Victoria Whisky Festival 2012: Recap

Last weekend was the 7th annual Victoria Whisky Festival.  Companies from Scotland, Ireland, Indian, American, and even British Columbia all gathered to show case their best whiskies.

Thursday January 19th

The Thursday evening kicked off the festival with a tasting hosted by the world renown Jim Murray.  Having never been to a tasting with Jim before, I honestly had no idea what to except.  Walking into the room, the fragrances of over 1000 glasses of whisky wafted through the air like a delicate perfume.  Upon taking my seat I was both excited and terrified; 13 glasses of whisky sat in front of us.

Walking us through every whisky one-by-one, Jim had a story to go along with every one of the great whiskies he had chosen.  

Thirteen Stunning Whiskies

With out reveling too much -wouldn't want to possibly ruin the surprise of a future Jim Murray tastings-, the whiskies ranged in price from $23.75 - $350, and included whisky from five different countries.

Ok, I'll let you know my three favorites of the tasting, but no more information!

• Amrut Intermediate Sherry
• George T. Stagg
• Old Pulteney 21 Year Old

Friday January 20th

The following night was host to five grand tastings: Amrut, Balvenie, Canadian Club, Isle of Arran, and Laphroaig.  Being that I am a peat-oholic, I chose to attend the Laphroaig grand tasting hosted by master ambassador, Simon Brooking.

If you remember the first post in my "Pre-Whisky Fest Fun" series, you'll remember my predictions for the Laphroaig line up: Quarter Cask, 10 Year Old, Triple Wood, Cairdeas, and 18 Year Old.  Well I got 4/5.  The bottle I was very pleasantly surprised to see was the Laphroaig 25 year old cask strength edition!

While the Quarter Cask and the 10 year old displayed typical Laphroaig characteristics of bbq, seaweed, and of course, loads of peat, the Triple Wood, Cairdeas, and 25 year old displayed some wonderfully unique complexities that I've yet to taste from any other Laphroaig.

The Laphroaig Triple Wood is essentially the Quarter Cask finished in sherry butts.  On the nose of the Triple Wood, a sweet barley aroma along with raisins, dark chocolate, vanilla, and the slightest hint of smoke can be detected.  The taste is equally complex and delicate as the nose.  light peat, figs, raisins, and a touch of saltiness.  The finish is long and gentle with a hint of smoke.  Not very "Laphroaig" by tradition, but an exceptional dram none the less.

Laphroaig's annual Fèis Ìle bottling, Cairdeas (Gaelic for "friendship"), is a Laphroaig that is slightly more akin to the regular expressions from Laphroaig, but with some slight flavor twists.  A vatting of whiskies of various ages, this year's bottling of Cairdeas is dubbed the "Ileach Edition"  or "native of Islay" in Gaelic.  The nose is full of typical Laphroaig notes of peat, smoked bacon. bbq, smoked salmon; and a touch of vanilla and icing sugar sweetness.  The palate is full on Laphroaig: leather, shoe polish, band-aids, heavy peat smoke and a touch of banana.  The finish is medium in length with moderately intense peaty note.  This year's bottling of Cairdea does seem to be considerably younger than previous bottling, as well as being bottled at a lower ABV than previous year.  Although still an exceptional whisky, not quiet as exceptional as its predecessors.

To conclude the tasting, the Laphroaig 25 Year Old Cask Strength.  What a whisky!  Laphroaig is know for being a take no prisoners, balls to the wall, peat monster.  This whisky is anything but that.  After 25 years in the barrel the peat has subdued and notes of blackberry, figs, dark chocolate, maple sugar, pineapple and lavender take front stage on the nose.  The palate is equaliy complex with noes of tabbacco, leather, orange zest, basil, and a slightly peaty/salty characteristic.  The finish is long and gentle with notes of sweet vanilla and the slightest hint of smoke.

In addition to some exceptional whisky, Simon also brought some some items of interest including peat from Islay, and malted barley from the Laphroaig distillery.

