Single Copper Pot Still Canadian Rye Whisky
2012 Release
43% ABV
$55-60, but potentially tough to find
Color:
Mahogany (reddish-brown)
Smell:
Holy shit, this smells nice! Really unique and - for me - tough to place. Definitely a pronounced sweet mintiness...spearmint aromas instead of the in-your-face peppermint aroma of something like Altoids. Eucalyptus is really coming through as well. Also some traditional barrel flavors of vanilla and oak, but they're actually in the background.
Taste:A little hot at first, no big rush of sweetness or any other punchy flavor to speak of. It kind of just mellows softly for me until I swallow, at which point it's basically just the flavor from the nose all over again in a short/medium finish. The lingering aftertaste is a great combo of fresh mint and warming wood - very smooth.
Overall:
I like this a lot. The smell-taste-finish sequence for me is wow-okay-slightly less than wow, which is to say that I think the taste falls a little short of the amazingly perfumed nose. This is definitely a lighter-bodied whisky, but it's very elegant and - I think - singular to anything else out there. I've always read that rye is typically peppery and/or spicy, but this is just smooth as silk and minty. Really impressive stuff, and I definitely recommend trying it if you can find it.
What others have said (lots of love out there for Lot 40):
Nathan at The Scotch Noob rates this a "Must Try!":
- "Nose: Oh my God. Delicate cherry blossoms, crushed eucalyptus, sticky dried golden delicious apples. No dusty spice cabinet. Instead, the “rye spices” smell like freshly-opened seed pods of clove and allspice. I now know what rye whisky is supposed to smell like. This is -amazing-.
- Palate: Soft. The spices are slightly more predominant on the tongue, with clear cinnamon and clove. Gingersnap cookies. Soft rye grain with a touch of oakiness and some vanilla-flecked caramel. Nice, but not as earth-shattering as the aroma.
- Finish: Mild, medium-length. The eucalyptus returns, with a ghost of fresh mint leaves. Finishes totally devoid of bitterness.
- With Water: Oddly, a few drops of water dulls the aroma. The palate is sweeter, with some nice fleshy stone fruit. I’d avoid the water here, just because of the disservice it does to that lovely aroma.
- Overall: This isn’t saying much, but this is the best Canadian whisky I’ve ever had. It’s also the best nose I’ve ever smelled on anything with rye in it. Hell, I’ll say it, it’s even better (on the nose) than any bourbon I’ve tried, including those from Van Winkle. The palate doesn’t quite live up to the promise of the nose (what can?), but is soft and subtle in its own right. The finish is sedate and unobtrusive. Really, though, I could sit here and smell this all night."
- "Nose: Apple cider, dill brine, peppermint, black pepper, molasses, oak, cotton candy, pizza dough, rye bread and cream soda. Waking up after an evening at the carnival with no memory of the night before, but you are quite sure you had your first kiss.
- Palate: Restrained rye spices merging with creamy pot still character. The smoothness here is unexpected for a 100% rye. All the complex rye notes from the nose are here but expressing themselves with a light touch. Creamy and delicious. It’s like a rye version of Redbreast. Unabashedly rye yet balanced and complex with warm fruit, dried apricots and cinnamon over French vanilla ice cream. Butterscotch pudding with a touch of sea salt. Hard Italian ribbon candy. Peppermint Christmas bark.
- Finish: Endless. This will linger around in your mouth for a long time. Spicy, woody and sweet dying out in such glory. Dry warmth and clover honey."
Sku reviews this favorably, as well:
"The nose on this has a strong rye, very reminiscent of the herbaceous rye notes on Whistlepig and the other Canadian straight ryes. Then some cocoa notes emerge. The palate is both drier and less aggressive on the rye than I expected with some brandy notes, cherries, chocolate and a more muted rye than the nose. The finish is the first time you get more traditional Canadian Whisky notes with some honey joining the rye spice.
- This is a very nice whisky. It has the nice, spicy rye notes of the Canadian straight ryes but with more complexity. I've been skeptical of recent talk about a Canadian Whisky revival, at least based on we've seen in the US, but this whisky gives me hope that we will start to see some real gems coming out of Canada."
