Davin De Kergommeaux Tweet Tasting 2

In the run up to the Christmas holidays this year I spent three very interesting Sunday evenings re-reading Davin De Kergommeaux's 'Canadian Whisky' and joining a group from the ever growing #whiskyfabric from around the globe discussing the book with the author.

This was a 'follow-up' to the earlier event held in May which you can read about here: DavinTT Organised by Johanne McInnis (@Whiskylassie to us on Twitter), and hosted by each week by Johanne's partner Graham MacKenney (@grahammackenney) we reviewed a section of the book, starting from section four 'A Concise History of Canadian Whisky' and working our way through to the nine key distilleries that remain today. A whole host of questions were asked and Davin, tweeting from @DavindeK did his level best to answer each and every one of us, as well as joining in all the 'side discussions' that were taking place. 

In addition to the Canadian Whisky questions we all were asking Davin, there was a competition running. During each #DavinTT2 session a host of questions about Canadian Whisky were asked. Aptly named 'The Scavenger Hunt' all answers would be found in Davin's book and anyone with a copy of the book were eligible to play along. 

The prize up for the winner being an impressive selection of Canadian Whisky samples and other goodies. Ten Questions were asked during the first evening, a further ten questions were asked the following week, all during the twitter event. As you can imagine each week was a pretty excitable couple of hours! Just five questions were asked during the third Sunday, but not during the Twitter event, each of the five had been posted on a different whisky bloggers website. We hosted one of the questions here, and others were found on Tire-bouchon, Whisky Plus, Whisky Corner and Whisky Israel

A bonus question was released on Saturday 21st December and the only clue we were given to find this question was that it was being asked by the only non-Canadian to judge Canadian Whisky Awards. 

Click this picture to visit The Whiskylassie Blog

Similarly to the first DavinTT event, at the end of each session we tasted a Canadian whisky, blind. In the first week we had a double header, tasting two Canadian whiskies at the end of the evening. This is the culmination of those three tweet tastings:

Week 1 (Sunday 1st December)

Whisky Discovery #653

Canadian Club Small Batch Sherry Cask (41.3% abv)

Canadian Whisky

Not available in the UK yet

Distilled at the Hiram Walker distillery in Ontario. Canadian Club was founded by Hiram Walker in 1858. Walker’s uniquely smooth whisky quickly gained popularity in the late 19th Century Gentlemen’s Clubs throughout the US and Canada and became known as "Club Whisky." Canadian Club is one brand of Canadian whisky that is known in the UK with their core expression being available on some supermarket shelves.

The brand belongs to The Beam Group who also own Teachers, Laphroaig and Connemara among others

Canadian Club Sherry Cask is a small release from whiskies aged for at least 8 years in white oak barrels and then finished in Fino sherry casks imported from Jerez, Spain.

So What Did I think?

The nose appeared chalky initially but quickly develops a richness, big meaty juicy, fruits; caramelised bananas and black cherry were the ones I identified. Fragrant tobacco notes with, vanilla essence and there was a slightly sour note underlying, not sure if that was the something to do with the black cherry I was finding.

This was much softer on the palate than I was expecting so guessed 40% abv (not too far out). Sweet and spicy with a honey sweetness and butterscotch flavours and a spicy heat with notes of ginger and cloves,  then quite dry on the finish.

I didn't entertain with my guess as to what this whisky might be as I was totally clueless but as far as I could tell from reviewing the tweets afterwards no one else was close with a guess.

And Davin's notes?

Redolent of dark fruit, leather, hot candied ginger and pipe tobacco by a crackling fire. Waxy cream sherry resolves into fresh peaches. Sweet spring flowers and bitter black breakfast tea subdue searing hot pepper.

What did everyone else think?

@jfpilon: A touch of butterscotch and talc. far away rye spices as well
@mynameisgone: Nose, dark red fruits, a slight herbal note, quite sweet and very approachable.
@whiskyjourney: Nose is beautiful & rich, fruity, spicy, begging to be tasted
@ansgarspeller: Fruits and wintry spices, and some wood tones, but like sweet ripe fruits in there...
@Macdeffe: This is a warm round whisky. Nose is meaty. Dark Horse'ish (not to be confused with Horse Radish :-)
@themisswhisky: I get sticky, dark ripe cherries and baked bananas, with some apple skins too - lovely & dark
@How2DrinkWhisky: On the palate I get Pumpernickel. Resiny and tastes a little like molasses with some Rum-type bitterness in the finish.

@WhatTastesGood: Sweet, spicy, warming. Poached pears & raisins in a spicy ginger cake.

