After a 39 month hiatus (thanks, Peter, for doing the math not his one), Jamie Johnson and I are back with The Whisky Topic podcast. We discuss what we got right or wrong over the years, but mostly, it’s amazing to see how much has changed in the whisky world since we first started. We were naive, drinking our Taylor Barrel Proof and Blanton’s and occasionally funding some Pappy.

Flavour profile wise, there was certainly a rush to put-out whisky in the 2010s and some of it even started overlapping in flavour profile. These days, though, we have lots of different flavours out there. I keep saying, we’re living our best whisky lives, and that’s more true today than before. Can I just order a flight of Pappy for $20 in Louisville? Yeah, no, that’s never going to happen again. Can I have other whiskies that challenge the palate? Yes, certainly!

I’m in Chicago this week for the Chicago Indie Spirit Festival, and just yesterday I managed to find myself some Taylor Barrel Proof. $40. I’ll take it! (Thanks Milk Room Chicago!)

Once-in-a-Lifetime Whisky Tasting

Allow me a moment of dramatics, because if you’re in Toronto on October 27th, I’ll be hosting a pretty cool whisky tasting at City Cottage Market. Tickets are $150, it’s a liquid dinner with a full roster of the most defining Canadian whisky of the last decade (and something from the 1950s).

It’ll be a small crowd, 20sh people, and we’ll be pouring all the whiskies that have redefined what the category. With maybe one exception, nothing I pour is purchasable at the LCBO any longer. It’s sold out, after-market pricing is crazy, etc..etc.. We know how it goes with rare whiskies.

Get tickets, sit yourself down on October 27th, and hear some cool stories behind these whiskies. We even have Shelter Point sending us a speciality single malt barrel select, which is damn cool!

There’s definitely an, “and there’s more…” to this tasting. Hope to see you there.

As a creator, I struggle with what I feel I need to create vs what I want to create. In that spirit, I’ve been curious about expanding YouTube as a platform. YouTube is hard. I have no big aspirations there but I enjoy the format.

The idea is, create a corny thumbnail, write a click-bait title, and pay-off with content. I’ll be honest, I’m terrible at writing short clickbait titles but hey, part of being a good writer is learning to be concise.

Anyway, enjoy my review of Bearface Whisky! I provide a brief life update at the end:

Japanese Whisky is Back!

My writing career started with affordable Japanese whisky that was plentiful to, within a blink of an eye, disappearing off the shelves. Nikka was nice enough to invite me to an event last month. Their new releases is good! Like, “old times” good. If you’re in Ontario, they have a good selection of whiskies between $60 and $300. They’re all priced appropriately for the quality of the drink.

The sudden demand in the early 2010s has hurt the quality of the juice we’d get in North America but so glad to see that’s changed.

Bad Japanese whisky without a hint of where the alcohol comes from is still an issue. The story above, that’s about one of you lovely subscribers! I hope you don’t mind me using the story (though in hindseight, I think the Japanese whisky was a gift and not a purchase).

Whisky Wonderland Event in Eastern Ontario

I’ll be there February 17th and 19th. I committed to the event late so I might miss some of the events, but Jamie and will have a space to record our podcast so that’s going to be exciting. Much of the events are sold out but the main show still has tickets. If you’d like to join, use the discount code CLUB2023 when signing up for a 20% discount!

Fred Minnick Assesses Whisky

I enjoyed Minnick’s write-up. There’s so much more to add to this but tasting whisky is as complex as we are:

In other words, as tasters, we have no recourse but to trust our instincts. Your taste buds and memory are intertwined, and bourbon will tap into your taste bud memories. The lesson here: the tasting experience is all about you.

Old Forster will always have banana notes for me. Always! It likely comes from the yeast that Old Forster and Woodford Reserve share.

Waterford Distillery Releases Whisky

My trip to Ireland was one of my more memorable trips before the lock-down. I still haven’t tasted the final products from Waterford Distillery, but I’m a big fan of the direction they were going at. If you happen to be in-market for them, I highly recommend picking up a bottle. They’re reasonably priced! I really like seeing reasonably priced whisky. It’s a rarity. For $100 Euro, you’re getting a ton of flavour. Have a look at their online store.

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Lot 40 Cask Strength whisky enjoys a cult following among Canadian whisky drinkers, one that is spreading worldwide as it continues to win awards. Lot 40, in all varieties, is 100% rye whisky. It’s aged in new oak and is more similar to American ryes than traditional Canadian ryes.

If you’re new to Canadian Whisky the tldr; Lot 40 is 100% rye whisky, it’s the flavour of Canadian ryes for many of our whiskies, and it’s regularly sold at a reasonable 43% ABV (86 proof) year-round (<$40 Canadian). The cask strength variety, though, is rare.

Each release is different. If you follow the lore, the original 2017 cask strength is the most cherished (12 year old), the 2018 (one year younger at 11 years old), is also loved, and the following 2019 release rolled with a controversy. I remarked whether to was “Lot 40”-sh enough, though the release was an inventive play (French oak finished) on a younger cask strength rye whisky. It also did terrifically well.

Out of nowhere, comes an 18 year old release.

COVID times threw a wrench into the Lot 40 Cask Strength release schedule. There is a high-proof dark oak release I’ll be reviewing later, that’s made it to the regular line-up, but otherwise the prized title of “cask strength” has had no contender since 2019.

Until, of course, a surprise drop of 130 bottles of 18 year old Lot 40 Cask Strength. I’m unsure of how many bottles were sold via the drop but there is promise of more coming out in the new year (they ask to sign-up directly for a chance to buy one). These are only available in Canada, and the few releases that made it out already are catching a high-price in secondary markets (which have questionable legality here in Ontario).

I managed to get a bottle by pure luck when the notice came out that the bottles were available for purchase. To my knowledge, because of the high value of this release, few bottles have been opened.

So what’s it taste like?

Out of all the releases, the original Lot 40 Cask Strength of 12 year variety was my favorite. For my palate specifically, it hit perfectly. Score wise, it’s still one of the better whiskies I’ve had.

