J.P. Wiser's Alumni Whisky Series Lanny McDonald

This won’t be a long review. Let me say upfront that this whisky was a disappointment. I have tremendous respect for Dr Don Livermore and for Lanny McDonald, but this is a pretty weak offering. It got somewhat better with time, but even after 6 months it was pretty mediocre. Tasting Notes • Nose (undiluted): strong acetone/nailpolish remover/cheap vodka aromas, even after 6 months. After a very long rest in the glass, there’s some fresh-cut oak, a little caramel and vanilla, and not much else. • Palate (undiluted): thin mouthfeel. I guess you could call it smooooooth. There’s a bit more vanilla and caramel, pencil shavings, and a touch of barrel char. • Finish: short to medium length, somewhat drying, with a little toffee lingering. Adding water makes this go from mediocre to unpleasant. With water it smells and tastes like nailpolish remover (don’t ask how I know what that tastes like). The finish becomes unbearably bitter. The bottle says “Canadian whisky barrels and virgin oak barrels”, but I didn’t get many of the rich, sweet notes I’d expect from virgin oak. The bottle says “wheat forward”, but I didn’t get any notes I’d associate with wheated whisky. I got a lot of flavours and aromas I associate with not quite grain neutral spirits, but pretty darned close to it, uhm, I mean “high-proof, base whisky”. And while this “base whisky” might work if left long enough in good barrels, that doesn’t seem to be the case here. This is drinkable neat, but awful with water or ice. I have no idea how the reviewer for Distiller scores this an 87. His tasting notes read like a completely different whisky than the one I tasted. And I bought my bottle right at the Wiser’s/Hiram Walker distillery. Not recommended. Sorry Dr Livermore. 67/100 points.