Fresh and dried peat from the peat bogs of Islay

Saturday January 21st


Saturday kicked off with three master classes: Gordon & MacPhail, Glenfarclas, and Balvenie.  My first master class -Gordon & MacPhail- was really the wild card of the weekend. I had no idea what to expect.  I sat down to see six whiskies to welcome me: Benromach 10 Year Old, Glen Grant 1996, Mortlach 21 Year Old, Linkwood 25 Year Old, Benromach 30 Year Old, and a "suprise sample"

Absoultly ever whisky at the Gordon & MacPhail master class was a lovely whisky, in particular the Mortlach 21 Year Old and the Benromach 30 Year Old.

The Mortlach 21 Year Old had a wonderful nose of pears, bannana, apple, and butterscotch.  On the palate were notes of pears, white pepper, vanilla, and a hint of smoke.  The finish was the real star aspect of this whisky.  Notes of rich dried fruit and light peat smoke, accompanied by an ever developing finish resulted in a very memorable dram.

Winner of the best single malt (Multi cask) ages 28 - 34 in the 2012 Whisky Bible, the Benromach 30 Year Old is a knock out malt!  The nose is very complex with notes of vanilla, chocolate, raisins, cinnamon, orange zest, candy floss, and pears.  The tastes is equally enticing.  Chocolate, pecans, apples, cinnamon, and a slight hint of peat.  The Benromach 30 finishes long and rich, with notes of carmel, nutmeg, a touch of peat, and more chocolate.

You're probably wondering what the "special sample" was.  So were all of us in the master class.  After nosing and tasting for a few minutes a few of us came to the conclusion that it was a Glenlivet, approximately 25 years old.  A very good guess, but only 45 years too young.  It was the Glenlivet Generations 70 Year Old!  Distilled in 1940 and bottled in 2010, this whisky defies all logic.  After 70 years of aging in a first fill sherry butt you would expect it to tasted over sherried and over oaked.  That was certainly not the case.  While I was in a state of amazement, I was able to take brief tasting notes.  The nose was very complex with notes of nutmeg, eggnog, leather, carmel, figs, raisins, orange zest and tobacco.  The palate in so rich with dried fruit, carmel (not the nasty E150 kind), and a touch of peat.  The finish is long and rich with a big note of milk chocolate.  This was with out a doubt the best single malt I have ever taste.  Unfortunately at $22 000 a bottle it is a bit out of my price range.



My next master class was hosted by one of my favorite speyside distilleries, Glenfarclas.  Hosted by George Grant, George walked us through a tasting of the 8, 15, 17, 21, 25, Cask Strength 105, and Family Cask 1997.  My favorites from this master class were the 8 Year Old, the 15 Year Old, and the Cask Strength 105.  The 8 Year Old was very fruity.  Candied green apple, apricot, as well as some citric notes.  The finish was medium in length with lots of apple notes.  I couldn't think of a more ideal summer whisky.  The 15 Year Old was rich and sweet with notes of chocolate, toffee, banana, mocha, and a hint of salt.  The finish was rich with notes reminiscent of chocolate covered almonds.  The Cask Strength 105 was a cracker of a whisky, and one of my favorites of the weekend.  On the nose was a great complexity of vanilla, plum, walnuts and again, a hint of salt.  The taste was fruit with notes of pear and apple along with rich sherry characteristics. The finish, oh the finish!  Loooooong and rich!

The final master class of the evening was hosted by Sam Simmons, master ambassador of The Balvenie. This master class had the most unique, approach of the weekend.  Rather than just a tasting of the basic line up, Sam deconstructed the three elements that make up The Balvenie 12 Year Old Signature.  A vatting of 1st fill and 2nd fill bourbon, and 1st fill sherry.  In addition to a cask sample from each element of the 12 Year Old Signature, we all tasted the Signature itself, new makes spirit at still proof, and The Balvenie 30 Year Old.  With already two master classes worth of whisky in me all ready, I decided to bottle up all my samples from The Balvenie class im my 25ml sample bottles that I brought to the festival.  So look forward to a blog post on the deconstruction of The Balvenie 12 Year Old Signature, and proper tasting notes from The Balvenie 30 Year Old.

