It's been a while since I've written any reviews. For my first one (of hopefully many) in 3+ months, I'm going with this Lot 40. I didn't grab it for any particular reason other than that it looked promising and that I was hoping it would improve my perception of Canadian whisky (not counting WhistlePig.) Nose: Initially too weak to nose, but it opens up nicely over time. Typical American notes of black pepper, rye bread, vanilla, nutmeg, clove, and dill. After tasting the palate, I'll add ginger snap cookies. Palate: Notably more vibrant than the nose. Bready notes: sourdough and rye. Some tangy citrus and dill. Some caramel, vanilla, and nutty flavors. Cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg. I cheated (I'm out of practice) and found ginger snap cookies online. And now I can't disassociate that from this whisky (even getting it on the nose now.) I'd say it's the dominant note here. Green, grassy notes to round it out. Good stuff. Finish: Some Gala apple and apple cider. And then it's all spice. Black pepper heavy, with some cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg. Moderate length. My 4-star rating surprises me. I've tried this a few times prior to this review, and I hadn't thought much of it. I guess oxidation played its part well here. It seemed rather plain in the previous tastings, but now I've come to realize that the "ginger snap whiskey" is quite good. First Canadian whiskey to crack the four-star threshold (and three-star for that matter) besides Whistlepig 10, but that's an issue for a different review. As far as this goes, I'm finding to be a fun whisky for a great value. Hiram Walker has put Canada on the map with this Lot 40. After this, I've got faith that I'll find more jewels from up north.