Two Brewers Peated Release 38

Two Brewers Peated Release 38

Official bottling
Single malt - Yukon
Dark gold
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Driftwood smoke, honey, malted grains, peat, lemon zest, white pepper, hints of icing sugar. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, mouth coating, cool. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. White pepper, driftwood smoke, lemon zest, apples, autumn leaves, hints of photocopy paper. 
Finish: Long. Photocopy paper, driftwood smoke, peat, apples, hints of white pepper. 

Comments: 

A rather gentle peated whisky, lots of earthiness and apples, and a little salty smoke. But it’s not very in your face, and quite pleasant for all that. An excellent effort from this Canadian distillery.

Verdict:

I like this.

Two Brewers Classic Release 35

Two Brewers Classic Release 35

Official bottling
Single malt - Yukon
Amber gold
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Lemon zest, malted grains, vanilla, fresh baked bread, photocopy paper, hints of icing sugar. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, volatile, astringent, mouth coating. 
Tasting:  Sour. Lemon zest, malted grains, nutmeg, toast, pear drops, photocopy paper, hints of cotton sheets. 
Finish: Medium. Lemon zest, cotton sheets, photocopy paper, fresh baked bread, hints of sea salt. 

Comments: 

Quite feinty, with cereal notes and a whisper of something sweet (really just a suggestion). This whisky is indeed quite tart, and on the tongue is mostly feints. Interesting and of reasonable quality.

Verdict:

I like this.

Black Fox Single Grain Tritticosecale

Black Fox Single Grain Tritticosecale 

Official bottling
Single grain - Saskatchewan
Amber red 
48.1% ABV
Dram

Nose: Brown paper, red grapes, blackberries, vanilla, desiccated coconut, sandalwood, fresh baked bread. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, cool, mouth coating, expands. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Brown paper, desiccated coconut, raisins, pear drops, rye bread, black pepper. 
Finish: Long. Fresh baked bread, rye bread, black pepper, raisins. 

Comments: 

High rye flavour. The grain is a rye-wheat hybrid, and brings the usual black pepper notes. There’s also some creamy cereal, with plenty of grain whisky coconut flavours.

Verdict:

I like this.

Macaloney’s Peat Project Portuguese Red Wine STR Barrique

Macaloney’s Peat Project Portuguese Red Wine Barrique

Official bottling
Single malt - British Columbia
Amber copper
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peanuts, peat, germolene, nutmeg, tobacco leaf, orange peel, malted grains. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, mouth coating, tingly, warm. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Peat, smoke, germolene, orange peel, peaches, malted grains, honey, nutmeg, hints of cinnamon. 
Finish: Medium. Germolene, peat, autumn leaves, honey, hints of orange peel. 

Comments: 

Interesting dram, made with sugar kelp. It is quite peaty - medicinal peat - and has a nice underlying sweetness that must come from the Portuguese red wine cask. Decent whisky.

Verdict:

I like this.

Anohka This Is Not Whisky

Anohka This Is Not Whisky

Official bottling
Single malt - Alberta
Very pale gold
57.2% ABV
Dram

Nose: Smoke, peat, lemon juice, lime zest, honey, marmalade, hints of diesel exhaust. With water, lime zest, lemon juice, smoke, cucumbers. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, volatile, hot, tingly. 
Tasting:  Sour salty. Lime zest, marmalade, smoke, peat, grapefruit, photocopy paper, sea salt, smoke, peat. With water, sea salt, lime zest, hints of roast chicken. 
Finish: Long. Autumn leaves, peat, smoke, lime zest, grapefruit. 

Comments: 

Tried this on a whim, very positively surprised. It’s rather like a very youthful Ardnahoe, definitely the same style of whisky. Peaty, smoky and citrusy, grapefruit and limes forever.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Macaloney’s Caledonian Cask 49 Invermaillie Red Wine Barrique

Macaloney’s Caledonian Cask 49 Invermaillie Red Wine Barrique

Official bottling
Single malt - British Columbia
Copper amber
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Brown paper, black tea, raisins, damson jam, peanuts, chocolate, aluminium foil. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, tingly, thickens, turns syrupy. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Black tea, raisins, oak chips, coffee, chocolate, black pepper. 
Finish: Short. Oak chips, raisins, black pepper, aluminium foil. 

Comments: 

Quite sharp, I don’t think red wine finishes work well with all whiskies, and I think here it obscures the maltiness of the distillate. Still, there are some interesting metallic and pepper notes.

Verdict:

I like this.

Signal Hill Whisky

Signal Hill Whisky

Official bottling
Single blend - Ontario
Amber
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Toffee, raisins, pear drops, malted grains, cloves, hints of cough syrup. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, thickens, oily, mouth coating. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Caramel, toffee, brown sugar, raisins, orange peel, cough syrup. 
Finish: Short. Malted grains, raisins, toffee, cough syrup. 