@ValBradshaw: Rich, full-bodied mouth feel. Brown sugar, caramel flambe banana.
@thomas_speller: Finish is a bit marmalade-like bitter, with a nutty something

Whisky Discovery #654

Wiser's Red Letter Rye (45% abv)
Canadian Whisky
Not available in the UK yet

Distilled at the Hiram Walker distillery in Ontario the Wiser's brand originates from one of the pioneers of Canadian Whisky J.P. Wiser whose distillery was in Prescott Ontario. The distillery was closed in 1932 despite it's strong reputation in  the United States throughout the Prohibition years. Production moved to Corbyville until 1991 when Corby's distillery was consolidated with Hiram Walker's plant.

The Hiram Walker plant is owned and operated my Corby Distillers which also owns the Wiser's name. Wiser's is also brand of the Pernod Ricard Group who own The Glenlivet, Jameson and Chivas Regal amongst many more.

In the years following the American Civil War, one of the most sought-after whiskies in America was called Wiser’s Red Letter. This Red Letter Rye follows the grain recipe found in Wiser’s old records, and master blender, Dr. Don Livermore has followed that recipe carefully, and finished in virgin oak

So What Did I Think?

The nose opened up with woody notes for me; Cedar or pencil shavings, it seemed resinous, sappy, with pine needles and menthol. Again that slight sourness that Davin often describes as 'pickles' was here, which must be one of the signatures of Canadian rye whiskies. After a little while airing it turns more earthy and perhaps a little dusty too.

On the palate this is sweet and spicy albeit more powerful than the previous dram and guess that this would be around 45% abv (wahey! points on the board). There was a creamy sweetness to this, corn notes, buttery corn on the cob, along with tons of spice cloves, ginger and a touch of cinnamon too.

And Davin's notes?

Newly sawn oak, lacquer, roasted grain, butterscotch, vanilla, sweet tingling ginger and glowing hot pepper. Creamy sweetcorn whisky loaded with Christmas spices - cinnamon, cloves and ginger. Sour rye bread, black fruits and earthy rye

What did everyone else think?

@ansgarspeller: The nose gives me first pencil shavings and earthy tones next to some spices...

@How2DrinkWhisky: On the nose, pencil shavings and cumin seed. Moments of manure and dried basil leaves.

@jfpilon: Sweet on the nose, with caramel, maple syrup, lime, oranges, rum!

@mynameisgone: Nose, slightly more rye spices, a nice hint of oakiness, in the background a hint of play doh

@themisswhisky: A lot of grainy marzipan at first . Something dark in background (images of rubber boots, earth & rain come to mind)

@WhatTastesGood: Definitely also getting hay, wood/pencil shavings on the nose. And dried lavender, mint, maybe also fenugreek. And cedar, and pine needles. Like walking through a forest on a chilly damp day. Love it.

@whiskyjourney: Nose - Fresh rye bread, pine tree, clove, and @mynameisgone is right about the play-doh 

@PWulf: Coconut and cream slight hint of toffee.

@ValBradshaw: Feinty nose, kind of waxy. Some forest influence and dried herbs.

@ansgarspeller: The palate on this one is so sweet and full with all kinds of nice! A lot of liqeurish notes, dried fruit, ginger bread, citrus, vanilla, butterscotch, a lot of fruit notes. And honey and some nuts

@thomas_speller: Smelling the dry glass. Eucalyptus all the way!

If you've got a copy of Canadian Whisky and are up to the challenge here are the first 10 questions we were set. No prizes on offer but feel free to email me your answers which can all be found within Davin's book:

1. What is the primary grain distilled at each of Alberta’s three distilleries?
2. What is the oldest whisky bottled in Canada in the past decade?
3. True or false: Late 18th Century Canadian whiskies were blended.
4. In what year did Thomas Molson first distilled his whisky?
5. Where was Henry Corby born?
6. In what year did the Government of Canada introduce the practice of bottling in bond?
7. Using the “sour mash” process is unique to the USA and never used in making Canadian Whisky. True or False?
8. What process essentially lead to the development of Canadian Club’s “secret recipe?”
9. According to the Montreal Gazette, what was the largest distillery in the world in the early 1860’s?
10. One of Canada’s best-known distillers, Hiram Walker lived most of his life in the USA, True or False?

Week 2 (Sunday 8th December)

Whisky Discovery #665

Alberta Premium (40% abv)
Canadian Whisky
Not available in the UK yet

This whiskey is made by Alberta Distillers in the heart of Canada’s rye-growing country - where cold barren winters give way to an abundant crop of the finest rye. Made by blending two aged whiskies, one of which is aged for flavor in used bourbon casks. Then, after blending, it is aged some more. Alberta Premium is aged for 5 years. The slow ageing in cold temperatures preserves the natural rye spice. Known for its full flavour.

The Alberta Premium brand also belongs to The Beam Group who also own Canadian Club, Teachers, Laphroaig and Connemara among others

So What Did I Think?

The nose opens dusty, chalky, or broken dry slate initially. Fresh pine needles follow with spicy rye and a pinch of salt. After a little while in the glass a citrus note started to develop while still remaining quite dry. When I poured a top-up I got a toast like note from this addition, only fleeting, but definitely there. The citrus note developed eventually giving a more soft orange juice than sharp lemon. Adding a drop of water gives floral notes.

