Ensign Red Canadian Whisky

Tastes sweet but lightly hot, cinnamon kind of hot but without being a flavored whiskey. I get some wood notes but it still feels like it should be aged more to finish fully developing. A couple more years in a barrel would allow it to grow even more.

Nose - cherry, grape, mint, black pepper, corn, caramel, peach, cinnamon, light oak, unidentifiable nut, mild to moderate ethanol burn. Taste - corn, sweet caramel, light smoky oak, black pepper, mint, cinnamon, pecan, macadamia, apple, vanilla, mild to moderate alcohol bite, finishing fast with caramel, mint, and barrel spice flavors. This is below average, but not nearly as bad as some of the other Canadians I’ve reviewed. There’s a nice minty, nutty, grape candy sweetness on the nose. Nothing like the standard bland, cloying corn sweetness I find on many of the others. The taste is very sweet, but not unpleasantly so. There’s some youthful prickly wood on the palate, which isn’t great, but some nice caramel and sweet nuttiness as well. Overall, it’s a bit too sweet and young, but richer than most of its direct competitors. I’d much rather drink this than the likes of Canadian Mist and Black Velvet. And at less than $20, the price is right if you happen to be a fan of budget Canadian whisky. Who knows. Maybe there are one or two of you out there.

Very light color with surprisingly thick legs Funky nose like a faint Rare Perfection mouth was Incredible easy drinker with faint mint Short finish on the middle front of the tongue

Not bad for cheap whiskey

It smells lightly aged in an almost elegant way, but also in a way that's suggestive of a sweet and incoherent palate. It smells a fair bit like light toasty oak, which is actually pretty nice. There's also something a little leathery with some minerally apples on the nose, yet a hint of formaldehyde and mushroom a la Corralejo Reposado sneaks its way in too. The palate is oily and surprisingly rich with a sweet caramel note a a lot of nuttiness that brings in Walnut without being overwhelming, balancing it with pecan and a hint of almond. The sweetness really lingers in a syrupy way, though it does stay reasonably under control. There's a bit of spice (cinnamon and some clove) that adds burn and there's a little mint in there too. Vanilla is here for sure, but fruit is not very present beyond the mineral apple. There's a bit of something dark and sweet like dates and dried figs in the syrup, but it is hard to pick out. All told, this is weird and not something I particularly like, but it isn't that bad. The alcohol flavor is a bit present and does longer, but beyond that it's just kind of odd. The mushroom flavor does come out a lot more or a quick sip though and it brings a bit of rubber with it. There's a bit of something savory like low-grade roast beef for a brief moment after drinking Corralejo Reposado, but it vanishes quickly. This lacks the freshness, fruitiness, complexity, and definition of Corralejo Reposado and the result is highly inferior. Initially, it seemed like there might be an extra bit of rye influence here dragging this down, but that turned out not to be the case - it's just not that great.