The best news I heard from the seminar was that, starting later in 2012, The Balvenie will be taking the no coloring, not chill filtration, 43% ABV, approach to making their whisky!

After three amazing master classes It was time for the grand tasting.  Not much to explain with this event, I walked around and tasted lots of whiskies.  So here are some photos from the evening.

Some exceptional Japanese Whiskies from Nikka

JD's new make spirit before and after charcole 

Victoria Spirit's "Craigdarroch" work in progress single Malt Whisky

A "Under the Table Treasure"

Another "Under the Table Treasure"

After tasting well over 100 whiskies on what could be the best weekend of 2012, I have come to the conclusion on my 10 Ten Whiskies of The Weekend.

• 10. Glenfarclas 40 Year Old
• 9. Glenrothes 1975
• 8. Glenfarclas 105 Cask Strength 
• 7. Springbank 18 Year Old
• 6. Laphroaig 25 Year Old Cask Strength 
• 5. Benromach 30 Year Old
• 4. Old Pulteney 21 Year Old
• 3. Tullibardine 1962 49 Year Old
• 2. George T. Stagg Bourbon
• 1. Gordan & McPhail 70 Year Old Glenlivet

Pre-Whisky Fest Fun: Day 4

Whisky Cocktails.  I could not think of two words that would make most whisky "aficionados" (AKA: Snobs) cringe more.  Even adding a cube of ice to a nice whisky is enough to raise the blood pressure of said "aficionados".  So it would come as no surprise if this following blog post gave a few people heart attacks, because this blog post is all about whisky cocktails!

Now before I begin, I do have one rules when making a cocktail with any spirit, not just whisky.  I'll never mix a spirit that I have to pay more than $80 dollars for.  To give you a good example of the ridiculous taxation on alcohol here in British Columbia, here are some very common bottles (750ml) and their prices:

• Ballantine's Finest - $25.99
• Glenfiddich 12 Year Old - $48.99
• Highland Park 12 Year Old - $66.95
• Laphroaig 10 Year Old - $84.99
• Lagavulin 16 Year Old - $124.99
• Macallan 18 - $249.99

Flower of Scotland

- 1 oz Glenfiddich 12 Year Old
- 1 oz Giffard's Ginger of the Indies
- 1 oz Noilly Prat Dry Vermouth
- 2 Dashes of Angostrua Bitters

- Add all ingredients to mixing glass
- Add ice and stir
- Strain into chilled cocktail glass
- Garnish with a flamed lemon zest

The idea behind this cocktail was to deconstruct the flavours present in Glenfiddich 12 year old (ginger, christmas spices, citrus), and highlight those particular flavours.

Blood and Sand
- 1 oz Blened Scotch
- 0.75 oz Cherry Herring
- 0.75 oz Sweet Vermouth
- 1 oz Orange Juice

- Add all ingredients to cocktail shaker
- Add ice and shake
- Double Strain into chilled cocktail glass
- Garnish with flamed orange zest

Blood and Sand

A favorite cocktail of mine, the Blood and Sand is a classic cocktail named after the equally classic 1922 movie of the same name.  

For this particular cocktail I like to use a blend with a pronounced smokiness, like Black Grouse.  I find that lightly smoky blends tend to get lost amounts all the other ingredients. 

One note about cherry herring, if you're like me and live in B.C. you probably know we can't get cherry herring here.  The best alternative is the cherry liqueur from Okanagan Spirits.

1806 Whisky & Cola
- 2 oz Bourbon
- 0.33 oz Kola Tonic
- 2 Dashes Chocolate Bitters
- 2 Dashes Fernet Branca

- At the bottom of a mixing glass muddle one large orange zest
- Add all remaining ingredients to mixing glass
- Add ice and stir
- Strain into chilled rocks glass with one large ice cube
- Garnish with flamed orange zest

1806 Whisky & Cola

An obvious twist on the Old-Fashioned, the 1806 Whisky & Cola is named after the year in which the word "Cocktail" was first defined in print.  If you are wondering what the hell kola tonic is, it is basically concerted cola syrup.  A quick google search of "Cola Syrup" will reveal various sites that carry the product.  If you are a B.C. resident, I suggest outofafricatrading.com. They are B.C. based so your product will arrive in no time. 

