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Lot 40 Cask Strength whisky enjoys a cult following among Canadian whisky drinkers, one that is spreading worldwide as it continues to win awards. Lot 40, in all varieties, is 100% rye whisky. It’s aged in new oak and is more similar to American ryes than traditional Canadian ryes.
At first glance, it seems crazy to call Knob Creek 9 an underrated Bourbon. It’s been a successful brand for decades. And yet, the newly released 9 Year Old is a more modern take on Bourbon, especially when compared to the one discontinued in 2016. That’s my take. It’s going to gather even more fans.
This limited $80 bottle released in 2011 has sold for as much as $1,000 on the secondary market. A blend of marketing and whisky making, it stands (almost) alone for its story.
On a recent post on social media, someone new to the whisky world asked for what a favorite Japanese whisky was of the group. They got a response of a bunch of single malt distilleries, and this caused a great deal of confusion. The truth is, the posters forgot to mention all the Canadian whisky that also goes into a bottle of Japanese whisky!
Over the last decade, whisky tastings have changed dramatically. If the crowd is older, you’ll often find pipettes and distilled water as part of the tasting experience. Younger whisky drinkers, though, often prefer cask strength varieties and wouldn’t dream of watering down their lower proof (45% ABV) whiskies.
The winner of the 2021 Canadian Whisky Awards happens to be the oldest Canadian whisky (likely) ever sold. Aged for 43 years, Canadian Club is a twist on age statements and themes.
After being part of a fourteen-person panel that judged hundreds of samples from artisan distilleries from across Canada, I have some thoughts on distilleries in Canada. Spoiler—they’re all positive.
Competitive drinking is tough. After college, anyway. And, no, I don't mean to drink as much as possible in a short period of time. I mean, when it comes to judging whisky competitions with the purpose of scoring them on a 100 point scale.
Hi! I’m really excited about this, and I wanted to share.
You’ve seen me from such places as Whisky Buzz (mostly whisky reviews), The Whisky Topic Podcast, a terribly neglected YouTube channel, or Instagram (or possibly a combination of the above!). I’ve made a few changes to how content is delivered, and I hope this will allow me to continue delivering content to all of you in a more consistent way
Glencairn is the original whisky glass. To mark their 20th anniversary, they’ve released a limited number of colourful whisky glasses:
Due to COVID times and its affect on premium whisky sales, we will not be seeing a 2020 release of the Northern Border Collection. As unfortunate as this is, I’m glad to see Dr. Don Livermore and team come in with a few new whisky releases for the year. Pike Creek 15 Year Old is one of these new limited releases.
Templeton Rye is not (what most people would consider) a real rye. It is, though, legally a rye. It’s just not a straight rye which is what most people assume when they drink rye. It’s history is largely 💩. It’s not the first whisky with a questionable past, and won’t be the last, but Templeton has the distinct honour of being sued for their dishonesty. It stands along side with Tito’s Vodka claims to be hand made. Tito’s continues to be the best selling brand in North America, so I just 🤷♂️ at that, and whether it matters at all.
From previous reviews, you can tell that I’m a big fan of Barrell Craft Spirits. It seems they can do no wrong when it comes to bourbon. Dovetail, though, isn’t a bourbon. It’s a whisky that has plenty of barrel finishes, and those barrel finishes aren't subtle. Not one bit. When we had Will Schragis from Barrell Craft Spirits on the podcast, he suggested this is a great place to start if you’re new to BCS. I agree.
Wee Beastie. The name is adorbs. The single malt scotch is aged for five years, two years longer than minimum. Non-chill filtered, no added coloring, and no cask finishes—matured in a mix of European (Oloroso) and American oak. And to quote Bry Simpson, the Canadian Brand Ambassador’s, favorite phrase: “It’s a banger!”
