Canadian whiskey isn’t familiar territory for me. I’ve tried the big names: Canadian Club - Couldn’t get a taste for it. Tried the 12 year old and the standard offering and found both to be far too sweet and without much depth. Crown Royal - I’ve tried the baseline CR, Crown Royal Reserve, and the Noble barrel 13 year old. CR Reserve I found to be what I hoped the baseline CR would be, namely a pleasant sipper with just enough going on in the palette and finish. The 13 year old is an interesting experiment that I’m not sure entirely works but it’s a totally different animal than the other two and a nice insight into what a decent span of time in the barrel can do for Crown. So anywho, getting back to Lot 40. This doesn’t have much of a typical Rye profile but its a flavorful pour, much more so than the aforementioned Canadians. I don’t find the nose to be particularly dynamic but I get a nice dose of sweet grain on the palette, the distillate has received a nice sprucing up from the barrels used as well. The finish is where I was really surprised. Much more lengthy than I would’ve guessed and with a wonderful red apple note that just sits on your tongue and has no plans to leave. It’s a note that comes out of left field at the end and was a very pleasant surprise. I’ve got a bottle of the “yellow label” Lot 40 which apparently has a different Rye mashbill than this one. I’m looking forward to seeing the differences. I’d love to get my hands on a bottle of the cask strength version but it’s never shone it’s face here in NH.