The Scofflaw
- 1.5 oz Rye Whisky
- 1 oz Dry Vermouth
- 0.75 oz Lemon Juice
- 0.75 oz Real Pomegranate Grenadine

- Add all ingredient to cocktail shaker
- Add ice and Shake
- Double Strain into chilled cocktail glass
- Garnish with a long thin lemon twist

Another classic prohibition era cocktail from Harry's New York Bar in Paris, The Scofflaw is a reference to the 20s term of the same name.  A "Scofflaw" was a term coined by the media to describe someone who enjoyed visiting his/her local speak-easy.

A Glimpse of a Bright Future for Canadian Whisky.

Last Monday the 21st, I had to privilege to attend a seminar hosted at Clive's Classic Lounge, with Whisky pioneer, John Hall of Forty Creek.

Before tasting the wonderful Whiskies John had brought for us to taste, I had the chance to sit down and ask John a few questions about Forty Creek and the Canadian Whisky industry.

Q: What is your background in the beverage industry?

I actually started out as a wine maker. I’ve been a wine maker in Canada for 41 years, since 1970. A lot of changes in the wine business in those years. And I’m still making wine.

Q: What inspired you to start making whisky?

Every wine maker dreams of opening up their own winery.  So in 1992 I opened up my own winery and distillery. The reason for doing that was really two fold.  One was, in the late 80s, most of the Scotch whisky that was being made was blended Scotch Whisky.  The Scotch Whisky industry realized they had to up their game, and they started introducing some really nice single malt Scotch Whiskies.  The Bourbon guys in Kentucky were stepping up as well by starting to do small batch Bourbons.  But nobody was doing anything with Canadian Whisky; it was the same old same old.  Just relying on what they had done in the past.  So I thought it was important to try and bring craftsmanship and heritage back to Canadian Whiskies.  At that same time between 1985 and 1995, 15 whisky distilleries closed in Canada.  The industry was rationalizing, and a lot of it was being purchased by offshore companies.  So, I thought it was important to the Canadian Whisky category to bring some additional excitement to it, some craftsmanship.

Q: Did you ever think you’d being winning awards from malt advocate when you first started out?

No.  It is a huge honor to be recognized by Whisky experts from all over the world as well as winning those awards: Pioneer of the year by Malt Advocate, distillery of the year from Whisky Magazine, ambassador of the year from Whisky Magazine, Canadian Whisky of the year.  And all the various awards: double golds at San Francisco Whisky competition, and numerous gold medals internationally.

Q: What is Forty Creek doing now that separates it from all the other Canadian Distilleries; that really makes it unique?

Well I think it’s actually unique from all aspects of Whisky making; whether it’s Canadian Whisky, or Bourbon, or Scotch.  It’s the approach that I use, and fortunately being a wine maker I approach it the same way, as you would make a wine.  Typical Whisky is made from a mash bill, which is a recipe card; so many pounds of this grain, so many pounds of that grain, put it all together, cook it, convert the starch to sugar, cool it down, ferment it, distill it and age in white oak barrels.  And I just thought from a wine maker’s perspective that this was the wrong approach.  As a wine maker you try to bring out the best characteristics of each grape varietal, like the soft roundness of a Merlot, or that spicy tropical notes of a Gewurztraminer.  Rye doesn’t taste like corn and corn doesn’t taste like barley.  So I would do my grains separately and try to bring out the best characterizes of each grain.  My grain selection was rye, barley and corn; which I sort of think of as the noble grains of whisky.  Same way as a wine maker thinks of the noble grapes as being Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc.  So that’s why I distill them separately, to bring out that spiciness and fruitiness in the rye, the nuttiness of the barley and the heartiness of the corn. I also use various toasting levels on my barrels just as I would when aging wine to assist in bringing out the special taste characteristics of each grain.  Then eventually after aging I bring back these three noble Whiskies as a meritage so they aren’t just one-dimensional but universally appealing.  Very similar to what a wine maker tries to achieve.

