Lot No. 40 Canadian Rye

2015 batch. Fragrant nose... floral, herbal, soapy. On the palate this is surprisingly multifaceted, flavorful yet balanced. Dark chocolate at the end. Overall very smooth with lots of nuances. I can see why this won Canadian Whiskey of the Year in 2015. 1/20/18

Lot No. 40 Canadian Rye Whiskey 86 proof 1/19/18 A: N: Wow! Deep, deep, baked sweet cinnamon and brown bread crust. Malt thickness and starchy sweetness with overtones of milk chocolate and brandy-poached cherries, like some malted milk ball-cherry cordial love child. T: Light in body, but creamy in texture, like soy milk. Some astringent huskiness, or toasted parchment flavor hits you and surprises you, but it becomes welcomed as you acclimate. Eventually, it begins to taste like burnt sugar and baked raisins on a wheat bran biscotti. The charred cinnamon slowly shows itself eventually, but briefly at the end of the toasted flavors. Poached pears emerge. F: The flavors blend together into a dull roar without spice, but with just a lingering resiny, tree sap like coating, bitter, and a tad medicinal, but not plasticky or unpleasant. If you wait long enough between sips, you can taste the full experience of biting into a whole navel orange. O: Overall, an interesting drink, some familiar flavors in a rye, and some new ones to boot! There's a lack of some of the herbal qualities of rye, but definitely the tannic spice, and even some toasted and burnt characters that are not the norm in my experience. I will return to this everyday-drinking type of rye.

Good, not something I’d love to sip, but it’ll do.