Lot No. 40 Dark Oak

I bought a bottle of Lot No. 40 Dark Oak, but found it too dry for my tastes. Fortunately, I had a bottle of Knob Creek Rye which I found too sweet. Ralfy, on his Youtube site had a segment where he talked about blending similar whiskey's. So I blended Lot No. 40 Dark Oak with Knob Creek Rye on a 50/50 formula and found an excellent whiskey. One was too dry, the other too sweet. I am pleased with the results.

Aroma is all wood. Palate is rye spice, nothing fancy but it works. Abv is hot but still nice. I would buy again.

Loads of the usual amazing spice expression. The big excitement is that just slightly scorched caramel characteristic. Delicious!

I see Canada Day as an opportunity to show gratitude towards local innovators, makers and distillers. In the international whisk(e)y community, I am frequently asked for Canadian whisky suggestions (since most folks are exposed to one or two "mainstream" brands that fail to do us justice!). The Hiram Walker & Sons distillery in Windsor Ontario has been in operation for >160 years and has one of the largest distillery capacities in North America with 37 fermenters. One of the whiskies produced is Lot 40. Lot 40 Dark Oak is aged in new American Oak and finished in a second, heavily charred new Oak barrel. Similar to the standard offering, it's 100% rye that is pot still distilled. Lot 40 Dark Oak is bottled at 48% ABV, unlike the 43% standard Lot 40. Let's dig in, eh? I can smell orange, syrup, vanilla, nutmeg and vintage oak must. Though there might be some Canadian bias, I swear that I can smell some maple sugar over time as well. This amber coloured offering is subtle to start. The mouthfeel is rich and full with sweet cherry paired with oak bitterness. A wave of spices build gradually; anise, cinnamon and black pepper. The spices wane to a medium finish. It's nicely belly warming, lightly drying, with a wisp of menthol and echo of oak on the palate. I like Lot 40 Dark Oak's namesake oak-forward profile and think that it would play well in an old fashioned too. I appreciate how versatile the use cases for this offering would be: neat, on a rock or in a cocktail. 7.75/10

I find this rye yummy. It has a pleasant vanilla and butter with a brown sugar sweetness and a spectacular, very smooth finish.