Q:  What can you tell us about the newest expression from Forty Creek, John’s Private Cask?

I’m very excited to offer it and also a bit disappointed because there is not a lot of it out there.  There was only 9000 bottles.  What happened over the last 20 years is that, every now and then I’d taste a barrel that just blew me away.  Every barrel ages differently, but every now and then I’d come across a barrel that is just perfect.  Over the years, whenever I came a across an outstanding barrel like that I would chalk it “Hold for John”.  But over the years I collected so many of them that I realized I couldn’t consume them all.  So I decided to pull them together, and hand pick which ones would work together.  It’s one thing to bring those whiskies together but they also have to work together in harmony.  I managed with 23 barrels, 20 of them were American white oak, and 3 of them were Canadian white oak, a mixture of rye, barley and corn, and as I mentioned it made 9000 bottles.   It’s just an excellent tasting whisky.  I haven’t yet entered Private Cask into any tasting competitions because it’s just been recently release but I’ve already had excellent reactions from some whisky writers that they thought it was an outstanding whisky. 

Q: Where do you see the reputation of Canadian Whisky going?

I do see it changing.  I think the industry tends to promote Canadian Whisky in cocktails.  Quite often because it is a very light mixable whisky that can enhance a cocktail; whether it’s a Manhattan, an Old-Fashion or a Whisky Sour.  But hopefully the industry is looking at taking it further than that.  Just like the Scotch and Bourbon makers started doing in the late 80s.  I hope my Forty Creek Whisky is inspiring other distillers to do so and I hope my Forty Creek whisky is encouraging consumers to try the category and support Canadian made.

Q:  So any of the Whisky in the Forty Creek range be both mixed and enjoyed neat?

Absolutely.  I wouldn’t be so presumptuous to tell someone how to drink Forty Creek.  But it’s just like a chef, if he or she is cooking with whisky or cooking with wine they need to use a good whisky or wine; otherwise the dish isn’t going to turn out.  And I think it’s the same for the cocktail.  Forty Creek Whisky has some wonderful flavors that can enhance the cocktail.  But it’s also wonderful to just be able to sip and savor it on its own as well.

Q:  What is your opinion on the regulation surrounding Canadian Whisky because there are so few in comparison to other industries like the Scotch and Bourbon?  Do you think it helps or hinders Whisky making?

I don’t think it helps or hinders.  The regulations on Canadian Whisky are that it needs to be made from Canadian grown grain, It needs to be aged in a small wooden vessel, and it needs to age for a minimum of three years.  Those minimum regulations, and some of those regulations are similar to other whisky making countries as far as length of aging.  I think it’s really up to the whisky maker and his objective of what he is trying to achieve with his whisky.  Certainly, as far I’m concerned I go beyond that because what my real goal is to achieve a very good, well made, flavorful whisky.  It’s easy to get the alcohol, that’s not the difficult part; the difficult part is that you need to capture those flavors, the spicy and fruity notes of the rye, the nuttiness of the barley and the heartiness of the corn.  A lot of people think that the best whisky is the oldest whisky, but unfortunately that’s not the case.  Age is important but that’s only one factor.  You have to start with great stills and great barrels.  Then add in some passion and patience.

Q:  How do you determine what people will be drinking 10 years down the road? 

It’s extremely difficult to forecast out ten years.  In the early years it was very difficult because I didn’t know how high was high, so I just kept laying barrels down.  It’s a little easier now.  I forecast out ten years, and I revise my ten year forecast every six months.  So it is a difficult thing to do.  Fortunately in my case, people have supported Forty Creek by choosing Forty Creek as their whisky of choice and that has made it a lot easier for me.  

Q:  So what’s next for Forty Creek, what will be the next expression?

