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.

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.

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.

JP Wiser 35yo

JP Wiser 35yo

Official bottling
Single malt - Ontario
Amber
50% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, vanilla, oak, cinnamon, cloves, hints of cedar. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, slippery, loosens, slightly airy. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Raisins, cedar, cloves, cinnamon, white pepper. 
Finish: Medium. White pepper, cloves, raisins, orange, hints of marmalade. 

Comments: 

Essentially, old Lot 40. Thanks for the dram, Eduardo. There's some rye in the mashbill, and it's responsible for the waves of spicy sweetness. This obscures the raisins and the jam, as well as the woody notes in the third layer. Great stuff, but I thought for the age it ought to have developed more complexity.

Verdict:

I like this.

Lot No 40 Cask Strength 11yo (2018 release)

Lot No 40 Cask Strength 11yo (2018 release)

Official bottling
Single rye - Ontario
Amber
58.4% ABV
Dram

Nose: Vanilla, white pepper, fresh cut grass, raisins, marmalade, sultanas, hints of green tea. With water, sultanas, sea salt, green tea. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, loosens, slippery, oily. 
Tasting:  Sweet salty. White pepper, vanilla, candy floss, fresh cut grass, green tea, candied orange, preserved lemons, hints of magic marker. With water, saltier, fresh cut grass, green tea, salt caramel, raisins. 
Finish: Short. Vanilla, cream, condensed milk, fresh cut grass. 

Comments: 

2nd edition. This is a whopping great big whale of a whisky, spicy, sweet and herbal. With water it metamorphoses, becoming saltier and even more herbal. Hugely complex, a very gentle rye, with subtle savoury notes. Amazing stuff.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Hiram Walker Dream Cask (bottled 23 July 2019)

Hiram Walker Dream Cask (bottled 23 July 2019)

Official bottling
Single malt - Ontario
Dark gold
57% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, marmalade, damson jam, bitter orange, hints of white grapes. With water, marmalade, black tea, bitter orange. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, astringent, slightly sticky, thickens slightly. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Marmalade, damson jam, lemon juice, white grapes, honey, hints of kiwi fruit, hints of milk. With water, vanilla, damson jam, bitter orange, vanilla. 
Finish: Short. Black tea, white grapes, damson jam, vanilla, clotted cream. 

Comments: 

The label says "for testing purposes only". I don't know why it isn't for sale, it's excellent stuff. I only know Hiram Walker through Canadian Club, which, in comparison to this beast, is frankly insipid. There's heaps of fruit in the undiluted spirit, and with water, it opens up to waves of damsons and marmalade. Glorious.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Canadian Club 6 yo

Canadian Club 6 yo

Official bottling
Single blend - Ontario
Amber
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Banana, vanilla, black pepper, cloves, cardamom, cream. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, smooth, turns watery. 
Tasting: Sweet sour. Vanilla, bananas, butterscotch, black pepper, cardamom, hints of brown paper. 
Finish: Medium. Bananas, brown paper, hints of orange peel. 

Comments: 

Spicy, strangely so - must be the rye content. I didn't really rate rye whisky previously, but this is scarily drinkable. Fragrant and redolent with spices, this must be how they warm up in the Great White North.

Verdict:

I like this.