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I'll Drink to That! What is your favorite beverage to have with a cigar? Juice? Cola? Beer? Port? Single Malt Scotch? This room is for the discussion of beverages, especially alcoholic beverages that go well with cigars!

 
 
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Old 08-30-2009, 09:40 AM   #1
jazznut
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Canadian whisky tasting

This morning saw me carrying out a side-by-each tasting of 8 Canadian whiskies, all of which were assessed in relatively rapid succession so as to maximize the direct-comparison aspect of the exercise. Here are my notes...

OFC 8 Year Old

Brand : Schenley
Nose : Fresh, light and clean. Grassy. Tinned pears.
Palate : Very grain driven. Shredded wheat. Creaminess deftly counterbalanced by a dash of input from the rye.
Finish : Soft and rather quick.
Comment : Nothing exceptional, but nothing offensive either.
Colour : Light gold
ABV : 40%

Order of Merit 15 Year Old

Brand : Schenley
Nose : Fruit salad in an oak bowl. Pineapple. Passion fruit. Toffee. Very composed.
Palate : Lovely, smooth palate entry. Oak adds considerable weight from the mid palate onward. Excellent balance. Complex.
Finish : Velvety, lingering finish with momentary flashes of brittleness.
Comment : This is from a venerable bottle distilled in 1952 and bottled in 1967 (Canada's Centennial Year).
Colour : Full gold with a touch of amber.
ABV : Unknown

Wiser's Reserve

Brand : (Same)
Nose : Apple. Wintermelon. Vanilla. Green tea with a dash of citrus.
Palate : Some caramel evident at the outset. Then slightly more sharpness from the grains and oak. Juicy. This one has a tad more bite despite the caramel-toffee gloss. Not bad at all.
Finish : Short to medium-length finish.
Colour : Light to medium gold.
ABV : 43%

Gooderham & Worts Small Batch

Brand : (Same)
Nose : Somewhat reticent. Delicately conveyed oak and fruit. A hint of strawberry and blanched almonds.
Palate : Really good. The fruit maintains a degree of freshly picked ripeness amidst the sparkling grains and oak. And the higher proof only adds to this effect. Quite salivating.
Finish : Medium finish that makes you want to go for a 2nd. More impressive than I remember.
Colour : Light gold.
ABV : 45%

Limited Edition

Brand : Crown Royal
Nose : Fruit, field grains and oak tightly fused. Gentle, come hither fragrance. Vibrancy combined with the added sophistication maturity brings.
Palate : This is like the Crown Royals I recall from the 1960s and 1970s. Easy-going elegance. Quality oak and rye lend depth to the wheat, corn and malt. Perfect degree of maturity.
Finish : Soft, glowing warmth at the finish.
Colour : Tending to medium gold.
ABV : 40%

Special Reserve

Brand : Crown Royal
Nose : Very mellow, though the rye doing battle with the oak enlivens matters marginally.
Palate : Pure silk. The oak and grains offer a demure petillance that, alas, doesn't quite survive to the finish line.
Finish : Somewhat sedated.
Comment : Lovely whisky. But I'll take the Limited Edition, thank you.
Colour : Full gold with the merest hint of amber.
ABV : 40%

Cask No. 16

Brand : Crown Royal
Nose : Wow! An almost Sauternes-like voluptuousness. Tropical fruit salad. Dry roasted nuts. A hint of vanilla.
Palate : Crisp, clean attack leading to succulence. Honey dribbled on whole wheat toast. Pears. The spicy oak influence effortlessly intertwines with the bittersweet nature of the spirit, creating tiny ripples of rapier-like intensity that spread across the glossy textural surface.
Finish : Long and calm.
Comment : A cracker!
Colour : Full gold tending to amber. Slightly deeper than that of the SR.
ABV : 40%

Sherry Cask

Brand : Canadian Club
Nose : Wine cask influence layered over (rather than entirely melded with) the intrinsic grain thrust of the distillate. Richly fruity. Lots of sultana overtones.
Palate : Macallan meets M'Canuck. Yet a green, bitter aspect permeates the early stages despite the thick, sweet texture. It's as though someone threw dandelion greens into the raisins. Then, a brief interlude of real Canadian whisky taste before the lights go out.
Finish : A weak suggestion of activity, but ultimately boring.
Comment : This one has potential, but needs considerable time and effort at all stages from conception to the blending room.
Colour : Amber gold.
ABV : 41.3%
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