Lot No. 40 Canadian Rye

Taste: 1oz sample neat in glen cairn, and then as the base spirit in old fashioned. Nose (3.0) Fresh churned butter, caraway seed, fresh meadow flowers. Palate: (3.75) Mouthfeel is smooth, rich, and buttery. Brown sugar comes forward and some cherries with a dab of clover honey. No rough edges on this, maybe but a bit timid. Finish: (3.0) Lacks proof when neat so it is a quicker finish as compared to some of my more favorite barrel proof or close to it, American rye cousins. It stays together though with a nice balance all the way through. Overall: Neat it is a bit underproofed and doesnt have those bold flavors I appreciate in a spicy barrelproof rye. More sweet to me. I don't dislike that, just throws me off a bit as it is a rye more like a corn forward whiskey. That said, my expertise in Canadian Rye is limited but I would like to explore it more. But what it isn't as a neat drinker it IS as a base for an old fashioned. Sweet without being cloying, enough spice to let you know you have some rye in there, and finely buffed edges that blend well with bitters, orange, and sugar. Garnish with luxardo cherries and it is hard NOT to make the perfect old fashioned.