By comparison, Lot 40 18 Year Old Cask Strength is the most similar to the 12 year old. Now, here are a few caveats in that statement—it is similar, but not the same. The extra years of aging have given it more of a syrupy note. It’s intensely sweet. You won’t be thinking cask strength when you have it. You’ll be thinking dessert whisky, decadence, and other such complex thoughts.

The flavour that has me most of all is the anise. Normally, I taste licorice, but this is sweeter and warmer. I will forever think of anise when I drink this whisky.

It is a single barrel product, not a complex oriented blend of unique barrels, so it won’t have that depth of found in American rarities like the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection. There’s less mystery to it. However, it’s an absolute flavour bomb of intensity and priced well by comparison to other rare American whiskies .

Tasting Notes

Nose: Unlike previous releases, this is all anise (instead of licorice). It’s sweeter. Familiar, but sweeter. Floral, concentrated, with apple and nutmeg and maple syrup sweetness on the nose. Over-time, black tea and boozy cherry notes come-out and play. It succeeds in not nosing nearly as boozy as the cask strength ABV indicates on the bottle.

Palate: Anise, black tea sharpness, dry vermouth-like sweetness, with butter and cinnamon rolled up into one wallop of a taste. There’s plenty of rye spice. It’s syrupy sweet on the palate, like syrup that’s laced in pepper spice and cinnamon. The finish is classic rye dry, buttery, and cinnamon. It’s a long finish and has the heavy traditional rye profile we’d expect from Lot 40 Cask Strength.

Conclusion: This is Lot 40 12 Year Old Cask Strength, syrupy concentrated. With a touch of water you’ll get more brown sugar notes and far more black peppery spice and licorice. In fact, this drink changes dramatically with a little bit of water. Not for the better or worse. It’s the same drink, just spread out a little in flavour as the notes hit at different points.

Score: 93.5

To understand this new release, let’s take it back a few years. Knob Creek was introduced in 1992. It’s the same recipe as Jim Beam, Booker’s, and most other Jim Beam products (but for the high-rye recipes like Basil Hayden). However, Jim Beam distinguishes the product lines based on age and barrel selection (consistent with the rest of Kentucky).

It’s about barrel selection.

Each distillery has their own way of distinguishing between product lines, since the recipe used is often the same. In the case of Jim Beam, it’s about where the barrels mature in the warehouse. Knob Creek barrels mature in the “middle-cut” of the warehouse where the temperature is most consistent (not too hot, not too cold, just right). By contrast, Booker’s frames the warehouse, where the conditions are extreme to maximize oak extraction.

Warehouses have an atmosphere. The effects on the barrel change based on where the barrel is located within the warehouse. Drier parts of the warehouse cause more water extraction, which ups the alcohol percentage of the whisky (Booker’s). Hot temperatures place more stress on the barrel, as does an extreme range of temperature throughout the year. Knob Creek is that cozy middle of the warehouse. It’s consistently great.

During the whiskey boom of the 2010s, Kentucky Distilleries were unprepared for the demand. Most ‘standard’ bourbon products are matured for 4 years. Distilleries quickly rerouted their barrels to keep the mass-volume brands on shelves. Products like Knob Creek lost their age statements—there weren’t enough aged barrels to maintain them.

Jim Beam could no longer commit to a nine year old Knob Creek, but the no-age statement variety didn’t taste all that different from the product it replaced (though opinions on this will differ). This happened back in 2016. By that time, Bourbon fans were used to this plot line of lost age statements. All things considered (I’m sure Jim Beam would disagree with me here), this seemed to go relatively unnoticed by the premium loving whisky community.

Part of the thing is, Knob Creek held a middle-ground within the Jim Beam portfolio. It’s their “premium cocktail” Bourbon. It goes something like this 1) Booker’s is high octane/high proof. 2) Basil Hayden is soft flavors at a big price. 3) Baker’s is often overlooked, high-proof and nuttier in flavor. And Knob Creek, is the fun versatile one!

The comeback is better than the setback (for age statements).

Now, here’s some confession time—I wasn’t a big fan of the 9 year old Knob Creek back in the day. I felt it was too ‘thin’ on the palate by comparison to others in the same price category. This was an older style Bourbon. It wasn’t a drink I’d reach for often as a sipper. It definitely sat more on the ‘mix for cocktails’ side of my whisky cabinet.

The new Knob Creek 9 Year Old is that sipper I want. Sure, yes, definitely mix it in with your high-end cocktails but don’t discount it as a sipping Bourbon. Have it on ice on a warm day, etc.. Drink it neat.

More than that, though, it’s a real terrific value when compared to ultra-high-end Bourbons that are often either missing in storefront shelves (I’m looking at you Blanton’s!) or way overpriced by liquor stores because of the lack of supply (also you, Blanton’s). Knob Creek will help offset some of the demand balance.

Knob Creek has character. It has that flavor people chase.

Let’s talk about flavor. After a decade of tasting high-end Bourbon, I’ve come to learn some flavors people chase. One of them, I often describe as the “boozy cherry note.” Some might call this flavor component nutmeg and dark fruits, others simply say cherry, but regardless, many of the popular Bourbons that I, personally, like have this flavor profile. It seems universally enjoyed.

It comes through (seemingly) more easily in wheated Bourbons like Weller, but it’s also present in older Bourbons and Ryes. What gives us that flavor? Maybe this used to be a mystery, but I think the folks at Jim Beam have it figured out.

Knob Creek 9 has it. Furthermore, this is just the beginning. The folks at Jim Beam added a 12 Year Old and 15 Year Old to the lineup. Both are terrific. I’ll review them later.

What’s my favorite Bourbon? The one I can actually buy. Knob Creek 9 is on that level of delicious. And it’s available. I like what the folks of Jim Beam are doing here. This is another long-winded way of saying, the new Knob Creek 9 is better-than-ever.

