For starters, I LOVE Lot 40 regular. I think it's my favorite sipping rye to be honest. And at the price ($40 in Ontario), I don't mind throwing it in some ginger ale either. If there are any 'Rye and Ginger' lovers out there, give the regular a try. I guarantee it will change your life. Onto the cask strength. How can you make the regular Lot 40 better? Bump up the ABV to 55% and age it for 12 years obviously. I tasted the cask side by side with the regular. On the nose, the cask is as you'd expect, a little stronger on the alcohol side. But I was surprised at how little it burned. On the palette it was the regular amped up. Lots of dark fruit, spice and a hint of molasses. The finish lingered, as it should. Here's where it got fun! I added five drops of water and WOW!! Not only were the flavours more pronounced, but it became thicker and creamier. The regular Lot 40 just doesn't do that with water. I've had that happen with some single malts before, but never a rye. After letting it sit for a few more minutes, cinnamon starts to develop. And the finish is long bringing all the flavours back over and over again. I'm ecstatic about this rye. I won't be testing it with ginger ale, that's for sure. It certainly doesn't need it!