The source of this rye makes for an interesting story, but in the case of Barrel Rye Batch Three, it’s a footnote rather than a defining characteristic. One might hear that this batch is a blend of ryes from Tennessee, Indiana, Poland, and Canada and think it’ll taste otherworldly or weird or funky. It does none of those things. It tastes like a terrific American cask strength rye, with a floral (almost Lot 40 rye-like) nose to it. It’s a beautiful blend.
Barrell Bourbon uses their large stock of procured barrels, and blends the best complimentary set of straight bourbons. Each batch is different, and each batch is uniquely created toward a specific flavour profile.
Lisa Wicker is taking Widow Jane Distillery in an interesting direction with the Vaults series. Like with other Widow Jane Bourbons, its a blend of multiple producers, but this series is finished in staves that have been seasoned for eight years. From the perspective of flavouring, there’s a lot going on, and it all fits in nicely.
This Brooklyn distillery has undergone a few changes since I last wrote about them. The distillery is under new ownership, and they’ve hired Kentucky’s Lisa Wicker as their head distillery (Lisa was more recently named the president as well). Under new management, gone are the criticisms of the past.
Glassware matters. I’ve been drinking out of Glencairn glass since my first whisky festival. It changed the way I understood whisky. When we had Raymond Davidson on the podcast, I learned that it was Raymond’s love for tasting terrific whisky that drove this innovation.
WIN your own PERSONALIZED set of Glencairn Whisky Glasses! Simply share your latest dram on Instagram and your tasting notes with us. Tag #tastingmaestro to be entered into the monthly draw. Start the description saying: “I’m hoping to become this month’s #tastingmaestro! You can too, for your chance to win a pair of personalized @theglencairnglass glassware!” Be sure to follow @markbylok so we can reach out to you.
This Lychee liqueur barrel finished cask strength whisky is a premium product from Nantou Distillery. It sells for over two-thousand dollars a bottle. It’s a unique product to a region that's known for their lychees.
J.P. Wiser’s Rare Cask Seven Rebels is a terrific rye, with no (or very little) rye grain in it. Instead, burnt staves were used to impart a very spicy oaky note that’ll trick the senses that this is a high rye whisky. It’s a fascinating product, with an interesting history.
While Pappy Van Winkle gets the credit for popularizing luxury Bourbon, I’d like to argue that it’s not the most influential style of bourbon. If you look at oaky high-proof bombs of today, that style of whisky started with George T. Stagg. It’s the bourbon that influenced a bunch of influencers to love oaky bourbons. Thus (potentially) dramatically changing the types of whiskies coming to market.
Sam Simmons, the head of Atom Brands (and former global ambassador to The Balvenie), ran a tasting at The Caledonian last month. He was, as per his usual style, forthcoming. He made clear that he doesn’t want bloggers to write about Darkness Sherry Cask 8 Year Old. “It’s not about that. It’s about enjoying a terrific scotch with friends,” he said.
A while ago Maker’s Mark had a problem. They made the perfect clean smooth wheated bourbon. Meanwhile, a modern palate wanted more ‘rye’ spice, and more ‘oaky’ notes, and other elements that Maker’s Mark’s perfect formula was lacking. Their ingenious answer was to use oak staves in a brief extra-maturation process to add additional flavours to the whisky. Maker’s Mark 46 was born, and the results were terrific.
The Macallan Estate whisky is made from barley grown on the property. Where barely is grown, and the type of barley grown, matters.
We finish our complete review of the Spirits Advent Calendar, 5th edition! Did they save he best for last? I think they might just have!
Growing up in Canada, anCnoc Distillery wasn’t a distillery that got a lot of attention. It wasn’t available here. When it came to market, it was hard to quantify. It’s not a splashy distillery. It’s a traditional single malt whisky maker that takes pride in the little things that make a great whisky. You can read more about anCnoc distillery elsewhere. You can also listen to our podcast with the Gordons.
Bearface has a brand goal to flip the script on what we consider blending. The Wilderness Series is the start of their story, a clear direction in where they’re going, and an understanding of the market.