Some More Rye

Another Batch of Canada’s Finest courtesy again of Mr De Kergommeaux  ! Some new , Some revisited……

Canadian Mist 40%

Takes a little while to open up but eventually the nose contains the distinctive Butterscotch along with rye , freshly cut straw and Spices . The palate has wholemeal bread toast , rye , toffee , spices , an absolute treat . The finish is medium long , peppery and orange marmalade on toast (don’t know where that came from !)

A lovely dram , a nice sipper !

(Bronze Medal Winner , 2014 Canadian Whisky Awards)

(Value Whisky of the Year Export Market , 2014 Canadian Whisky Awards)

Collingwood 40%

This was the first Canadian Whisky I ever tried , On our first day in Toronto in Piper’s Gastropub in the basement of the Fairmont Royal York Hotel , to be honest I wasn’t that impressed (I was with the Bison Burger I had with it !) so it will be interesting to see how it does now after having had a bit more experience with Canadian Whisky ! This is Distilled at the Canadian Mist Distillery , the twist on the whisky is that staves of toasted maple wood are added to the stainless steel marrying vat to further mellow the whisky (it’s amazing what trivia can be gleaned from Davins canadianwhisky.org site !)  . There is something on the nose I can’t just identify , not bad I hasten to add , it is a quite complex nose to me , a hell of a lot going on , dried fruits – currants and raisins , a hint of rye but there is a lack of sweetness compared to other drams . The Rye is more predominant on the palate and there is more of a toffee sweetness than on the nose , there is more of a sourness to this than anything else , obviously I prefer the sweeter drams . The finish is longish and spicy .

Still not impressed with this , there is still something I just don’t like about it  , can’t put my finger on it , one less for the shopping list…….

Canadian Club Small Batch Classic 12 , 12yo 40% (Batch Lot C12-217)

 Very Soft nose , first thing that hits you is the rye , then a very nice Christmas Cake aroma – Dried fruits , spices – it actually becomes very spice laden later on . Quite a complex palate , Dusty Rye , Butterscotch , wood spices , pepper amongst others . Once again on the finish there’s a hint of lemon , is that a Canadian Club thing ? A Surprisingly good dram , wasn’t what I was expecting from CC .

Ninety – Two Decades of Richness 20yo 45%

From the Highwood Distillers in Alberta , released at 45% , this spent two decades resting at the High River Distillery even surviving a highly destructive flood in June 2013 . Apparently this is 100% Corn Whisky made with stock acquired from Potter Distillery when they purchased it , same stuff as the recent Cadenhead release . The nose is rich and creamy , green fruits (apples and pears)and butterscotch . The palate is very creamy , butterscotch , hint of butter and a touch of pepper . The finish is medium , sweet and spicy .

A very good 100% Corn whisky , gets better with each sip , would be interesting to see how it improves with say a full bottle . My only disappointment  is that having tasted the older -24yo – and stronger Cadenheads release from Potters this isn’t as impressive . I’ll have to seriously revisit this again ! Though thinking again I may be being a bit hard on the Ninety……

(Bronze Medal Winner , 2014 Canadian Whisky Awards)

Pike Creek NAS 40%

 Referred to as the export edition , this is made for the US market by Corby Distillers (a subsidiary of Pernod Ricard) , made at Hiram Walkers distillery in Windsor , this is double barrelled – finished in Port casks and matured for 7-8 years as opposed to the Canadian home edition which is 10yo . A lovely fruitiness mixes in with the rye , a hint of creamy toffee fights with the red fruits , the port gives the Pike Creek a lovely twist against other Canadian whisky . The palate has a wonderful mix of red fruits , rye and butterscotch sweetness . A joy to swirl around the mouth ! The Finish is long and Spicy  .

Luckily I’ve been able to pick this one up in the UK recently but Davins sample has given me the chance to Head to Head it with it’s Canadian Elder Brother . This is one of my favourite Canadian Drams .

(Bronze Medal Winner , 2014 Canadian Whisky Awards)

Pike Creek 10yo 40%

This one is for the “Home” Canadian Market , I first tried this one in ‘The Keg’ in Toronto and was immediately impressed with it , seems slightly more relaxed on the nose for the extra 2-3 years maturation it has over the NAS but nose wise there’s not a great deal of difference in it , red fruits rye and toffee .  There isn’t much difference in the palate either though it does seem to have an extra layer of spiciness to it , it has a wonderfully long , warming , spicy finish to it .

There’s not a lot of difference between this and the export version , more relaxed on the nose and an extra layer of Spiciness to the palate , Maybe I need to pick up a bottle of this on our next visit…..  

(Bronze Medal Winner , 2014 Canadian Whisky Awards)

Many Thanks again to Davin , more info about these drams and Canadian whisky in general  is available at his Candianwhisky.org site

 

More Canadian Drams…. The ‘Maple Syrup’ Sessions

Ok , i know lately this blog seems to have been turning into a Canadian Whisky Blog but i’ve been on a bit of a mission to discover this hidden gem of the whisky world . I’ve been greatly aided by ‘Mr Canadian Whisky’ himself , Davin de Kergommeaux author of the acclaimed ‘Canadian Whisky , the Portable Expert’ , I’ve known Davin for a good few years now through the Internet and our mutual love of Islay Malts  and he kindly sent me a few samples to broaden my experience with Canadian Whisky……

Pendletons NAS 40%

The Standard bottling from Pendleton’s , an American bottling of Canadian Whisky .

