Sitting here on my deck in Edmonton, this will be the first sip of whiskey I’ve ever had that was grown, distilled and aged in my home city/province...I doubt you can get this in many other places so whom am I writing this for? Hah who knows I just like doing it. Not sure what to expect, but the bottle I have is a barrel pick for Wine & Beyond, specifically barrel #7, bottle #27. Unlike the bottling from the distillery which is proofed down to 43 ABV, this one is 50. The nose is bold but not sharp.. it gives off strong smells of grain, leather and spice. After letting it breathe for 5 mins and staying with it the oaky barrel shows up but so does a hint of sweetness. The initial palate teases you with that sweetness, but it’s gone quick; transitioning in the blink of an eye to citrus zest. Before you can even discern what type of citrus, it’s evolved again, this time into peppery rye spice and then those classic warm baking spices. Quite a long finish as well, which I wasn’t expecting based on the medium oily mouthfeel. Leather and tobacco and wood come into play here, as well as a nice lingering low heat from from the added proof. As I mentioned in my review of Gooderham & Wort, it’s nice to see a Canadian distiller putting out something that tastes like real whiskey, and not the classic syrupy sweet stuff that makes me feel like I have to apologize after every sip. Price is a little steep tho.. I wouldn’t buy again at 84 dollars.. but I had to experience it, knowing it was made 20 mins from where I live. Pretty cool.