There's something wonderful about the blur of days between Christmas and New Years. Time is yours to do as you see fit and calories don't count. Right? I've heard some buzz around Canadian distillery Signal Hill so I had to pick up a bottle of their whisky. They designed an attractive heavy-bottomed bottle with a matte, raised glass logo.
The nose has an initial puff of ethanol that morphs quickly to citrus and settles into maple sugar. Later, the nose has a deep rum-like maturity with fruit, cola and nutmeg.
This is a moderately viscous whisky: not watery but not syrup. Though it has a speckling of heat, it's quite smooth. This whisky is tangy, sweet and oaky, likely influenced by their three barrel types (Canadian whisky, New white oak and bourbon).
I find that this has a bitter aftertaste, almost like orange rind. I enjoyed the nose and mouthfeel most and I'd like to see what Signal Hill does with future releases. This whisky improved with time post-pour and grew on me through the tasting. I'd imagine this whisky adding pleasant citrus depth to a Manhattan and being enjoyable over ice, too.
7.25/10