Rating: X/23 This isn't a normal tasting because I'm trying this in a cocktail. I hear that this is great in an old fashioned and it's Canadian, so I'm thinking I need to try it in a maple syrup old fashioned. I won't be giving this a formal rating, but I'll be making general statements and maybe giving the cocktail a rating. I'm trying 25ml of this with 5ml of grade A maple syrup (I decided to keep it clean rather than going with grade B funk), and a single dash of Angostura bitters. I did take a small sip of this, which I compared with Whistlepig Piggyback. I got a big rye flavor here. The Whistlepig was funkier and lighter (the latter being far from surprising considering the proof difference), but it still had a genuine rye character. This has more alcohol, but a cleaner flavor. There's plenty of rye spice and bitter yet crisp and clean herbal flavor. I'm really digging this neat. Still, I see why I didn't love it neat previously because there isn't a ton of variation here. Russell's Reserve Single Barrel Rye (17/23) is richer, fuller, and smoother. It has less of that genuine rye bite to it, but it still does have bitter herbs and some freshness. I'm inclined to think that this is not quite as good. Based on the 5ml of sips I have available, that is. I do get a bit of tropical fruit that reminds me of Willett Family Estate 4 (15/23). In fact, side by side, this is sort of like a brighter, less mellow version of the Willett. I think that I can see an argument for this being up to a 17, but I don't think that I can really make a formal statement to that effect in these circumstances. I could also believe that this is a 14. Wow, the Willett sure has a lot of complexity. Yeah, I'm definitely not upping this. Lots of spice and definite alcohol here, but it's so clean and crisp. It does kind of taste like the quintessential rye. I'd love to try it side by side with Whistlepig 10, which I find to have a lot of rye character, but also to be very boring. Considering that I prefer the Whistlepig PiggyBack to the 10, I think that this being quite like the 10 would not necessarily make it all that great. OK, but I've finally used 5/6 of my sample to make that old fashioned I promised. Wow, I can ramble. This is a since combination of sweet and spicy and bitter. This is sweeter and more decadent than this is on its own, but I suppose that is unsurprising. Despite not being a huge component here, the nuances of the maple syrup come out. For anyone using maple syrup to make their old fashioned, definitely don't use the cheap stuff. At least use actual maple syrup instead of that corn syrup that masquerades as it. The richness here is great and the complexity is also acceptable. I'd like to try some more variations with different ryes and maple syrups, but I unfortunately don't have a lot of options on hand. I was a little underwhelmed, but a spritz of orange really pulls this together. I think that this could be the base of a great old fashioned, but I'd need to be able to spend more time shopping it. As it is, this is delightful, but it isn't on the level of a neat pour of a great spirit. But, hey, I prefer neat spirits and set high standards. The fact that I sipped through this quickly and was surprised and disappointed when I hit the bottom says a lot. Putting some other cocktails next to this, it really stands out. I don't know whether that is a statement about the whiskey or about the cocktail, but it really makes me want more. Again, I'm not going to be giving this a rating. I'd definitely make this at home again though if I had a bottle, though likely with slight changes to enhance it. One thing I would give a shot, would definitely be using grade B maple syrup for a bolder, less vegetal flavor. Thank you @pkingmartin for sharing this sample with me!