Lot No. 40 Canadian Rye

Let's take a whisky journey North to the land of the rye where we have this delicious Hiram Walker & Sons 100% rye whisky that's been copper pot-distilled and aged in new oak casks. I'm just going to come out and say that, for a two-time Canadian Whisky of the Year award winner, this offers amazing value for what it brings to the table. Like a rich, complex bottle of Scotch, there is a lot going on from the nose to the finish that will leave you second-guessing yourself and asking, "Wait a minute. Did I actually taste that?" On the nose, you get a mingling of corn and rye with some baked pastries filled with almonds, marzipan, and summer fruits. If you closed your eyes and took a whiff, you would think you've walked into a Parisian pâtisserie! The palate quickly changes your perspective though. You're hit with spices followed by lime and lingering smoke in the background; but the moment passes swiftly as the fruity notes make an encore appearance - this time around, it's a blend of berries and grapes which then diminish into some sweet vanilla, syrups, and grain. The cool thing about this whisky is that it was produced in Ontario with 100% rye, yet the flavours and aromas remind of a decent Kentucky bourbon - think Buffalo Trace or 1792. If you fancy something new and intriguing, grab a bottle of this Lot 40 and it won't disappoint. Even if you're like myself who doesn't drink a whole lot of rye, you will find this whisky very palatable. Enjoy neat or on the rocks, it will be smooth regardless. P.S. Happy World Whisky Day! I know I'm a day late to review this thing, but I was too busy enjoying it. #WWD NOSE: Corn, confectioners' sugar, egg tart, egg custard, almonds, marzipan, apricot, peach jam, rye grain, light oak PALATE: Spices, cinnamon, ginger root, lime, light smoke FINISH: Cranberries, raspberries, grape juice, lime, vanilla, cough syrup, rye Rating: 85/100 Grade: B Good – not a “must”, but a nice-to-have.

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)

Nose: Sweet, orchard fruit, caramel, honey, orange Palate: Sweet, caramel, vanilla, brown sugar, floral/herbal Finish: Liquorice, black pepper, cardamon. Slight woodiness and charring. This is a very sweet dram, but with a burned/caramelised fruit note throughout. This pleasantly surprised me, it is much tastier and layered than I was expecting.