Tastes

Here we go with my second Canadian whiskey, albeit it is technically a rye. Will I have another surprise (or not really since it is generally well liked). Neck pour because new bottle YEAH ! Nose : The aroma is subtle at first but you can still get some and it open up nicely with time. At first, I smell some typical sweet note akind to baking spices (vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon), caramel and some kind of darker fruity notes (plum like?) . Subsequent nosings reveal some gingerbread like smell . Wow. Maybe some faint note of citrus ? Faint note of dill (thanks god). It is a lot more complex than expected Palate : Quite a nice full coating mouthfeel to it. Are all Canadian whiskey like that or I'm just lucky with those I tasted to this point ? It starts quite nicely with a lot of the baking spices mixed with the gingerbread notes. I feel a little bit of black cardamom /mint-y notes. It is followed in the middle by some nice sweetness (caramel, vanilla, dusty cinnamon). It has some kind of ending in black peppery/spicy end note Finish : Moderate in lenght one but doesn't build up as you continue sipping. It ends in a kinda fruit syrup drenched in some pepper and oak. A little bit of tannins too For the price it has, I'M really enjoying it.. I'm starting to think my palate/nose seems to like the whiskey that arent overpowering and are a little bit more subtle and that let you discover while sipping and not the "punch to the face one". Now, I will need to taste other rye whiskey (Probably some american ones)

I think it is right to give new nosing, palate and finish notes since I'm a little bit more accustomed to tasting whiskey (still a beginner, but I'm getting there) and that the Bottle is mostly at the end (maybe 2 pour remaining) . It still has a special place in my heart since it was the first one I got Nose : Even though it is low proof (45% abv) , I smell ethanol at first which isnt generally a good sign. It is followed by a mix of brown sugar, caramel. A little later I smell wave of vanilla. While nosing a little bit more, you can feel hint of citrus brightness and some really small hint of grassy/floral notes (am I crazy for this or it is the wheat?). A really faint note of nutmeg ? Palate : At first, there is certainly a presence of what I smell on the nose but it doesnt "coat" your mouth. It is more of a mouth drying feeling to it. It is certainly vanilla upfront with caramel and a bit of oak (kinda weird since I havent nosed that). There is a certain "minty" feeling to my tongue which I can't really recognize. Also cinnamon albeit a faint taste Finish: A moderate finish with caramel and some dry oak spice and cinnamon that build up over time, ( it did have a short one with the first few sips) Maker's Mark is certainly a bourbon that is a nice starting point to your adventure, but in the end it is a product that is not overly complex (even though I rambled a lot there) and doesn't have a ton of depth . It is certainly enjoyable, but at this point I just want more. When I got the 750 ml bottle it was a deal (10$ less than normal price) , but if It was the normal price point, I could just get better bourbon like the WT101 for the same price so I wont probably get another one after this.

Note that this is coming from a neck pour and we all know those are a little bit rougher on the edges (lack of oxydation) . Will update the rating in about 1 month. Nose : First quick nosing , I smell the a lot of cinnamon and vanilla, with quite a bit of toasted oak (and some ethanol). On the second one, I feel a little bit of maple (faint), brown sugar and the typical Beam peanut brittle. Adding water, I smell a little bit of fruits (apple ? ) Palate : Oh boy this one hurts a little bit since it is my first 60ers in quite a long time (not alcohol burn). Once it settle down, I feel quite a lot of spice (pepper like) and oak at first (overwhelming), followed by some faint corn sweetness. Adding water really made it smoother. The spice is now mostly gone but it add to the oak and add to the sweetness, vanilla side of it Finish : A quite long finish that "hugs" you with a lot of Oak , cinnamon and faint sweet notes I was really hyped to taste this has it normally get a lot of praise, but I was dissapointed. It didnt felt really as balanced as I thought it would or complex enough. It felt over-oak-y, ultra spicy, without the amount of sweetness/vanilla to counterbalance it properly. The burn wasnt as strong as expected. I really hope it will get better with time but at the moment I wouldnt recommend it for the price and would probably recommend the 9 years (Non single barrel version) since it like like 20$ less where I live. Adding water makes it more enjoyable, but makes it typical not unique bourbon

First thing first, I was never a fan of Canadian whiskey because of my bad Experience with low-shelf Canadian Club or Crown, so I was beginning with some prejudices.. Oh boy I was pleasantly surprise by this one. Nose : First nosing I felt of lot of the toasted oak-iness of this bottle, with mix of caramel, vanilla. There was also hints of dried fruits , cherry and maybe some blackcurrants. I nosed it later after 30 minutes at air and began to smell more and more of the wine influence, kinda like a Cabernet Sauvignon (currants, cherries) Palate : The palate has a oily/creamy feeling to it, like if there was a coating the inside of your mouth (very pleasant). I feel a lot of tannins, currants which is similar to my second nosing with a balance of the oak and sweetness mixed to it. Also feeling subtle hints of cinnamon and dark chocolate(am I crazy for this one) Finish : Mostly a medium lenght finish with the same tannins , oak-y notes and now some spices (rye like) Personally , I didn't find the oak notes to be overbearing for my palate , but I could see why some people would dislike them Would probably recommend to one of my friend once we return to a normal life. . Excellent product for the price (39$ CDN)

Nose : Fruity (pear like), fresh cut grass but not too intense. Also a little bit leathery nose Taste/tongue : Oily feeling in mouth. Fruity feeling (maybe pear) is still there ,but also a little bit of a citrus and a really small hint of vanilla . On 3rd taste, I begin to feel a little bit of brine. Short sweet smoke finish that linger. Still really enjoy it. Good introduction for peated whiskey.

Nose : . Smells like vanilla mixed with green apple and subtle mix of caramel Palate : Taste very sweet with a gentle mouth feeling . On second taste, I feel like a small light touch of spice with the same sweetness closer to honey Finish: Finish that linger and I finally feel the apple-y feeling I got on the nose. Still feeling the little touch of spice

Nose : very subtle. Kinda smells like vanilla mixed with butterscotch Palate : Taste isnt as subtle as the nose. Taste like toasted oak with strong caramel sweetness . On second taste, feeling a little bit more of caramel with subtle vanilla. Not overly complex Finish: Moderate finish. Not too dry. Feels like more oak-y on the finish

On the nose, there is a brown sugar, orange citrus intermixed with waves of vanilla. On the taste, a punch of oak, then wave after wave of vanilla, some cinnamon spice in the mouth and a short in length finish ending in vanilla.