Comments: 

Very estery, lots of cherry cough syrup, and pear drops. It’s a very simple whisky, not a huge amount of complexity, but well made and tasty.

Verdict:

I like this.

Macaloney’s Caledonian Cask 72 Invermaillie Red Wine Barrique

Macaloney’s Caledonian Cask 72 Invermaillie Red Wine Barrique

Official bottling
Single malt - British Columbia
Amber, hints of red 
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Green tea, roast beef, malted grains, yeast extract, vitamin C tablets, orange peel. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, loosens, tingly, astringent. 
Tasting:  Bitter salty. Vitamin C tablets, yeast extract, raisins, damson jam, orange peel, malted grains. 
Finish: Medium. Black pepper, rye bread, green tea, roast beef. 

Comments: 

Cask 72. Not very sweet for a red wine finish, instead it’s malty and slightly fruity, with a lot of feinty savoury notes. It builds quite well to a spicy, tannic finish. 

Verdict:

I like this.

JP Wiser’s Dissertation

JP Wiser’s Dissertation

Official bottling 
Single malt - Ontario
Amber
46.1% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, brown paper, wheat beer, oatcakes, sandalwood, honey, sea salt, blackcurrant cordial. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, loosens, mouth coating, slippery. 
Tasting:  Sweet salty. Blackcurrant cordial, sandalwood, fresh baked bread, cinnamon, butterscotch, raisins. 
Finish: Medium. Black tea, raisins, wheat beer, fresh baked bread, hints of cinnamon. 

Comments: 

Decent, wheaty, oaty dram, lots of black fruit and deep cough syrup notes.  There’s a little spice on the finish. Very pleasant indeed.

Verdict:

I like this.

Pike’s Creek 10yo

Pike’s Creek 10yo

Official bottling 
Single malt - Ontario
Amber
42% ABV
Dram

Nose: Sugar cane, molasses, vanilla, Demerara sugar, hints of milk chocolate. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, cool, tingly, astringent. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Molasses, vanilla, green tea, Demerara sugar, molasses, hints of white grapes. 
Finish: Short. Molasses, Demerara sugar, vanilla, hints of fresh baked bread. 

Comments: 

A very rum-like whisky. In fact, if you’d given this to me and not told me what it was, I’d have said that it’s rum. It’s sweet and you can taste sugar cane. It’s not hugely complex.

Verdict:

I like this.

SE Eleven Single Grain

SE Eleven Single Grain

Official bottling
Single grain - Saskatchewan
Amber red
47.8% ABV
Dram

Nose: Orange juice, vanilla custard, nutmeg, green tea, strawberry jam, honey. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, airy, slippery. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Desiccated coconut, vanilla custard, marmalade, strawberry jam, vanilla sponge, honey, fresh baked bread. 
Finish: Medium. Orange juice, strawberry jam, marmalade, vanilla sponge. 

Comments: 

Batch W00043B. Sweet and juicy, quite a lot of malt despite it being labeled as single grain. Not what I expected at all.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Potter Distilling Company 32yo

Potter Distilling Company 32yo

Individual Cask, WM Cadenhead
Single grain - British Columbia

Amber gold
66.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: Toffee, vanilla custard, tutti frutti, sultanas, butterscotch, hints of coconut cream. With water, tutti frutti, sultanas, lemon curd, vanilla. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, hot, oily, tingly. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Vanilla custard, lemon zest, sultanas, toffee, butterscotch, maple syrup, chillies. With water, butterscotch, vanilla, sultanas, hints of coconut cream. 
Finish: Long. Vanilla, maple syrup, tutti frutti, chillies, hints of lemon curd. 

Comments: 

Obscure distillery, but high ABV + aged grain = good whisky. Lots of butterscotch and coconut notes, with a healthy dose of citrus. Long lingering finish. Have to drink this at as high a strength as possible.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Maple Syrup & Toasted Oats & Orange Zest & Vanilla

Maple Syrup & Toasted Oats & Orange Zest & Vanilla 

& Whisky, Master of Malt

Blended malt
Dark amber orange 
40% ABV
Bottle

Nose: Popcorn, toffee, butterscotch, maple syrup, orange peel, vanilla, aluminium foil. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, airy, slightly astringent. 
Tasting:  Sweet salty. Oatcakes, orange peel, leather, toffee, honey, maple syrup, cloves, hints of cinnamon. 
Finish: Medium. Cloves, aluminium foil, toffee, popcorn, hints of sea salt. 

Comments: 

Surprisingly rich and intense, great mouthfeel and exactly what it says on the bottle. Possibly the best value for money whisky I’ve had for a while.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye Whiskey

Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye Whiskey

Official bottling 
Single rye - Manitoba 
Golden yellow

45% ABV
Dram

Nose: Lemon zest, black pepper, cinnamon, honey, sea salt, fresh baked bread. 

