Crossing the finish line, whisky #15, welcome home Lassie, she said...

SHE SAID:  Wow! Other than a massive technology glitch of not having the internet on the weekend (I really should not have assumed anywhere I went in the United States would have WI-FI?!!).  I did what I set out to do, nose/taste and review 15 whiskies in 14 days.  I chose whisky that was either given to me as samples, some I owned or received as gifts.  I learned a few things on this adventure:  A) Trust that I can write.  I may not be a fantastic writer like some people I aspire to being, however with every whisky review the words came naturally and I didn't struggle with ideas or concepts.  It was quite a satisfying experience.  B) I accomplished yet another goal that I had set out for myself.  I really wanted to do this and finish what I started.  I was super nervous that I wouldn't be able to do it.  But I DID.  Thanks mostly to some patience and help from Graham who was more than willing to give me space some nights to nose and write.  ;)

15 WHISKIES, 14 DAYS, 10 COUNTRIES

There it is in black and white:  Canada, US, Scotland, England, Wales, Ireland, France, Czechoslavakia, India and Japan.  It only made sense to me to try and go through as many different types of whiskies as I could.  It was a fantastic experience to look through my personal collection and realize how lucky I am to have all these whiskies from around the world.  Thank you to those who made this possible.  

Cheap perfume in a skate?  WTF is this category...?

I started home in Canada and I finished there as well.  I chose this one as it was a recent purchase here in my hometown of Saint John, New Brunswick.  One of the things I truly struggle with ALL the time is how we must buy our whiskies here.  We have one government run entity so if they won't bring it in, we can't get it.  Plain and simple.  The hard thing to swallow sometimes is that every other province west of Quebec will get the whiskies in question.  I live in Canada and I can't buy some of the Canadian whiskies on the market because our liquor corporation doesn't think they will make money on anything but the flagships and sometimes tasteless (in my opinion) Canadian whiskies.  So, we get this:  Skate blended whisky ($20.00) Blended whisky origins unknown in a glass bottle shaped like a skate. This is what our liquor store executives think will sell here in my province?  I hang my Canadian head in shame.  Then comes along the word that we are going to get some more new Canadian whiskies to try.  Great, I think...  what next?  Beaver whisky?  Poutine shaped glasses?

 No!  Somebody somewhere has come to their senses or market research has shown they can make money on something called Alberta Premium Dark Horse.  A light from the whisky Gods shone down upon the liquor store as I walked in and made my way to the shelf.  Everything went into slow motion as the realization hit me that I was staring at a reputable and highly reviewed Canadian whisky at MY liquor store???   I grabbed the bottle and cupped it close to me, hugging my precious cargo to my chest.  I couldn't figure out why the cashier was looking at me the way she did and it never dawned on me once that I probably looked like I thought I won the lottery.  Oh well, I was excited what can I say.  Not often I feel like the local liquor anarchy has done something right!


So, last whisky to review is something new available here locally that I am super happy to say I didn't have to beg, borrow or steal to get (well, I exaggerate when I say steal, I swear!?)

Courtesy of www.allthingswhisky.com

There is only one Canadian whisky that is 100% rye:  Alberta Premium in Calgary Alberta.  There is no requirement under Canadian law that a whisky made in Canada have any rye in it yet it can still be called and have the packaging state it's a "Canadian rye", unlike American laws that stipulate anything made in the USA with less then 51% rye content CANNOT be called a rye.  Something else that is different in Canada is our laws don't stipulate that additives cannot be added to our whiskies.  Now a little about the distillery:  It's fairly young compared to other distilleries in Canada, founded in 1946 by two gentlemen born and bred on the prairies.  They seem to believe in buying local and as a result they buy rye directly from farmers from Alberta all the way across to Manitoba (and for those of you that don't know, that is technically what we call the prairy provinces).  Rye, for those of you who have never tried it adds a lovely dimension of peppery spice to whisky.  It's a very satisfying and full flavored grain.  Alberta Premium has done something different with the dark horse:  They have taken 12 year old and 6 year old small batch copper pot 100% rye and added a bit of corn distilled whisky (8% by volume) to create a completely different type of dram.  Now, I have not been able to confirm the exact process or amount from the distillery but I know that sherry is added to the process, post ageing and pre-bottling.  Yes, you read correctly:  Sherry is added directly to the whisky once it's aged and before it goes in the bottle.  Before you judge (because honestly when I first heard about this I was less then enthusiastic to even really consider it a whisky) consider trying it if you like sherry finished whiskies.  This is a very rich and full bodied dram.

ALBERTA PREMIUM DARK HORSE CANADIAN WHISKY, 45% ABV

Color:  Bright copper with flecks of flame red.  Very viscous whisky that truly sticks to the glass.  Long, skinny legs but slow moving.

Nose: Very aromatic, lovely spiciness of rye but with an added dimension of cherries or ripe blackberries.  Very fruity.  Caramelized sugar with hints of spices like cinnamon, cloves and anise.  With water I began to detect a bit of oak, but it's way in the back and barely there.  Water also toned down the sweetness and reminded me more of cherry blossoms.

Palate:  I wasn't expecting the whisky to be so mouth watering but it was.  Very oily and there's a burst of peppery spice like biting into a freshly grated piece of ginger!  The usual spices of rye are there as is a faint taste of acetone (nail polish remover), slightly bitter at the back.  When I added water, lemon zest with a bit of smokiness but not like peat more like the smell/flavor of a piece of wood that has been charred in a fire.  Sooty, is probably more the described flavor.

Finish:  A bit of sour gummy candy, still sweet but with a sour undertone that I find typically with rye, however the gummy candy is a bit of a surprise.  It's a fairly long finish that is quite satisfying.  Still a bit of pepper but not like I anticipated.

Empty glass:  Stewed prunes and cloves still

I've heard this described as a dessert whisky which is not at all how I would categorize it.  I found it to be quite full bodied, rich and fortifying in nature.  I will probably enjoy this whisky when I need to feel warm from the inside out.  The type that I would drink after a dog walk at -25C but not in the mood for a peated dram.

I really enjoyed this whisky and although I've only owned it for about 3 weeks, I have already put a good dent in my bottle.  This is available across Canada and is approximately $30.00/bottle.  It is worth every penny.  I can't think of many whiskies that are below $35.00 that I regularly recommend to people.  This one, I could and I will.  It's a fantastic dram, it's unlike any other Canadian whisky on the market right now and even though I "judged" it because they added sherry, I accept that under our laws that's ok and it's a whisky.

So, there you have it.  15 whiskies - Started with a Canadian and gladly finished with one as well.  Thank you for following me on this absolutely amazing little adventure and I will thank yet once again all the people who helped me along either by means of trade or otherwise.

It's been a very educational trip around my whiskfabric. Across this finish line and onto the next adventure!

Whisky lassie