I’m going to probably decide in the next couple months what that expression will be.  Obviously because of the length of time it takes, I’ve been working on various things for several years now.  One particular taste expression that I introduced about three or four years ago was the Forty Creek Port Wood, which was finished in vintage Port barrels.  Unfortunately I didn’t make enough of that to satisfy everyone’s needs.  I have laid more down so I might do a repeat performance on that one. But I haven’t quiet decided yet, as I have a few other expressions on the go as well. 

After our chat, we sat down with some other local bartenders to enjoy the current line up of whisky offered by Forty Creek.  

In addition to the Forty Creek Barrel Select, Double Barrel Reserve, and John's Private Cask, we had the rare opportunity to taste all three grains in their nature element.  100% rye, corn, and malted barley whisky were all tasted individually to demonstrate the three pillars that construct Forty Creek Whisky.  The last whisky to be tasted was John's Private Cask, and to sum this whisky up in one word; spice!  Loads of christmas spice and lots of signature Canadian Whisky notes of carmel, maple and honey.  I will definitely be enjoying this whisky around the holidays.

John's Private Cask No.1

Another Whisky of John's that has received various awards -including Canadian Whisky of the year by Whisky Advocate Magazine (Formally Malt Advocate)- is the Confederation Oak.  Aged in trees planted during Canada's confederation, nearly 150 years ago,  Forty Creek Confederation Oak is an example of a true premium Canadian whisky.  Setting elegant packaging a price point aside, the Confederation Oak is a bench mark in innovation and quality.

While stocks of the Confederation Oak sold out long ago here in B.C. Lucky I still have a full bottle at home. 

The Confederation Oak is a wonderful whisky.  On the nose is a boutique of lovely sweet notes: honey, carmel, toffee, marzipan, dark chocolate, maple and butter.  The taste does anything thing but disappoint as well.   On the palate is a complex whisky with some notes reminiscent of the nose: honey, maple and carmel.  Additionally notes of cinnamon, creme brulee, apples, lime zest and a hint of smoke.  The finish is medium length with a mild spice and a hint of floral notes in the distance finish.

It is great to see someone as passionate and innovative such John Hall of Forty Creek.  The category of Canadian Whisky is quite a bland array of the same whisky, different packaging.  Forty Creek is one of the few Canadian Whisky companies truly doing justice to the Category. 

I -along with all other whisky anoraks- can only hope that John is the first among many of a growing trend of distillers to take a pride in the product that they put on the selves.

Blind Tasting: Canadian Whisky

Canadian whisky's role in the spirit world is generally portrayed as cheap liquor that is to be mix with soda to quickly achieve the physically effects of alcohol. With little to no recognition from whisky connoisseurs, Canadian whisky falls victim to it's own reputation. Little innovation in the industry has locked Canadian whisky into a stand still of producing the same "brown vodka" for the larger consumer base of drinkers. Canadian whisky's questionable quality makes people reluctant to spending more then they're usual $23.75 on a bottle. With most single malts and high end bourbons fetching $50 plus a bottle, it is no surprise that the Canadian whisky industry wishes to get a piece of that very large, expensive pie. Being that the "premium" spirit market is the fastest growing sector of the spirit industry we are seeing a rapid increase in Canadian whisky tipping the scales as high as $175 a bottle, but can any of these whiskies really compare to the quality of fine single malt scotch and bourbon?

I've selected 7 Canadian whiskies to compare in a blind taste test, all of which were tasted neat in a Glencairn glass.  The Whiskies were marked in four categories: aroma, taste, finish and balance of flavors.  All categories took into account complexity, presents of alcoholic burn and an over all impression of that specific attribute.  Each whisky was tasted blind twice, in a random order.  The scores from each categories were averaged and a total was assembled.  Remember these scores are only my opinion.  The whiskies chosen were as followed:

Alberta Premium 5 Year Old

Price: $24

Aroma: Various berries (Strawberry, raspberry, blackberry,) brown sugar, vanilla, apples, cinnamon, carmel, sherry.
20/25 

Taste: Creme brulee, bitter chocolate, pecan, maple, oak, vanilla
21/25

Finish: Short, Sweet, slightly weak.
20/25

Balance: The youth in this whisky is still present but an other wise well balanced dram with sweetness, spice and a good complexity.
21/25

