Tastes

The deep maroon hue of this whiskey is instantly seductive. At first, the nose burns with ethyl and little else. After it's rested a bit it starts to smell like the lumber department of your local hardware store. Cherries on the nose as well. Woodiness immediately apparent on the palate, and I mean wood, not vanilla or tannins; straight wood. Fruity fire accompanies the woodiness, not dissimilar from cooked apples dredged in cinnamon. There's an unshakeable richness here and a viscosity akin to maple syrup. It finishes with vanilla and some spicy fire, the embers of which take their time dying off. Overall: this whiskey cost me next to nothing (especially spending U. S. bucks in Canada) and was well worth the purchase.

An aggressive nose of wind-blown straw and youthful ethyl notes. Golden raisins immediately present the palate, along with cereal grains evoking an image of raisins mixed into some nice a gooey oatmeal. The mouthfeel isn't as thin as I'd expected from such a young whiskey, it has itself some interesting viscosity. A mild spiciness on the finish, whispers of nutmeg. Overall, for a white dog whiskey this one has a bizarre and interesting character. Unlike anything I've ever had before. Whiskeys like these make me excited for the future of grain spirits everywhere.

Brown sugar and honeysuckle on the nose. Melting vanilla bean ice cream on the palate. A short-lived cardamom on the finish, with milk chocolate that clings on for awhile. I do really enjoy this whiskey, but I think it's deserving of neither the widespread hype nor the scathing criticism in which it's been so deeply mired. Glad I have it in the collection.

All the looks of an unchilled Manhattan in the glass; deep dark caramel with shades of red when caught in the light. A nice old wood nose. Roasted pecans came to mind on the palate, as well as dark cocoa, descending into dried cherries on the finish. Slightly unctuous mouthfeel, with a satisfying spiciness that lingers, but doesn't overstay its welcome. For a $30 whiskey (in the U.S.) this is definitely worth collecting to diversidy a home bar, even if it is a little sweeter than what I, personally, seek out. Canadian Whiskey's image is still in stages of recovery, and hopefully whiskeys like this can improve upon the damage more well-known Canadian blends have inflicted upon the our perceptions of everything coming from our neighbors to the north.

Whispers of caramel apple hiding beneath ethyl fumes on the nose. Pleasantly saccharine palate, with a more substantive mouthfeel than its parent whiskey. Slightly buttery texture without approaching syrupy. A little vanilla and tannins decide to join the flavor gang here. Fruitiness threatens to come out to play in the finish, but opts to wave from behind the bedroom window instead. I would suggest going with the third and most recent batch, if the opportunity presents itself.

Light and corny like an episode of Gilligan's Isle. Sweet and simple, with somewhat more character than what you get from industrial-level distilleries' entry level products. Real crowd pleaser. Great at parties, but not necessarily something I'd keep on stock at the ole home bar.