Mouthfeel: Heavy body, syrupy, loosens, tingly. 
Tasting:  Salty sweet. Black pepper, fresh baked bread, raisins, black tea, sandalwood, cinnamon, hints of quinine. 
Finish: Medium. Black tea, lemon zest, honey, fresh baked bread, hints of quinine. 

Comments: 

This is really very good rye whiskey! It’s got lots of spice of course, but also bitter citrus and herbal notes. There’s a hint of saltiness as well, that transforms it from sweet spicy to something rather more complex.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

JP Wiser 10yo

JP Wiser 10yo

Official bottling 
Single malt - Ontario 
Copper
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Toffee, caramel, vanilla, brown paper, white pepper, hints of orange peel. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, tingly, astringent, warm. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Toffee, caramel, black tea, coffee, vanilla, dark chocolate, hints of white pepper. 
Finish: Short. Oats, toffee, caramel, vanilla, hints of dark chocolate. 

Comments: 

Quite a simple whisky, sweet and toffee’d. There are some notes of dark chocolate, and some peppery burn on the tongue, but otherwise it’s quite inoffensive. Reasonable session dram.

Verdict:

I like this.

JP Wiser 18yo

JP Wiser 18yo 

Official bottling 
Single malt - Ontario
Amber 

40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Pear drops, sea salt, caramel, lemon zest, black tea. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, airy, slightly slippery. 
Tasting:  Sour salty. Sea salt, butterscotch, caramel, butterscotch, coffee, hints of brown paper. 
Finish: Short. Brown paper, coffee, vanilla, caramel. 

Comments: 

Mediocre, and a little confused. It’s not as sweet as I expected, instead there’s a lot of bourbon flavours and some heavy caramel. Adequate, I suppose.

Verdict:

I like this.

Lot 40 Cask Strength Rye Whiskey

Lot 40 Cask Strength Rye Whiskey 

Official bottling 
Single rye - Ontario
Amber red
57% ABV
Dram

Nose: Black pepper, honey, strawberry laces, vanilla, cinnamon. With water, honey, blueberry jam, cinnamon, hints of cloves. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, slippery, hot, loosens slightly. 
Tasting:  Sweet salty. Black pepper, lemon juice, honey, strawberry laces, blueberry jam, cinnamon, hints of allspice. With water, black tea, honey, dark chocolate, allspice. 
Finish: Short. Allspice, blueberry jam, black pepper, honey. 

Comments: 

Spicy rye, very sweet. The usual black pepper is there in abundance, of course, but it’s accompanied by blueberry jam, honey and strawberry laces, fruity and quite rich. Water gentles it a little, with some dark chocolate notes emerging.

Verdict:

I like this.

Glen Breton 15yo Battle of the Glen

Glen Breton 15yo Battle of the Glen

Official bottling 
Single malt - Nova Scotia
Sunshine yellow
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, leather, tobacco leaf, apples, white grapes, pears. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, cool, tingly, slightly astringent.  
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Leather, white grapes, pears, cookie dough, vanilla, hints of white chocolate, hints of Parma violets.
Finish: Long. Walnut skins, white grapes, cookie dough, white chocolate. 

Comments: 

Conventional whisky, but all the more enjoyable for all that. Lots of vanilla and gentle fruit notes, overlaying a lovely buttery chocolatiness. There are some hints of the floral Parma violets that were so dominant in the previous Glen Breton I had, and they’re quite pleasant in moderation. 

Verdict:

I like this.

Glen Breton Rare 21yo

Glen Breton Rare 21yo

Official bottling
Single malt - Nova Scotia
Pale gold
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Malted grains, leather, honey, barley sugar, orange peel, hints of hibiscus.  
Mouthfeel: Medium body, slippery, tingly, slightly astringent. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Barley sugar, honey, fresh baked bread, lemon zest, hints of rhubarb and custard sweets. 
Finish: Short. Rhubarb and custard sweets, white grapes, barley sugar, honey. 

Comments:

A slightly older Glen Breton from the last one, but miles apart in terms of how I like it. It’s not as sickeningly floral, instead it’s got more of the familiar barley sugar and fruit flavours. It’s much more ‘clean’ if you like - quite classic whisky.

Verdict:

I like this.

Glen Breton Rare 19yo

Glen Breton Rare 19yo

Official bottling
Single malt - Nova Scotia
Bronze
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Gooseberries, white grapes, pear drops, lemon zest, fresh cut grass. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, slippery, warm. 
Tasting:  Sweet. White grapes, lemon zest, honey, cedar, Parma violets. 
Finish: Medium. Fresh cut grass, pear drops, Parma violets, chocolate. 

Comments: 

My second whisky from the Canadian distillery set up to make single malt. An interesting nose, lots of fruit, fading to something grassy. On the tongue though, it's woody and sweet, with an intense, almost overpowering note of Parma violets. In fact it almost drowns out everything else. The finish is also herbal like the nose, but has plenty of Parma violets also.

Verdict:

Not bad.