Knob Creek 9 Year Old Review

Distillery: Jim Beam

Category: Bourbon

Score: 89

Nose: Hardwood, varnish, boozy dark fruits, fresh pencil shavings. Those are the initial notes. There’s a nice dark chocolate note that wafts to the forefront given time, vanilla bitters, and notes of freshly roasted coffee beans.

Palate: Nice dark fruit sweetness, brown sugar, and plenty of oak spice. The transition from fruity sweetness, to brown sugar, to spicy is pleasant. The oak tannins are intense at first, but they settle as the whisky rests in the glass. There’s a nice distant boozy cherry note. The finish is peppery but mingles nicely with the sweeter notes of the Bourbon.

Conclusion: I really like this. I feel like Knob Creek was never quite sure if it wanted to be a high-end cocktail mixing whisky, or a sipping whisky, and I feel this Knob Creek has picked a direction—it’s a sipping whisky, that makes a terrific ingredient in a cocktail. Knob Creek has found a new home in the lux Jim Beam line-up, and at the current price-point, it’s aggressively priced when compared to other products in this segment and the demands for those products. Time to pick up some bottles.

Disclosure: The bottle was sent to me without obligation. This review, including tasting notes, opinions, and scoring, is entirely by own.

What is Whisky Season?

In many parts of the world (or at least, especially here in Ontario), much of the whisky sales happen somewhere between October and December. That makes sense, right? Summer is for roses and gins and the winter months are for your complex red wines. Vodka is year-around. But whisky, it has a season, and that takes us into fall!

So this whisky season is going to be a little different from a few years ago, but it will definitely be better than last year’s whisky season where we were all huddled in our homes wondering what would happen next (your experience may vary depending on where you live).

For me, the end of whisky season ended with the annual heel party (where we take the last of our favorite pours—the heel of the bottle—and share them amongst friends). It’ll be another year I won’t be hosting the event, but I’m hopeful for 2022!

American Single Malts Get Defined

American whisky continues to be the most regulated whisky industry in the entirety of the world. It’s true. Pick a grain (corn!), and there’s a regulation on the various types of whisky one can make from it (regular bourbon, straight bourbon, corn whisky, and just general default whisky—I’m definitely missing a few).

Most of the definitions revolve around the 51% rule. So long as there’s 51% rye in the recipe, it’s considered a rye (same is true for corn for bourbons, and so on). This allows distilleries to play with the recipe. For Bourbon, this has created three distinct popular subcategories that are not legally defined: High-rye bourbon (where rye makes up 30% of the recipe), regular bourbon (rye is often 8% to 12% of the recipe) and wheated bourbons (producer uses wheat instead of rye).

When it comes to barley-based whiskies (malt whisky), tradition defines a malt whisky as made from 100% malted barley. This assumption is based on the regulations in Scotland, though it’s not intuitively obvious. Scotland defines the word single to mean of one distillery. Malt is defined as 100% malted barley. And Scotch is defined as being made in Scotland (though the grain can come from elsewhere). These are legal definitions protected by international trade law, but they only apply to Scotch whisky.

Most of the world, however, has adapted these rules for other single malts produced elsewhere in the world. It should be noted, though, that rarely are those definitions legal. Even Japan doesn’t have a strict legal definition of what a Japanese whisky is, leading to confusion.

However, because the US lives under the 51% rule for most of their whiskies, distilleries in the US can produce a single malt whisky and are only required to have 51% malted barley. This, of course, has people up-in-arms.

Change is coming:

According to the definition put forth by the ASMWC, American single malts must be made from 100% malted barley; distilled entirely at one distillery; mashed, distilled and matured in the US; matured in oak casks of no more than 700 litres; distilled to no more than 80% ABV; and bottled at 40% ABV or more.

From a craft distilling perspective, this is good news for many that are focused on making a true (as defined by Scotland) American single malt whisky. Making a just-barely-based whisky has its challenges, and this will be recognized.

In terms of the craft of making whisky, making a 100% malted-barely made whisky is something to be celebrated. This is a good change for many!

However, it does mean that distilleries that have been making <100% barley whiskies are going to be relegated to the just whisky category. This category is far more difficult to navigate for the consumer, because it opens up a lot of possibilities people don’t generally associate with whisky.

It doesn’t take much to be called a whisky in the US and you can use flavor additives (artificial flavors) to make that whisky (with some restrictions). Often, it means buying a whisky with an unknown heritage (you don’t know where it’s been made, whether or not it has flavoring, etc..) unless one trusts the distillery.

There are some great whiskies in the just whisky category that don’t add artificial flavouring (High West, for example, blends older bourbons and young ryes with great success) but one really needs to trust the distillery to buy just a whisky.

As with most regulations, there will be winners and losers. As a consumer, you’ll be more confident that when you buy an American single malt, it’ll be defined more similarly to the Scottish definition.

Okay, okay, whatever regulations, but how do American single malts taste?

Here’s the thing—I really don’t care about the recipe a whisky is made with, so long as it’s made with authenticity. I’m in Canada, and my exposure to American single malts is largely based on (often) blind tastings for whisky competitions.

Distilleries focused on making 100% malted barley can miss the boat on flavor, being stuck in the craft of making whisky. They get too focused on the recipe. Executing a good whisky is hard enough. And the challenge is, the big distilleries will outperform any craft distillery in any category. Being a craft distiller is tough enough without having to play by their rules.

Barley is a fantastic grain with plenty of complex flavors, especially when it’s fermented properly and aged in reused oak. New oak tends to overpower the benefits of the grain. American style single malts that use new oak do have a unique flavor profile, it’s just harder to get there while also appreciating the ingredient the distillery starts with. Single malts that do use reused barrels have a climate issue—will maturation get the right oak extraction within the climate the barrel is aged at?

There are no right or wrong answers so long as the whisky tastes great. The best distilleries, though, understand the climate and ingredients (including access to barrels) they’re working with and excel and producing flavorful product within those parameters.

From a distillery consultative perspective, it seems that distilleries that try to make a wheated bourbon or a single malt or whatever without understanding the factors above (climate, grain variety, barrel options) tend to learn the lesson the hard way. The ones that succeed often modify their whisky toward what’s best suited for them.

