J. P. Wiser’s Seasoned Oak – Northern Border Collection 2018 Preview part III

On May 5th 2018 I was at Spirit of Toronto with fellow Connosr members Nozinan and Paddockjudge, we attended the Wiser’s Masterclass that was given by Dr. Don Livermore. We were presented with the 6 new expressions that would be released by the distillery in 2018, you can find part 1 and part 2 here.

This was one of two whiskys that were an unexpected addition to our tasting. The other being the Canada 2018 release, while it was good I only had an hour so I chose to focus my attention on the four most striking.

Seasoned Oak is an LCBO exclusive that will be released for father’s day (much like Dissertation and Last Barrels the two years prior). In essence it is a 19 year old blend of double distilled corn & column still rye that was aged in barrels made from staves that were traditionally air dried for 48 months, my notes indicate that these barrels we’re toasted and not charred…but I could be wrong.

Nose: Oak, vanilla, candied apples, a bit of raisins & allspice. It’s in many ways a traditional Canadian whisky on the nose but with presence and good development, it does have a touch of warm bread and fennel.

Palate: A pleasant hint of burnt wood, lots of maple, orange blossom water, the oak is complex like opening an old cigar humidor, great spice & citrus integration.

It’s the first time I get actual maple syrup in a Canadian whisky, I know many people use that as a tasting note but I never quite get that complex sweetness and underlying minerality (not a word I know) of maple syrup in most Canadian whiskys, this one though…round, warm and solidly crafted, the oak wasn’t out of hand. I would like to try this in a blind tasting in a line-up with other American and Canadian whiskys, see how it would fare.

They are also displaying the actual age on the label (from what I can see on the Wiser’s website) which is refreshing since most of the other rare cask series did not…perhaps this is to help in selling it at the price point they are looking for (100$).

*After fact checking it is aged for 18 months in traditional refill Canadian whisky barrels and only finished for 12 months in these air dried barrels, I wish they had made this a bit clearer. Nonetheless, it’s great to see what the use of this finish can do to ad complexity without going overboard and into licking a wooden plank territory like some double barreled bourbons.

JP Wiser’s Seasoned Oak (19yrs old)

48% ABV

84/100 * I tried these whiskys in a public event so these notes are quick impressions rather than in depth reviews. 

Corby Lot 40 Cask Strength 2018 – Northern Border Collection 2018 Preview part II

This is my second review taken from Spirit of Toronto’s 2018 Northern Border Collection Masterclass. We were presented with the 6 new expressions to be released this year by Corby Distillers. The first part can be found here.

Dr. Livermore built his presentation in such a way that each of his talking points would culminate in one of the samples placed before us. The whisky would be the embodiment of the aspect he was trying to highlight in his talk (the points varied from Canada’s whisky history, grains, aging, the importance of wood…get your mind out of the gutter).

He joked that the next whisky was the one everyone was here for. In a way he’s right, if there’s one Canadian whisky that gets the masses hot and bothered it’s Lot 40 Cask Strength. Ever since it’s re-release in 2012 the original Lot no.40 gained a massive following and was ahead of the curve in gauging there would be a revival and solid demand for rye on the market.

Last year’s cask strength inaugural release was a really solid whisky on par with other cult inducing ryes, it showed that Canadian rye is no slouch when pitted against its American counterparts. Sadly at < 5000 bottles, few if any made their way outside of the country to retailer in US or overseas.

The 2018 release is from a parcel of 11 year old whiskys, Dr. Livermore said that his reason for choosing this specific bond was because they all exhibited a particular flavor profile which he felt was quite different than last year’s edition (he mentions a licorice/anise note).

Nose: Caramel, pine tar, orange creamsicle, the nose was so unexpected that I had to smell my friends glass to make sure I had the right sample. Steak spice, floral, rising pastry (like brioche dough) and a bit of vanilla. I am only comparing it from memory but the nose seems very different than last years edition.

Palate: Creamy, thrills gum, licorice, grippy oak, green apple. Super floral but in this context it works, cooked stone fruit, a mix of cinnamon and clove. There’s a richness to the rye produced at Hiram Walker distillery that isn’t found anywhere else, I think the use of virgin oak really helps accentuate this.

This was delicious and worthy of the frenzy it will cause at the LCBO.

The bad news is the price is going up to 99$ (for all the NBC releases barring the Wiser’s 35). I understand why they are doing this, I just don’t think all of the releases have found their legs yet.

In this era of 147$ Elijah Craig barrel proof selling out at the LCBO, I’m sure it will fly off the shelves.

Lot 40 Cask Strength

58.4% ABV

89/100 * I tried these whiskys in a public event so these notes are quick impressions rather than in depth reviews. This is just that good that it gets a high mark for quality despite not being my favorite pick of the evening.

*Pot still picture credit Windsor Star

Gooderham & Worts Eleven Souls -Northern Border Collection 2018 Preview part I

 

On May 5th 2018 I attended Spirit of Toronto with a couple of members from Connosr (the board I frequent the most). It was my first time attending but my companions @Nozinan and @paddockjudge were both pros who’ve attended many times.

One of our main reasons for going was to catch the Masterclass that would be given by Dr. Don Livermore, the master blender for Corby Distillers. I knew from listening to interviews that “Doctor Don” is not only an accomplished scientist and blender but also a history buff, often citing the legacy of the Canadian whisky barons in his explanations. After this class I can add that he is a skilled orator as well, articulate, funny and down to earth, deeply passionate about Canadian whisky like few others.

The good doctor presented us with the 6 new expressions that would be released by the distillery in 2018. With only an hour to take the whole experience in, I concentrated my notes on the whiskys that we’re the most striking, the following 4 reviews all stem from this sessions.

The 2018 release of Gooderham & Worts will officially be called “11 souls”. The working title was “11 orphans” to have another historical tie-in to William Gooderham’s well known deeds. I am not sure why they decided to change the name but perhaps the Marketing folks felt it wasn’t as catchy?

They indicate that this whisky is a blend of “11 grains” but I feel I must clarify it is actually blended from 11 different components or permutations of the following. 5 grain types (wheat, rye, barley, corn, Brasetto rye), two different distilling methods (double column or column/pot still) and two different barrel types (virgin oak or refill casks). I do not remember if there was an age statement mentioned for this.

Nose: At first a bit floral like apple blossoms, marzipan, waxy oranges/citrus, toasted almonds, really good integration of the spices throughout. The nose really grabs you right away and keeps unfolding in the most complex way.

Palate: Chewy toffee, jasmine, vanilla, a hint of tobacco, boiled honey, nice cereal notes. It has a slightly vegetal side (celery?) not unpleasant, it just provides the right nuance. Then it finishes on cloves, green apple and a a firm oak backbone.

This was very surprising, you can feel the work that went into this blend, yet it doesn’t feel contrived.The palate was a good match to the nose, lots of both overt and subtle flavors.

The 2017 release of G&W the 17 year old Little Trinity failed to really capture my attention, it was technically a great whisky but I felt it lacked a bit of personality. This is definitely a step in the right direction, again it’s not the instant gratification of Lot 40 CS but there is plenty happening, this was my favorite whisky of the session.

Gooderham & Worts 11 Souls

49% ABV

Grade: 86/100*

*My score reflects some of the haste of sampling at such an event, I normally would taste in isolation and over several sessions. I would probably bump it up if I could have spent more time with it.