Tastes

Nose is apples, toffee and mild oak. Palate: Fruity, caramel apple, slight hint of smoke and burnt toast. Finish: Lengthy, warm, satisfying. This is the third expression from Jameson's and (original and stout cask being the other two). This is the only of them that I would buy again. Exceeded my expectations.

Nose: Standard Jameson with a bit of extra caramel and oak. Palate: Sweet, malty and rich. Reminds me of bourbon finished single malt. There are some hints of the stout, but not as much as I'd expected. Finish: Medium length. Very chocolatey and quite pleasant. Overall its a step up from regular Jameson but not quite at the level of something like Writer's Tears in my opinion.

Another of my local distilleries here in Ottawa. These guys are supposed to be one of the best. This bottle is a sample they gave after buying a bottle each of their 3 grain rye and overproof rum. Nose is pretty spectacular. Classic Canadian profiles cranked up like Maurice Richard igniting a riot. Maple, oak and the spiciest of ryes. Palate falls a bit flat unfortunately. Its spicy and oaky, but unbalanced and more to the sour end than sweet. The finish lasts and things pick up again here. A bit disappointing if I'm honest (unreasonable expectations perhaps), but I'm still looking forward to the other two full sized bottles.

I've heard a lot about this one from a few friends that this is their go-to, cheap rye. We think their name may have come from some poor chap who drank a forty of this juice and then passed out in a creek. But i digress... Nose is classic Canadian profiles. Maple, grain, vanilla, and a touch of acetone. Reminds me a lot of CC. Palate is quite pleasant if a little unbalanced. Surprisingly less watery mouthfeel than would indicate in the glass. Maple, grain, vanilla and oak. Very much telegraphed by the nose. A definite step up from CC here though. Finish is a brief burst of oak and fruits, but disappears faster than an Irishman's paycheck at happy hour. That's fine though as this is really just made for cocktails or on the rocks.

Hot nose with some funk. Sweet on the palate with stone fruits, cherry and oak. Medium length, smooth finish. Solid bourbon.

Finally doing a proper review on the final dram in the bottle. I already know I love this stuff. Nose: Caramel, maple, oak and rye spice. Palate: Sweet, a little watery but full of dark fruits, chocolate, caramel and baking spice. Finish: Medium length. The rye spice explodes out along with oak tannins. This is the best rye I've tasted to date. Yes it's on the sweet side, but every flavour profile is in perfect harmony. My favourite cocktail of all time is an old fashioned with this, maple syrup, orange peel and Angostura bitters. Perfection.

My cat Onyx passed away on Monday at the age of 15. In her memory, I decided to crack open the JW Green 15 that's been waiting for the right moment. I'm tasting this alongside my already open bottles of Glenlivet 15 and Bowmore 15 for comparison/contrast. Nose: Light peat, caramel, sea breeze. The Talisker influence is really coming through here, but tamed by the other malts. Palate: Briny, dry and a little bit hot. The smoke bursts through with quite a bit of oak and spice. I didn't love it right off the bat, but there is complexity here. Finish: Lengthy, warm and spicy. Fresh apple is the lingering final flavour. This is the highlight of the dram by far.