From a marketing perspective, craft distilleries are constantly trying to flex away from the big distilleries. The reality is, these categories will offer opportunities up until they become successful, and than the big distilleries will barge right in with their own products (or buy a distillery that already makes it). With single malts more strictly defined in the US, this is likely to happen if the category continues to increase in popularity.

As a consumer, be careful with what you buy, and focus on getting an authentic product that has the flavors you enjoy.

I like Davin’s summary:

Most people who have tasted whisky both ways agree that chill filtering may reduce the flavour and does affect the mouthfeel negatively. It is minor, but noticeable. This includes distillers and quality assessors. However, the distiller’s worst enemy is the customer who returns whisky to the store. If a store gets too many returns they simply stop stocking that whisky. This is particularly difficult when the large stores decide not to stock a whisky. Many customers understand that non-chill filtered whisky sometimes gets hazy. However, enough customers think there is something wrong with hazy whisky and return it that it becomes a huge nuisance for stores and a nightmare for distillers.

We know the reasons why it’s done and we know how it’s done—none of this is a particular mystery. It’s also important to note that all whisky (unless it’s been poured into your glass straight from the barrel) is filtered. And not all chill-filtration processes are the same. Frankly, most terrific whiskies are chill-filtered.

Still, to mess with tradition…. well, I can’t wait to read the reviews comparing the two versions of the single malt. The tasting note differences might be subtle (if any) but the addition of this process to a beloved whisky is a chasm between GlenDronach fans and the company’s bottom-line.

What have others had to say about this? The discovery came via redditor. Josh of The Whiskey Jug asked Brown-Forman for a statement and he has his own thoughts on it. They’re slightly more filtered than the Reddit thread (which I encourage you to read, though definitely NSFW).

Oh man, owning this bottle has been about six years in the making, I have wanted one for AGES but the auction prices were either way too much or the people who promised to help me get one failed to come through… so I’m super chuffed to have finally bought a bottle at a (vaguely) reasonable price at auction – £280.

It’s a great price for a whisky that has quietly changed the way the industry thinks about whisky production.

The story—In 2010, a warehouse collapsed due to a massive snowstorm. Barrels were exposed to the air in the middle of a cold winter. The distillery decided to commemorate the moment with a single malt scotch that’s a blend of the barrels exposed during the collapsing rough. The Snow Phoenix was born at a fun 47.6% ABV:

Selecting and marrying the finest Oloroso and American oak casks from warehouses struck by heavy snow, our Malt Master created Snow Phoenix.

Master Brian Kinsman had a limited pallet of barrels to pick from. Officially, this is a scotch without an age statement, and unofficially it is said to have whisky matured between thirteen years and thirty. A highlight to blending single malt scotch, Snow Phoenix captured the interest of whisky enthusiasts with a limited bottling and a story to tie it all together.

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Glenfiddich (and sister distillery The Balvenie) had a terrific brand strategy of using rare pours as conversation starters when talking to media. Sure, everyone was pouring their “thirty year old” whisky, but with Glenfiddich and The Balvenie you always got something unique.

Snow Phoenix retailed for $80, but back in 2011 the predictions were it would double in price:

A total of only 12,000 bottles will be in circulation. Bechard said he was surprised when he was told the Snow Phoenix would retail for $89.99. Given the Snow Phoenix’s uniqueness and limited bottling, Bechard said it could have been priced at least twice its list. Bechard said the Snow Phoenix’s pricing makes it possible to buy one bottle to enjoy now, and another to keep. Entrepreneurial types are taking advantage of the Snow Phoenix’s scarcity and affordability; bottles have already started showing up on eBay UK.

Snow Phoenix now runs at over $1,000 US, and has held that price consistently over the last several years. The advice above ended up being very good indeed.

From a marketing perspective, this was a terrific move forward for Glenfiddich. From a whisky making perspective, it showed Glenfiddich can succeed with branded whiskies over age statements.

This trend continued.

Just look my reviews for Winter Storm, Fire and Cane, and Project XX. These are a few examples of branded single malts that are a mix of (by standards of decades ago) untraditional combination of casks. Glenfiddich wasn’t first to this, not in 2011, but I’d argue it was one of the first distilleries to do it well at volumes for the everyday consumer.

It’s not just about the whisky inside the bottle.

In truth, Glenfiddich already had similar whiskies—they had their Malt Master’s edition (Terrific!) and Distiller’s Edition (even better!).

However, Snow Phoenix was a combination (blend?) of marketing and whisky making from a preferred selection of barrels (or in the Snow Phoenix case, a somewhat random distribution of barrels).

I’d argue that the Distiller’s Edition is a better tasting single malt scotch from Glenfiddich compared to Snow Phoenix, but it was unable to capture the hearts of many like the Snow Phoenix has.

Marketing and whisky making have always been married in the scotch world—it’s about the story.

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How’s it taste?

I largely agree with the Whisky Base community in scoring this around an 86. That’s a good score! I found it a bit abrasive on the palate, but it settled after a few drops of water or (using Kinsman’s favorite method) warming the whisky by cupping the glass.

Whisky is not immune to change in the bottle (I know, I know, it doesn’t age in the bottle but evaporation is a thing), and I’m guessing based on reading recent reviews, it’s mellowed out a little bit.

The value of this whisky is really quite personal, but I think there are plenty of Glenfiddich’s released that are cheaper and better tasting including the (not so cheap) Winter Storm. Note: Winter Storm is also no longer in production but has a relatively affordable after-market price.

Have there been other whiskies that commemorate distillery disasters?

I absolutely love Colonel E.H. Taylor Warehouse C Tornado Surviving Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey (but not as much as their rare Cured Oak release), but this one goes for $12,000 per bottle in the secondary market hitting the stratosphere of Pappy Van Winkle prices. Cured Oak is half that price, and possibly a tad better, though when friend and I had a taste of both at Buffalo Trace Distillery it was a 50/50 split between the two.

There are a lot of ‘forced’ commemorative whiskies that celebrate an event, but the accidental ones are truly special. However, I’m sure I’m forgetting some unique pours. Let me know?

