Scotland. His great-grandfather Ian Steele was a coppersmith who made stills for Glenfiddich, Glenlivet, and other distilleries along Scotland’s Whisky Trail. In the 1920s, Hiram Walker & Sons, the makers of Canadian Club, hired Steele to construct copper stills at their distillery in Windsor, Ontario.
Born in Windsor, Ward grew up in Ottawa, and after a decorated junior career, he played for the University of Michigan and was selected fifth overall in the 1991 NHL Entry Draft. He earned two Stanley Cup rings with the Detroit Red Wings before being traded to the Carolina Hurricanes, where he won another Stanley Cup in 2006, scoring the opening goal in the pivotal game seven of the final series. After retiring from the NHL in 2013, Ward settled in Michigan but soon relocated permanently to Raleigh. In addition to his work with an analytic sports statistics company, he provides commentary about the current NHL for several media outlets.
In his off time, he’s also a bourbon fan, and we recently spoke with him about his path to American whiskey, favorite bottles, his love of fishing, and what made him decide to call North Carolina home.
How did your family’s distilling legacy influence your upbringing?
I never developed a taste for any alcohol, including whisky, which is funny given my family history. But in 2004, during the NHL Lockout, I played for ERC Ingolstadt in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga. Being a veteran player, I had no interest in joining my younger teammates in the clubs, but I soon discovered this little pub run by a Scottish woman named Ellen. She gave me an ongoing tutorial about whisky, including what labels, as a Catholic at the time, I could and couldn’t drink. I keep an unopened twelve-year-old Redbreast Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey bottle from there as a keepsake. I don’t recall the name of the pub, but I hope to return to Ingolstadt one day and visit it again.
Where has your own whiskey trail led you since then?
I started with rye whiskeys, then evolved into bourbons. I drank my spirits over ice then but now prefer a neat pour. I love it when there is a cool story behind the distillery. Peyton Manning and Andy Roddick always took a sip of bourbon before teeing off at Sweetens Cove Golf Club in Tennessee, so they created their own Sweetens Cove Bourbon in homage to their friendship and that golf course. [Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender] Ed Belfour created Belfour Spirits to honor his grandparents, who were moonshiners in Saskatchewan. Belfour’s bourbon finished with Texas pecan wood is outrageously good. After playing against Ed in a Stars-Red Wings Alumni Game in Dallas a few years back, I wanted to smuggle like ten bottles out of the afterparty.
What are some of your other favorite bourbons?
I never buy because of the brand; it’s all about when the liquid hits my tongue. I’m a big Penelope Bourbon fan, especially their Barrel Strength Toasted Series. Hooker’s House Bourbon, which is finished in pinot noir wine barrels, offers an excellent, unique taste. Peg Leg Porker Tennessee Straight Bourbon tastes as good as its label—a giant pig—looks. Given my family heritage, I also must shout out a Scotch, Lagavulin 11 Year that is finished in charred oak barrels.
You settled in the Detroit area after your retirement, having played for the Red Wings and the Wolverines. How did you end up calling Raleigh home?
I’d bused in and out of Greensboro when I played in the minors but had no foundational knowledge of North Carolina before I was traded to the Hurricanes in 2001. I soon discovered I was living in one of the most highly educated urban environments in the world. I integrated myself into the community during that first season, learning the culture, including the importance of eye contact and that sweetbreads are not what they sound like. At every level, even the NHL, hockey is a very grassroots, community-based sport; I made what would become lasting friendships with neighbors and fans immediately. Though single with no family in the South, I sold my house in Detroit and moved permanently to Raleigh that first summer.
You speak often about fishing, a lifelong passion of yours.
My family had vacation property in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, and my uncle would take me jigging for cod. When I was ten, I caught a fourteen-pounder, and the fish was as big as me. I’ve loved fishing ever since. I can be out with a buddy in the Gulf or on the Intracoastal Waterway, and we can fish for an hour without saying a word. It’s like therapy.
You’ve long been involved with philanthropy and cofounded a charity fishing tournament this year in Carolina Beach, the Savannah Boats Classic. How did the tournament come about?
Red Berenson, my legendary coach at Michigan, instilled in us players the importance of making a positive impact on the community. Several of us who run our Carolina Hurricanes alumni association have formed deep roots here. [2006 Stanley Cup MVP] Cam Ward, others, and I wanted to contribute something as our way of expressing gratitude. I started talking to Keith Sanders, owner of Savannah Boat Works, and, like happens so often here, we formed an instant friendship. He offered to foot the bill for a new fishing tournament.
Tell us about the tournament’s beneficiary, Team Red, White, and Blue.
Team RWB helps integrate military members back into the community from a mental and physical perspective. I learned about the organization from Mike Erwin, a veteran who founded Team RWB. Mike also cofounded the Positivity Project, which teaches values and self-empowerment in schools, including my kids’ schools.
As a “confirmed” Southerner now, how do you describe the Raleigh-Durham area to other NHLers and friends back in Canada?
When you live here, you realize you have access to incredible culture, with so many universities and colleges in a small area. The mountains are only two hours to the west, and the beach is two hours to the east. Then you discover towns like Highlands and places like the Old Edwards Inn. It feels like Nantucket on top of a mountain, filled with cute shops and great spas. I also love fly fishing near Highlands, and there are so many natural waterfalls that I love. If you’re open to discovery, North Carolina offers everything you need.
