Grumpious
Alberta Premium Cask Strength Rye
Canadian — Alberta, Canada
Reviewed
December 31, 2020 (edited November 5, 2021)
Back in August when I got word that Jim Murray named this whiskey of the year 2020, I thought well that’s odd, I see it everyday here and nobody buys it.. maybe I should get a couple bottles. Glad I did cuz it was gone everywhere by the end of the day.
After all these months I haven’t cracked it open but figured on this quarantine New Year’s Eve I can’t end 2020 without tasting the “best” whiskey of the year.
The nose is rich and understated, nutty and spicy and chocolate all at the same time. Let it breathe and the proof starts to flex its muscles a bit with some sharp ethanol notes spiking up. In between those shards is more delicate toffee and vanilla.
The first sip overwhelms the senses, with 65.1% doing what it was meant to do. Hot, spicy & woody and not much else.
Let’s give this another try.
Being slightly acclimated on the second sip helps to find a citrusy sweetness on the front of the palate followed by a full mouthful of rye grain, like I was out in the field chewing it right off the tillers. Then baking spice and pepper are cranked up to 11 followed by some significant heat that rounds out the experience.
The finish is shorter then I expected, about medium, with dry bitter wood notes and not much else.
Is it the best whiskey I’ve had this year out of the 80 I’ve reviewed? Nope. This is almost more like a party trick you play on your friends to watch them squirm.. however if you like Rye this is a flavor explosion of grain and spice that should be on your list.
56.0
CAD
per
Bottle
Edmonton
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@Grumpious - Fantastic! Glad it was a success!
@rawalker I took your advice tonight and a maple simple syrup old fashioned was where it was at! Felt extra Canadian and the heat paired well with the ice and sugars. Thanks for the tip!
Out of curiosity, did you add any water here? I had this the other night and I find neat it's almost undrinkable due to the high ABV and it's hard to get past anything other than heat and spice. I had 1 oz of this and about 0.4 oz water added to bring to about 46%, which for me is about my sweet spot. At this ABV it really is quite a nice balance of rich and spicy. I also agree, best whisky in the world? Maybe not, but what does that even mean?!? :)
@Grumpious - I agree with Rob, it is an excellent cocktail whisky. I would suggest maple syrup simple syrup for your Old Fashioned with this one!
@robwalker Yea rating this one was a bit of an enigma for me. There was lots to appreciate like bold flavor and ABV value, but when I looked at the rest of my collection in the 3-4 range it was clear I would always reach for one of them first. You have inspired me to try it in an old fashioned or something else today as I bet your are right about the cocktail potential of this!
I am surprised at your number rating based on your comments! I agree that it is not the whisky of the year, and I was disappointed when Jim Murray named it that because I knew I wouldn't be able to find another bottle for awhile to replace the one I had.... I managed to find one because it's one I think has great rye flavours and makes a fantastic cocktail. It's also hard to beat the price for a 65% bottle! Good review!
@WhiskeyLonghorn @Grumpious the only time I think my palette agreed with Jimbo’s pick of the year was ages ago when he had chosen Yamazaki 18. After that, everything else was probably just publicity seeking or book sales
@WhiskeyLonghorn Yea I have also been skeptical ever since I heard about Crown Royal Northern Harvest being best in year.. but it’s fascinating how within 24 hours of the book being released the shelves go bare.
I tend to steer clear of anything old Jimbo recommends. I find more and more each year the things he recommend are for shock value to try and stay relevant in a world with dozens of whiskey blogs and YouTube whiskey reviewers. Or he just has the strangest palate ever...