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My takeaway on this is—we often talk about the taste of whisky, but the truth is the story is just as fascinating. In the “old days” that story was simplified around the distillery’s history. Today, a whisky needs to have a story about how/why/where it was made to help identify an appreciation for what one is drinking. Glenfiddich Snow Phoenix did just that, and it’s impact on Glenfiddich’s products continues today.

A popular Japanese whisky is about to be delisted as Japanese

Much of the what we assume is Japanese whisky is made entirely elsewhere:

It’s something of an open secret in the drinks business that much whisky that is labelled Japanese contains spirits from other countries, mainly Scotland and Canada.

This has been a well known secret. It’s a constant frustration for whisky connoisseurs that see Japanese whisky labelled on products that clearly have little or no Japanese provenance.

Whisky has no one definition globally. An American Rye needs to start as a fermentation of 51% corn while a Canadian rye need not have any rye in it whatsoever. Indian whisky can be made using molasses while Single Malt Scotch must be 100% malted barley. The variety in rules is terrific and means we’re not all drinking the same thing, but rules (or lack-there-of) shouldn’t call into question the authenticity of the drink.

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The Japan Spirits & Liqueurs Makers Association has published their requirements for Japanese whisky. Those requirements will need to be met by March 31st, 2024. Both Nikka and Suntory belong to the association, and Nikka has come ahead of the story with regards to everyone’s (mine) favorite available (affordable) Japanese whisky:

Nikka from the Barrel have the following disclaimer: “This product does not meet all the criteria of ‘Japanese whisky ‘ defined by the Japan Spirits & Liqueur Makers Association.” It doesn’t state where they stray from the rules but we are sure that Master of Malt customers will be able to work it out.

This comes as a surprise from a marketing perspective, but less-so from a flavour perspective.

What’s your favorite Japanese whisky? Barry Bradford’s take is a good one:

As there is no declaration/or legal requirement to declare either, this blend may well include Scotch whisky in it too – e.g. malt from Nikka’s Ben Nevis distillery? Like most blends it is a great unknown exactly what the constituents are and when it is this good it is not worth losing sleep over either, just sit back, relax and drink!

I agree.

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Blended whisky in Japan is still blended in Japan. Like with Canadian whisky, it is the Japanese whisky blenders that are the artists behind the brands. While I suspected Nikka from the Barrel wasn’t distilled in Japan, it doesn’t taste like a single malt scotch or a Canadian whisky. A terrific blend will have its own unique character.

Does this all matter? It’s entirely up to you. Whisky has always been about the story, marketing, and the craft of making whisky. If any of these elements bother you then you get to move on to the next whisky on your list. For some, it’s purely about the taste. You get to vote with your wallet.

As for Nikka from the Barrel? I really enjoy it. At its price point, it’s not going to bother me that it’s not Japanese whisky.

When writing The Whisky Cabinet, I had no intention of telling people how to enjoy their whisky. What I did want to do, though, is provide an explanation of what happens to whisky when modifiers are added (ice, water, or even warming the glass in the palm of the head). 

However, a study from 3 years ago changed conventional thinking. Forbes declared Yes, You Should Put Water In Your Whisky. The Washington Post all but declared the study found the best way to drink whiskey, according to science (spoiler: it’s water). Bigger spoiler—that’s not the conclusion to draw from the study. 

NPR went as far to conclude one should add a little bit of water to whisky. 

The study didn’t prove this either. The study did suggest more flavor is found when whisky is diluted to at but below 45% ABV. Most popular whiskies already coming at this proof point. Further, this was based on the study one one (and only one!) flavor molecule. That’s kind of ridiculous. 

So what did that one study show? 

Much of the science is purely speculative. Yes, even that one study that “proved” whisky tastes better with water is based on one assumption—guaiacol. This organic molecule is produced when lignin (polymers found in plant life) get heated. That’s a fancy way of saying char. Guaiacol is seen as the flavor molecule in coffee (toasted coffee beams produce guaiacol) and in whisky (similarly, charred oak barrels produce guaiacol). 

The study that “proved” whisky tastes better:

Computer simulations of water/ethanol mixtures in the presence of guaiacol discovered that, in mixtures with an ethanol concentration of up to 45%, guaiacol was more likely to be present at the liquid-air interface.

The conclusion, then, is with 45% ABV or under guaiacol is more detectable and thus the whisky tastes better. At above 59% ABV, guaiacol becomes heavily loaded with alcohol molecules and it becomes (theoretically) muted on our senses. 

What if you don’t like guaiacol? There are all sorts of studies that suggest whisky has ten, twenty or even fifty different compounds that provide flavor. Why all this focus on one flavor molecule? This one compound comes from charred barrels and nothing else (when it comes to whisky) and there are plenty more compounds found in barrels. 

I’m not arguing the validity of the research, only that it trivializes the taste of whisky to one flavor component. That’s a mistake. 

When adding water, what type of water should we add? 

The topic of water gets (accurately) more ridiculous. Important reading includes this article about the type of water:

However, by adding that water we are subtly altering the taste beyond simply releasing that ‘something’ already in the whisky. All drinkable water contains combinations of minerals with distinct flavours – and that inevitably can affect our whisky in various ways and to varying degrees.

Therefore, we should take our choice of water seriously: I firmly believe that the whisky tasting experience can be compromised through a poor choice of water.

This article by Felipe Schrieberg raises terrific points. I think they’re absolutely true. But I also think that once we start needing to measure the mineral content of the water we add, it’s added another complexity to our whisky drinking experience we potentially don’t need. 

So what actually happens when we add water to whisky?

A lot. In What Happens When You Add Water to Whiskey, Matthew Hartings explains much of the conventional thinking around water and whisky (thinking that I, personally, believe): 

And then water comes in like a bomb and destroys that tranquil balance. “When you take a drop of water and put it in a glass of whiskey, you can see all these ripples and all these convection currents. That’s the water you’re adding disrupting that balance,” Hartings says.

