Templeton Rye 4 Year

This rye whiskey is a conundrum. Keeping away from anything having to do with marketing, I'll focus on taste. This is sweet with a solid butterscotch note. A bit of cedar in the background, along with some pepper, spices and a touch of vanilla. It's quite tasty and very easy to drink, but at 80 proof I expect it to be easy. It's a nice splash of rye to have neat or on the rocks, in a glencairn or from a flask. I can't give this more than 3 stars even though I like it as much as most 3.5 star ryes I've had... when I have it neat. It's tasty. But.... It doesn't have the horsepower to make it in a cocktail, where its sweet and modest profile can be drowned by vermouth or even bitter amari. On the rocks this is good, but NOT better than Lot 40, imho. Further, this Templeton expression isn't nearly as interseting as Crown Royal Nerthern Harvest rye. I prefer the increased complexity and bolder profile of the Canuk whisky. I've tasted the 4yr in the past. I enjoy a variety of ryes (KC cask, EHT, and PIkesville are on my regular rotation). I like this one, but not enough to buy it again. It's tasty, but there's too much competition at this price point from bottled-in-bond expressions and any number of similarly MGP-sourced branded bottles.