Mystery Whisky
Color: Amber +3
ABV: ??? (40%, less?)
Aroma Neat:
Rich Oak, Sweetened Churned Butter, Cracked Corn, Dark Caramel/Heavy Corn Syrup, Dark Brown Sugar, Mashed Banana, Thick Vanilla, Sweet Char, Candied Almonds, Hazelnuts.
Smells very Canadian, with moderately sweet corn and buttery oak. Very reminiscent of Wiser's 18, which I reviewed some time ago.
Aroma Water:
Sweet Corn, Wood Sugars/Maple, Candied Nuts, Toffee/Caramel, Creamy Vanilla, Nutmeg, Bananas Foster (a bit rummy), Oily Corn Spirit.
Pretty similar to neat.
Taste Neat:
Rich Oak Juice, Buttery Maple Syrup, Darkest Muscovado Sugar, Jamaican Rum, Candied Nuts, Caramel/Burnt Sugar, Rye Spice.
Still very Canadian in character. I don't think it's Wiser's 18, because it's much sweeter than I remember. A bit cloying, really. Although, a pleasing burst of spiciness is the best part. Maybe Crown Royal Cask 16, the Cognac finished one?
Taste Water:
Sweet Char, Wood Sugars/Maple, Dark Muscovado Sugar, Rum, Rum (high ester), Tar, Butter, Cracked Corn/Corn Meal/Pancakes.
Not much changes with water.
Finish:
Thin Maple Syrup, Bitterish Oak, Sweet Char (lightly)., Pepper/Cloves (a hint)
Short on the finish and quite mapley. Perhaps this isn't just whisky.
Conclusion:
The nose, though rather sweet, isn't off-putting.
Identifiably (I think) Canadian palate, though it's the sweetest and most mapley I've experienced. I don't usually find Canadian whiskies to be mapely, as some others to.
Pretty unfortunate finish, which is way too sweet.
Rating: 70/100
Based on the sweetness in this one, I thought Crown Royal Cask 16 is a fair guess, but I'm thinking this might be a liqueur... I did notice my glass got a little sticky on the rim. First time that's happened. Also, there seemed to be evidence of some younger spirit. I rarely ever drink liqueurs, so unfortunately I can't venture a guess in this department.
What it really was: El Dorado 12
This thing was a rum for crying out loud (though from Guyana and not Jamaica)! At least I noticed some rum notes during tasting. Clearly my palate is not adjusted to rum. I'm just not used to the sweetness. This was an incredibly valuable mystery dram for me, since I've been reading about rum and have been meaning to try some more (I've only had a handful, ever). Also, I'm frankly amazed at how Canadian this seemed. Even now that I know what it is, I still see a distinctively Canadian character. Fun stuff!
PS - Expect more rum reviews in a few weeks or months time!
What it really was: El Dorado 12
This thing was a rum for crying out loud (though from Guyana and not Jamaica)! At least I noticed some rum notes during tasting. Clearly my palate is not adjusted to rum. I'm just not used to the sweetness. This was an incredibly valuable mystery dram for me, since I've been reading about rum and have been meaning to try some more (I've only had a handful, ever). Also, I'm frankly amazed at how Canadian this seemed. Even now that I know what it is, I still see a distinctively Canadian character. Fun stuff!
PS - Expect more rum reviews in a few weeks or months time!
Josh
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