We love whisky because its pure chaos. Wine is settled and soft, and its low ABV means less is happening in the glass. That’s why one swirls the wine glass—it’s to excite alcohol molecules and provide more aroma (bouquet). In whisky, we have a volatile drink already, and we can influence that chaos. 

water radically rearranges the molecules inside. Hartings explains, “It’s kind of like playing pool. You start off with the racked balls. When they’re sitting in that rack, they’re happy being there. And even when you pull the rack away, they’re going to sit there. But you throw in that cue ball and it disrupts everything. Everything kind of moves around and has to find a new place to be.”

From my personal experience, I find a few drops of water release lighter acidic notes, especially with richer sweeter whiskies. However, it really does depend on the whisky: 

Water doesn’t affect all flavors equally, though. Some flavor molecules interact more strongly with water molecules than others. Picture again that kid holding a balloon, now picture him joined by an entire field of kids holding balloons of different colors—some blue, some green, some purple, all representing different flavors and smells. 

It should be noted, that some of these changes are temporary. By adding water, you shock the glass. Eventually (30 seconds to a minute), though, the glass will calm. 

Can you just tell me how to drink my whisky? 

I like Davin de Kergommeaux’s answer:

For rare whiskies, I prefer to start straight up. I guess this works for shooters too, but I never do shooters. For a casual dram while chatting I like to add ice. I HATE those whisky stones, discs, whatever. Slow dilution is part of the benefit of using ice cubes. A few drops of water often improve the whisky by making it more approachable and by releasing a lot of hidden flavours. ...I prefer to focus on the people I am drinking with and not be distracted by analyzing the whisky. Analytical tastings, I do in private and they are not all that much fun.

I rarely add water to whisky. I almost never do it when I’m casually drinking, and I rarely do it when analyzing tasting notes. There are times where I can’t quite get a tasting note, and I start to heat up the glass in the palm of my hand and/or add water to see what happens. Those times, through, are rare. That’s me, though, and that answer won’t be right for you.

We don’t all love spicy food. Some of our palates are more or less sensitive to spice. There’s no right or wrong answer to how much sriracha we should put into our food. Whisky, water, and alcohol content is a similar conversation. 

Drink whisky the way it tastes best for you. 

The name Speakeasy is a tribute to the illicit past of Hiram-Walker distillery during US prohibition. As the well-known story goes, Al Capone smuggled Canadian whisky across the border so it might be served in underground illegal clubs, known as speakeasies, to avoid authorities.

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This story, though, isn't really about Canada vs the United States. Hiram-Walker was an American that built the distillery across the US border before the formation of Canada. Today that area is known as Windsor, a city across the Detroit river. The distillery produced The Club.

Even before prohibition, though, The Club was popular among bars in the United States. So-much-so that American distilleries forced regulators to print the country of origin on Canadian whisky that was imported in. The Club turned to Canadian Club, and continued to be a best-selling whisky in the US.

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen an old whisky come out under the Canadian Club branding. However, this is definitely the most Canadian Club like variation of the releases. Like the previous releases in The Chronicles series (41 and 42), this is a celebration of the blending in Canadian whisky.

Note for potential buyers: As far as I know, this whisky is largely distributed through the LCBO (Ontario liquor stores) and available online here at the time of this writing.

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What’s a 43 year old Canadian whisky taste like?

Canadian Club 43 Year Old Chronicles “The Speakeasy”
Hiram-Walker Distillery
Category: Canadian Whisky, Blend
Score: 93.5

Nose: Plenty of candied orange notes, rich, warm, and welcoming. That candied orange is sweetened with honeycomb. There's a spicy peppery ring to the nosing, one that has that “old barrel” smell. Gentle, but present, and brings in herbal notes like black tea, licorice, and old well-worn leather. There’s age on the nose, but just a hint. Whereas previous CC were all lemon moraine note, this is all orange. There’s a beautiful intensity to the nose. It’s unmistakably unique.

Palate: Youth rye spice, orange peel pithiness right up there in the palate for you to bite into, black pepper spice, touches of white sugar, and a real deep spicy, buttery, licorice finish. The honey sweetness is rich and nicely balanced with peppery rye and rich herbal notes. By comparison to other whiskies in this age group, this is far gentler, but with that gentleness you get a wider breath of flavour. It’s ridiculously satisfying.

Conclusion: As with the others of the Canadian Club releases, this is a delicious and delicate whisky that draws on a ton of flavour. It’s reminiscent of old scotches, but there’s a youth to it this pour. There’s a familiar note to it, that zesty rye Canadian Club goodness, but it’s so much more than that. Where the other Chronicles are sometimes different; delicious but unfamiliar. This is quietly familiar, a relative to Canadian Club not just in maker, label, and history... but also in taste.

Disclaimer: Canadian Club provided me a sample of this whisky. It had no baring on my review.

We both have samples, poured blind, and we’re going to guess which is which. The samples are of The Macallan 12, 15, and 18. Here are my tasting notes and guesses. Find out which is which in 15 minutes (8pm EST) on my Instagram.

Sample No. 4

Nose: Heavy sherry influence, syrupy sweet—ripen fruits, cinnamon, nice woody note. Tangy, orange marmalade type note. Deep dusty note.

Palate: Tons of orange candied gummy tangy notes, a cinnamon (light) spice, brown sugar, and a dry zippy finish. The sweetness is familiar, not unlike sherry, but the oak spice really amps up the character toward the finish. It’s buttery. Spicy (again, super light), and has that brown sugar sweetness toward the end.

Assumptions: Sherry Oloroso, I don’t detect any perceptive amount of ex-bourbon oak. Has age to it. Good balance.

Guess: The Macallan Double Cask 18 Year Old—this is all (or mostly) ex-sherry oak influenced. There’s a complexity of pepper note of American oak, though, so unsure if it’s all European oak or a mix of European oak and American oak (both seasoned in Oloroso sherry). Either way, this is the direction I’m going down.

Answer: Correct!

Sample No. 5

Nose: Dark chocolate, caramel, vanilla, and that distinct American peppery spice. It’s a spicy complex note and the sweetness rounds out the edges well.

