DjangoJohnson
Alberta Premium Cask Strength Rye
Canadian — Alberta, Canada
Reviewed
August 22, 2022 (edited February 18, 2024)
I've had my eye on this one for a while before purchasing. There's been some hype around it, and I love rye, especially cask strength, though generally that love finds me buying Knob Rye Single Barrel Select for 60$. Although I did pick up a Sagamore 6 Year CS I haven't opened yet too. And that was $55. (Not to mention I just came back from my beach vacation with Sagamore 8 Year, Stellum Rye, and Barrell Seagrass...I'm thinking I might be in for a treat with all of those...and please don't mention Pikesville, I'm aware of it, my friends, it sounds like a wonderland in a bottle, and I'll get there soon). This one here was going for $70 before they put it on sale for $60, and I figured it was time to pull the tigger, and having had this, I might be willing to pull that trigger again since it's still on sale.
Let's start off with a bit of honesty: this is WAY better than a whisky with a twist cap has any right to be. I mean the bottle design isn't terrible, but the twist cap screams low rent. Of course, Canadian whisky companies do know how to dress a pig (Crown Royal tote bags anyone?), but who knew they might take a beauty like this and put a pig nose on it? In any case, the whisky inside the bottle more than makes up for the twist cap. On the nose this bad boy is rich and luscious: spice heavy with rye and cinnamon, vanilla backbone with graham cracker and a touch of cherry. The palate continues that spice heavy journey adding that odd touch of Copper Tone Suntan Lotion that a lot of cask strength ryes take on along with the Earl Grey bergamot/citrus as well as off-brand cola, not so much Coke or Pepsi as RC. The finish is long as a summer's day and hits even more heavily with the rye spice. It makes your tongue kind of tingly, you know, like when you used to climb the ropes in gym class? Oh wait, maybe that wasn't your tongue. Anyhow...
For a 132 proof pour, this goes down easy enough on its own, however, I like a shot and a half with a sliver of ice melted in it, which is not unique to this particular brand but how I'm finding I most enjoy almost all cask strength whisky these days. I expected to like this, but if I'm being entirely truthful the result here is a quarter star above where I thought it would be. Sometimes you should believe the hype. With Alberta Premium Cask Strength Rye, all the positive stuff you've heard is true.
59.99
USD
per
Bottle
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@DjangoJohnson for for $100 is absolutely obscene. Great find Sir!
@DjangoJohnson what a score!
This just went on sale in my neck of the woods for $25! I picked up 4 bottles.
@DjangoJohnson looking forward to your review of the Sag 8.
Don’t sleep on Contradiction Rye for a lower cost rye option. It’s under $35 around here.
@DjangoJohnson Nikka WFTB is awesome. It just appeared again on shelves here. Hopefully this quality remains high. It matches up nicely with other premium blends - JW Green, JW 18 yr and the blended malts from Compass Box. I tend to love the balance and complexity in a good blend.
@DjangoJohnson Yamasaki 12 yr is very good. Awesome blend, but subtle. I scratched that itch for $130. Glad I did but not a repeat purchase. I would say there are some other great blends in the $50-80 range that are on par.
@angstrom I’ve had my eye on From the Barrel for some time and they just got it in near me so I could be brown bagging that soon. As for Yamazaki 12, that one has always struck me as low vfm.
@DjangoJohnson Me too—-I look for distilleries or wineries when on vacation. It always seem to taste better on site as well.
@DjangoJohnson Yamazaki 12 yr and Nikka WFTB are also a screw cap. Here is to the high price hobos!
@Cornmuse I cede your point but a twist cap still makes me feel like a hobo stealing sips from a brown bag in an alley
@PBMichiganWolverine it’s not local here either which is frustrating because it’s not like Baltimore is all that far away. Gets me to wondering whether Dad’s Hat is running a blockade since they’re between here and there. Anyway this was one I had to travel for and that ends up being one of my favorite parts of any vacation: hitting the stores and bringing back stuff I can’t get at home
@soonershrink haven’t opened it yet but it’s on the docket for football season. My review will be up in the coming months but I hear it’s fantastic.
This is on my radar and we share a love for rye whiskey. I have to take an opposing position regarding the cap, though. I hate cork. The synthetic is fine, but I wish they'd note it on the bottle. With screw caps I can store bottles on their side in my liquor closet with confidence. Corks need to be upright and even then... I'm gonna say the Canucks got this one right!
@soonershrink I’ve had my eye on that for a while, just haven’t seen it here locally. Everything I’ve read about it seems like it’s great VFM
How’s the Sagamore 8 year?
There’s a 20yr of this that’s sold only in Canada…for under $100. They’re keeping the best stuff up there!
I agree that it’s terribly packaged but thankfully the liquid inside is a hell of a rye. This is tasty neat but I found it makes a stunning Canadian old fashioned(rye, maple syrup and orange peel) with a few splashes of Aztec chocolate bitters.