Quite a dusty nose to start with , then butter and Toffee (Butterscotch?) , eventually there’s vanilla and Cask spices . On the palate there’s a sweet start , lots of rye ,cask spices again , there’s also a slight custard taste , butterscotch and pepper . The finish is medium with pepper and a lingering sweetness .
A very enjoyable dram , a step up from the cheaper whiskies , this one is actually available in this country so a bottle may be purchased……

Century Reserve Lot 15/25 40%

From Highwood Distillers , Alberta , The 15/25 is the youngest/oldest age statement .

Initially a strong hint of Christmas cake on the nose , then the what seems to be a common Butterscotch note , a liberal sprinkling of Cask spices , ending with Confectioners’ Sugar . A very relaxed but complex nose , one of them you could sit and sniff for ages . On the palate there’s a creaminess to start with , then spices and toffee , there’s a nice woodiness to it , The finish has a nice long lingering rye taste to it with oak spices .
One of them wow moments when trying a dram for the first time , a superb dram that you could probably kill quite a bit of a bottle in one sitting !

Alberta Springs 10yo 40%

From Alberta Distillers , a fine 10yo….

A 100% Rye with an incredible nose , starts off dusty , then the familiar Butterscotch , followed by spices and a touch of lemon . There’s also a very strong hint of green fruits but the overwhelming note seems to be butterscotch which is ok by me . The palate carries on where the nose leaves off , a toffee sweetness with lots of spices , very smooth and enjoyable , I’m really getting a taste for Canadian Rye , The finish is medium , spicy with pepper , for 40% it is quite chewy as well .
These Canadian Ryes are so good !

WhistlePig 10yo 50%

A very strange Canadian Rye bottled in the US…..

Another 100% Rye Whisk(e)y , an odd one this , when you first stick your nose into this you go ‘Bourbon’ , then the dustiness of a Rye comes through , not as sweet as the other Ryes on the nose (there seems to be a lack of Butterscotch on this one ) but there are plenty of wood spices . Again on the palate there is an initial taste of bourbon and new wood followed by spices and vanilla . the finish is long and Bourbony .
Not my favourite Rye , tastes more like a bourbon and I’m really confused about it , why the ‘e’ in it when it’s Canadian ? Now that I’ve had a think about it , it actually reminds me of Van Winkles 13yo Family Reserve , only not as good .

Crown Royal X.O (Finished in Cognac Casks) 40%

A Crown Royal finished in ex-Cognac casks…..

Straight away you get the fruitiness of the Cognac casks , red apples mixing in with old leather armchairs , a very creamy nose (very similar to the creaminess in Ardbeg….) , then the dustiness of the rye comes through , this has a very complex nose , lots happening , thoroughly enjoyable ! Very smooth across the palate , lots going on again , a bit of dusty rye , butterscotch , spicy , pepper , tarte apples but all wrapped up in a lovely creaminess . A medium finish highlighted with the rye and cognac .
A wonderful dram , a different class to the previously tried Special Reserve , one to think about purchasing in the not too distant future !

Crown Royal Monarch (75th Anniversary Blend) 40%

A Special Crown Royal Blend to Celebrate the launch of their Whisky in 1939….

The most dominant note on the nose is the creaminess , then the oak emerges , then a strong hint of Red Apples (similar to the X.O. ) , eventually the dusty Rye appears . There’s also a slight citrus note and dried fruits (currants and sultanas) . Not as rich and creamy on the palate as the X.O. , seems very dry and has a more pronounced rye note to it . Slightly disappointing after the Complexity of the previous CR . The finish seems a lot shorter as well and very dry and dusty .
A very disappointing dram after the X.O. , almost weak and watery .

Collingwood 21yo 100% Rye 40%

A 21yo , 100% Rye from the Canadian Mist Distillery in Collingwood….

On the nose the first thing that struck me was freshly baked bread or , which seems more likely , unbaked ‘rising’ bread , that lovely warm yeasty smell , the rye seems more relaxed in this even though it’s 100% , quite a bit of oak , on the hole a quite relaxed nose . On the palate it seems very relaxed again , there’s a very slight hint of barley sugar (the old fashioned twisty stick variety ) , a muted spiciness and a little hint of bitterness . It is very smooth across the palate . The finish is medium with something that is puzzling me…… Agh…… Flat American Cream Soda !
I was looking so forward to trying this , Davin recommended it on my visit to Toronto and I couldn’t find it , it’s actually a bit of an anti-climax , from what I remember I wasn’t too impressed with the standard Collingwood .

Highwood 25yo Calgary Stampede Centennial 40%

A 25yo from the Highwood Distillery , Alberta to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Calgary Stampede in 2012….

Wow , bags of vanilla on the nose , oak , butterscotch , spices (particularly clove – I’m married to a dental nurse….) and it’s very creamy . Smooth as a babies bum across the palate , sweet rye , vanilla , a beautiful creaminess , butterscotch again , caramel toffee and a very small hint of chocolate . It’s not until the long lingering finish that the oak spices appear .
Boy is this a good dram ! I wouldn’t say no to a bottle of this but I’ve got a feeling it’s long gone or it should be !

Many thanks to Davin for the samples , you can read more about Canadian whisky at this Website , ‘Canadian Whisky’