Palate: Forward American spice, vanilla extract (bitters and sweetness), and some cinnamon spice. It gives us a full range of experience from pepper smooth notes to solid sweet sherry notes, and a little of that ‘wine-like’ sweetness toward the end. The finish captures a lot of my attention—spice, sweetness, buttery notes. A roller coaster of flavor from sweet to spicy to buttery.

Assumption: American oak (ex-sherry) is forward but there are Europea cask notes here in near equal measure (in terms of flavour, not necessarily quantity). Good age, nice contrast, fairly peppery and a sweet to balance it all out. It has edge, but you won’t fall. The American oak is more present here compared to the previous sample.

Guess: The Macallan Double Cask 15 Year Old—This is a tough guess, though, because it’s close (but different) to sample 6. They’re both delicious, and different, . However, I can make the argument that other way.

Answer: This was Macallan Double Cask 12!

Sample No. 6

Nose: Dark chocolate, figs, more dark chocolate, minty herbs, more dar chocolate, vanilla spice plus caramel notes, dark chocolate, and ginger. Buttery. Rich. Hefty on the nose, it carries with it character (but that deep deep sort of character). After a time, one gets that American peppery spice. Definitely a Scottish butterscotch note (not to be confused with a Canadian one).

Palate: The start is almost expected, and just when you think you’ll get what you expect (sherry figgy syrupy sweet), the oak peppers really amp up on the flavors. Lots of spice, cinnamon and pepper, mixed with orange citrus and vanilla (light). Good proper hard hitting finish that stamps a flavor and reverberates on the palate. The finish is figs, orange citrus (covered in chocolate), cinnamon, and brown sugar. It has a port-like sweetness that’s delightful. Those vanilla bitters turn toward licorice over time.

Assumption: My initial assumption was this is a mix of European and American oak, but all seasoned with Oloroso sherry. I still think that’s the case, but in my mind there’s more American oak that’s used here, because I’m getting those caramel butteryscotch notes.

Guess: The Macallan Double Cask 12 Year Old—It’s a challenging guess. American oak seasoned exclusively in sherry is a rare profile (often there’s been bourbon in them previous), so my guess is based on the unique flavour profile. It’s distinct in the line-up.

Answer: This delicious pour was The Macallan Double Cask 15 Year Old!

I tasted some odd stuff. Spicy, pickled, smoked, sugared, fishy (yes, fish-based spirit) odd stuff! The gins were fascinating, the absinthes intense, the young whiskies developed, the rums a good twist on an adaptable profile. It all points to one simple fact; I couldn’t possibly choose a favourite from the bunch of spirits.

Invest in your local distilleries. A friend and I were chatting about this the other day. Whisky is a hugely scalable product where big distilleries can make terrific whisky at a cheaper price-point compared to micro-distilleries. Smaller distilleries are in it for the long-game but they won’t ever compete on price. They can, though, compete on ingenuity and creativity.

The “other” spirits distilleries make are excellent. As a judge, I’ve tasted some incredible gins, rums, absinthes, vodkas (yes, even vodkas!) in a terrific variety of products. One can make well-reasoned argument that whisky in artisan distilleries is “too expensive” but commercial distributors in gins, vodkas, and rums generally compete in a narrow taste profile. Artisan distilleries excel by rethinking these categories.

And most importantly… Buy the weird stuff. Maybe even their Vodkas. I appreciate Jason’s sentiment here, when he considers rethinking vodka:

Also, notably (and this is why I care) - Canadian producers make great vodka – particularly the smaller producers who build in a bit more character around the edges of their spirits. I’ll highlight a few in the upcoming months.

My recommendation? Have a look at the results, sort by Provence, and pick-up something that sounds delicious to you. For me, that means I’ll be getting The Last Straw Distillery’s Blackstrap Rum.

Finally, have a read of The Definitive Guide to Canadian Distilleries that covers over 150 distilleries around Canada and listen to Davin on The Whisky Topic.

The majority of competitions run in the November and December timeframe. That means I’m scoring about 150 whiskies (and 150 spirits) a year in that two month period. It gets intense. I get a lot of questions about this, so I thought I’d share answers to the ones I get most often.

What makes this competition work is all the tasting is done blind. I’d show you a picture of my dining room table, but unfortunately I’m under NDA (non-disclosure agreement) for all the tastings I specifically do. So instead, cottage drinking:

How do whisky competitions work?

The ones that I judge, it’s fairly simple. I’m sent a bunch of samples. They’re numbered. I don’t know what they are. I score them two or three times, and hand in a final score with some tasting notes. In some competitions, I’ll eventually know what whiskies I’ve tasted, while in others I’ll never know.

Do you get drunk drinking all that whisky?

Drunk, no, but buzzed, most definitely. My palate is often good for six to eight different whiskies in an hour's time. I have less than a quarter ounce of each sample, but especially with boozier whiskies, that means I consume anywhere between one and two drinks worth of alcohol. I'm at least "one drink buzzed" and sometimes "two drinks" buzzed. 

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Do you really do tastings in the mornings?

Yes. The palate is cleanest in the morning. I brush my teeth, avoid breakfast, and drink coffee with plenty of water. It's very personal, though. There are people that can't drink coffee; it changes their palate. There are others that taste whisky just before lunch when they're hungry because they find their palate most sensitive then. It really does depend. 

I will, sometimes, have a second session in the afternoon if I feel my palate is doing well. I will always taste something at least two times, and I've done comparisons. Sometimes my palate sucks in the afternoons (in which case I stop the session), and sometimes I'm getting great tasting notes and I go on. 

Do you avoid certain foods while tasting whisky?

I avoid heavily salted foods, deep-fried foods, and sugary foods for a few days. I'm often scoring whisky four or five days a week, so I'm large avoided all those foods throughout the month. I'm not strict about it, but if I have fried salty foods one day, I won't score whisky the next day.