Total: 82/100


Alberta Premium 30 Year Old

Price: $50

Aroma: Banana, Cinnamon, nutmeg, strawberry, vanilla, brown sugar, coco, maple
22.5/25

Taste: Cinnamon, strawberry, raspberry, leather, carmel, sherry
24/25

Finish:Medium length, sweet with a slight spice.
24/25

Balance:  Wonderfully balance with a multitude of flavors layered over top of one another.
24/25

Total: 94.5/100

Crown Royal

Price: $26

Aroma: Orange peel, lemon, cinnamon, nutmeg, apple, maple

19/25

Taste: Orange peel, banana, vanilla, tobacco, maple, oak

20/25

Finish: Mild, sweet, short.

19/25

Balance: Reasonably balance, slightly sweet, with a bit too much of a alcohol presents.

21/25

Total: 79/100

Crown Royal Special Reserve

Price: $55

Aroma: Creme brulee, honey, orange zest, lemon zest brown sugar, vanilla, banana

23/25

Taste: Orange Zest, Black pepper, pumpkin pie, lots of floral notes, juniper

23.5/25

Finish: Long, mild finish.  Dry to begin but leaves a sweet maple taste at the very end.

24/25

Balance: Very balance, many different flavors present. Bit on the dry side but nearly perfectly balanced.

24.5/25

Total: 96/100

Forty Creek Barrel Select

Price: $25

Aroma: Raisin, coffee, bell pepper, nutmeg, brown sugar, maple, dark chocolate. complex and subtle
21/25

Taste: Cinnamon, anise, raisin, maple, banana, herbal, coffee, tobacco, butterscotch
21/25

Finish: Medium length finish, slightly sweet and dry at the very end.
21.5/25

Balance: Sweet but a bit rough around the edges, none the less a great whisky.
20/25

Total: 83.5/100


Forty Creek Confederation Oak

Price: $70

Aroma: Carmel, honey, butter, toffee, marzipan, dark chocolate, maple
21.5/25

Taste: Campfire ashes, honey, cinnamon, creme brulee, carmel, apples, oak, maple, bitter lime
22/25

Finish: Short, mild, slightly dry and floral to conclude.
23/25

Balance: Wonderfully balanced whisky with lots of sweet notes.  A nice hint of smoke and fruit rounds off this great whisky.
23/25

Total: 89.5/100


Wiser's 18 Year Old

Price: $50

Aroma: Juniper, bell pepper, nutmeg, maple, brown sugar
23.5/25

Taste: Butterscotch, carmel, raisin, maple, orange zest, floral, burn toast
23.5/25

Finish: Very strong, long finish.  Begins sweet and tappers into a floral, dry ending.
22.5

Balance: No one element stands out in this whisky.  Every compliments one another and is a perfect example of a balanced whisky.
25/25

Total: 94.5/100


After 2 weeks of tasting some great -and some adequate- Canadian whiskies, I really came around to appreciating the true qualities that these spirits possess.  While I will still prefer a Scotch over a Canadian whisky the majority of the time, there are certain occasion that I do find my self craving a good Canadian whisky.

Sadly, even with the handful of spectacle Canadian whiskies currently on the market, I can't help but think, why is there such a lack of regulations governing what is and what isn't Canadian whisky?  Here are some fun facts,  Canadian whisky may include "Carmel and Flavoring," as well as up to 9% of fortified wine. There is also no cap to distillation limits, meaning, a distiller may distill the majority of the whisky used in the final product to 180 proof and above!  Essentially what you are getting is aged vodka with a dash of genuine pot still whisky.  The lack of regulation governing Canadian Whisky is truly detrimental to the over all industry.  If Canadian whisky is to ever see a turn around of reputation, laws must be set into place in order to dictate for a higher quality product.  Regulation similar to the Scotch and Bourbon industry need to be used as a model to direct Canadian Whisky in the proper direction.  Age statements, no addition coloring or flavoring, caps on distillation proof and sticker barrel regulation would be just a start.