Wayne Gretzky No. 99 Ice Cask

Rich oakiness and definite sweetness from the ice wine cask. A nice sipper.

I’m trying… but it’s just not good. Ugh.

Tried neat with @Looneyhead in his speak easy On the nares it smells super smooth with notes of leather, fruit, dates, vanilla, slight black pepper, and meat, spearmint Palate: strong leather, Cherries, band-aide, pear, wood, spearmint

Obviously young from the nose which is dominated by ethanol. Palate is quite good but I don't sense the sweetness reported by others. The mouthfeel is very oily and slick. Coats the tongue. Finish is short but not unpleasant. A slight burn for the proof but quite smooth to drink. The finish imparts a good flavor to the young whiskey but at times there are some strange sour notes in the finish. Not unpleasant but in my opinion not worth the markup over Red Cask which is a strong Canadian whiskey offering at the price.

On the nose it’s rye, leather, char, berries, smoke, cloves, caramel, mint, bubblegum, maple syrup and wine barrel. Rich and viscous on the palate, with flavors of smoke, leather, rye, caramel, bubblegum, cinnamon, flowers and charred wood. Long, rich and moderately spicy finish. Quite complex , and quite good.

COLOUR: Orange-bronze. LEGS: Very fast and thin (this does not bode well for a good mouth-feel); secondary legs much thicker and a little slower. NOSE: Delicate (2/5); sweet corn & slightly spicy rye; lots of acetone (unpleasant nail polish remover); caramel, honey & sugar; some grassy hay-like character; hint of salt. WITH WATER (3 drops into 10mL): almost everything is gone except for the annoying acetone. Score 3.10 TASTE: Very sweet; rich, oily & thick; powerful (4/5); drying spicy rye; butterscotch, honey & sugar (a bit like rum); very sweet and one-dimensional. WITH WATER: less sweet; chocolate emerges (very interesting); but the acetone also rises unpleasantly. Score 6/10 FINISH: Very short; delicate (1/5); sweet & spicy, but very subtle; butterscotch & sugar. WITH WATER: same, but with a remembrance of chocolate. Score 4/10 OVERALL: A very sweet dessert-like dram; the nose is very unpleasant and off-putting; the taste is better. Better without water, unless you want the chocolate taste, but you lose everything else. Weighted Score 4.9/10