Each person’s palate is different, but I find salty foods changes how my palate interprets things the next day. My palate seems less particular and I’m less discriminating with how I score whisky. This is bad from a few perspectives; I'm less aware of the faults, it creates inconsistency in my scores (depending how much food I've had), and my job is to be a critic.

There's little science on this, but in my experience, having delicious fried food the day before means my palate is off and inconsistent the next day. 

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What about glassware?

Each competition has its preferred glassware. The World Whisky Awards uses a stand ISO wine glass. San Francisco's Spirits Awards use the NEAT glass. Others, recommend the Glencairn glass. Yes, glassware matters.

For the majority of my tastings, I use Glencairn glassware, and I rotate about 50 glasses through the dishwasher while tasting whisky daily.

You use a dishwasher for your glassware?!

Controversial; lots of people in the business hand-wash their glassware. I'm an exception. Some of this has to do with the water quality (hard vs soft) and the dishwasher used. I have had, in the past, dishwashers that left a weird veggie smell on my glassware. My current dishwasher is great. I nose every glass before I pour whisky into it. If it smells off, I don't use it. If it smells like the room, we're good to go. 

Storage of glassware is more important than how it's washed.

I store my glassware in just a regular cabinetry made of wood. The smell of the wood gets into the glass, and that does affect my tasting notes. When scoring whisky, I wash the glasses and leave on the dining room table until I’m ready to drink.

What other weird things can affect tasting notes?

Room temperature! Sure, the smells in the room can/will affect tasting notes, but the temperature of the room is a big deal. Ryes, for example, are far rougher at above 22+ Celsius while soften at cooler temperatures. Scotches are a little sweeter. These aren’t massive changes, but when a few points on a 100 point scale matter, this does make a difference.

Steps to drinking whisky:

1. Nose the glass. Does it smell like the room? Good. Go on.

2. Pour the whisky and let it rest for a minute. Whisky is volatile. When you pour it, a lot is going on, and you need to lest it rest. 

3. Nose the whisky with the mouth open, breathing in as little as I can, and switching between nostrils. This is a fairly standard method of nosing. Some favor one nostril over the other. I just go with what feels the best that day. Score. 

4. Taste the whisky with a gentle sip, write notes, take a bigger sip as needed. This part is complicated because whiskies come at different levels of alcohol content. How much I sip of it is largely determined by the flavors that I'm getting. Score. 

5. Sip at it a few times. Here's the thing about whisky; a rye is different from a scotch from something else. Each is drank a little differently. I'm optimizing how I drink what I'm drinking to get the most flavor from it. So this part is, most definitely, more of an art than a science and difficult to put into words. 

After the initial tasting, I put it away, and have a second or third tasting. I'm looking for consistency. Everything I taste is absolutely blind. When I score the whisky a second time, I've expecting a similar score. If there's a difference, I taste it a third time. 

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How consistent is your scoring?

It's about 90% consistent in a single sitting. Scoring whisky is not a science. We do our best. After three tastings, I've got a score I'm comfortable with. 

There are always, though, a few whiskies that I can never quite settle on; sometimes they taste great, sometimes not. To me, these are edge cases that are often terrific but different from the usual whisky profile. I often default these to the higher range of scores because I want to reward something that’s a little different from the regular.

The palate is subjective. It’s subjective on a personal level, but it’s also subjective day-to-day. Some studies point to a how our cravings are defined by what our bodies need. In that way, I can’t ever have the exact same palate. I can, though, have a consistent procured.

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Did I miss anything?

Ask away, and comment below!

Hi! I’m really excited about this, and I wanted to share.

You’ve seen me from such places as Whisky Buzz (mostly whisky reviews), The Whisky Topic Podcast, a terribly neglected YouTube channel, or Instagram (or possibly a combination of the above!). I’ve made a few changes to how content is delivered, and I hope this will allow me to continue delivering content to all of you in a more consistent way

The answer is Substack. I know, I know, literally every famous journalist has started a Substack mailing list (well, not literally, and I’m not famous). It has become a popular platform. Twitter and FB have both purchased competitors to this platform, and that’s because the platform works.

Going forward, whisky reviews will continue to be posted on Whisky Buzz. When they're posted, you'll receive them as part of the mailing list, and we can discuss the review here. Furthermore, I'll have discussion threads here on pertinent topics that don't make it to the website.

If you’re new to Substack, don’t worry. It functions just like a mailing list. No one can see you and you have the same level of privacy. However, you can choose to go into Substack and like or make comments on posts; that will be public.

I always welcome your feedback, so feel free to let me know your thoughts on the content and the frequency of posts. I know times are tough. Let’s build a community that helps us get through these tough times together.

It’s a big reason why I use Apple products over Android; the look and feel over features is a big selling point for me. My writing tools are all low-fuss. WhatsApp is a chore for me to use.

All you long-time Patreon supporters have been incredibly kind and patient with me on here. I keep thinking it’ll get better, but at some point over the last few months I realized it’s not me... it’s the platform. I’ve been looking over at Substack the last few months, especially when many great writers that I respect have moved over to the platform.

Substack has some good perks that vibe better for me:

1. The design helps foster a community experience. This is completely personal, but I can’t stand the commenting system here. Substack has a system just for communities.

2. Substack is more about journaling and less about commerce. This feels more ‘me.’ Through Patreon, I’ve learned that I’m terrible at meeting commitments when it comes to sending stuff out (though I love supporting creators that do those things on Patreon, it’s just not me).

3. Easier to integrate with a members-only podcast and better integration with whisky.buzz.

4. We can all TRY it before we USE it. Take the free option, offer suggestions, and email me directly at mbylok@gmail.com for any feedback. I’d love to hear from you.

5. You are on the “Founders list” for any future offers.

So here’s the plan; you have all been lovely. I’d love to send you some whisky (buy you a drink) as a giant thank you for supporting me all this time. What I send you will be dependent on your contributions, but whatever it is, you’ll love it. Just please do PM me your current address. COVID times and all, I think I’ll start mailing stuff out mid-February.

Hope you all follow me down this path. I think it’ll be better for all of us in the long-run! Plus, it’ll help me get more content out.