This is sweet and mouth coating, with a really creamy mouth feel. Those soft orange notes found on the nose follow onto the palate along with citrus pith. The spice follows with a white pepper feel to edge of tongue and fresh ginger adding to the flavour profile. Overall I found this to be quite a gentle dram and guessed at 40% abv (bang on the money!). The finish starts quite spicy with fresh gingers before turning quite dry with a grapefruit pith like bitter end.

And Davin's notes?

Crisp, flinty, clean rye spices greet searing white pepper, maple syrup and the softest tannins. Rich and fruity with a refreshing grapefruit pithiness. The brawn of youth and clout of maturity.

What did everyone else think?

@jfpilon: Nose: initial corn hit. Followed by some vanilla and dust. Alcohol. Spices. Aniseed or caraway. Touch of toffee

@cooperedtot: Color: dark gold to light amber. Nose: river stones, herbal oil, raw rye grain, mineral, linseed oil.

@How2DrinkWhisky: Nose: Caramels on a hickory plate. Naphthalene on white bread. Lemon curd and canned tuna.

@whiskyjourney: Nose: Nail polish remover, lemon zest, rye mintiness. 

What the living room smells like when my wife is taking off nail polish and I am dusting with Pledge

@WhatTastesGood: Nose is lemon-lime soda and dried grasses. Some light sweet butterscotch underneath.

@ValBradshaw: Getting some spice, but not the lemon everyone else seems to be nosing. I get more brown sugar and yeast/white bread-like.

@ansgarspeller: Lemon soda, some pepper, creamy and minty almost on the palate Like a lemon candy...

@bozkurtkarasu: Palate: Bergamot jam... White grape juice and a little Sauternes...

@cooperedtot: Palate; Gentle creamy sweetness, spicy rye glow on expansion with astringency, white pepper, and some grapefruit pith on finish

@mynameisgone: Very creamy mouthfeel, sweet, quite soft, citrusy lemons and grapefruit, I'm going 40% alcohol wise

@Bob_Caron: Very dry in the finish, makes you thirsty for another sip.

If you've got a copy of Canadian Whisky and are up to the challenge here are the second 10 questions we were set. No prizes on offer but feel free to email me your answers which can all be found within Davin's book:

1. 3 major Whisky Brands are distilled at Hiram Walker Distillery in Windsor, name them?
2. What three ingredients are used to make whisky?
3. Which fully aged Canadian Whisky is as colourless as vodka?
4. Which Canadian Distiller became a member of Parliament in 1878?
5. What Canadian distillery is built on the banks of MacLellan's brook?
6. What is the largest distillery operating in Canada today?
7. On what page of Davin's book will you find Mark Gillespie's name listed?
8. Although J.P. Wiser’s name is on the company, who can be credited with much of Wiser’s financial success?
9. At the time that this book was written, how many distilleries were producing Canadian Whisky?
10. Which Scottish Distillery was Glenora distillery closely associated with?
11. The Glenora distillery was closely associated with the Scottish Distillery Bowmore

Week 3 (Sunday 15th December)

Whisky Discovery #672

Forty Creek 'Heart of Gold' (43% abv)
Canadian Whisky
Not available in the UK yet

Heart of Gold is a whisky that was inspired by both the heart of the distillation and the heart of the maker, John Hall of the Kittling Ridge Distillery. 

John tells us “This project started nearly a decade ago, focusing specifically on Canada’s noble rye grain. I have always brought out the spicy, fruity notes of rye in my whisky, but this time, I wanted to perfect capturing the underlying delicate floral notes of the rye that too often get lost in the process. I decided to use a wine yeast strain for the fermentation because I felt this approach would allow the floral aromas and flavours to prevail.

Capturing the subtleties in the distillate was another challenge. Capturing alcohol is easy, but capturing the natural, subtle flavour of the rye is much more difficult.  A quicker cut and a narrower band of the heart during distillation helped keep the integrity of the delicate rye character."

Aged in lightly toasted barrels to ensure the oak did not overwhelm the subtle flavours captured in the heart of the distillation. It is not 100% rye as it includes some barley whisky for nuttiness and some corn whisky for weight and body. Heart of Gold is a limited edition of 9,000 bottles and each bottle is individually numbered.

So What Did I Think?

When I first poured this I was met with the aroma of hot buttered toast, granary bread of course, and real butter. No one in the house was eating toast and I don't recall anyone mentioning toast either. After a little while the bread note seemed more doughy. Fruity notes follow; dates and hints of apricot.

This has a great creamy palate, the initial sweetness quickly turning to grapefruit pith bitter. Woody notes follow which reminded me of birch wood. I really enjoyed this one, it was rather more-ish and my sample quickly disappeared. I wasn't sure what this could be but it did appear to be an aged whisky. It felt quite gentle in the mouth and so guessed at 40% abv (no cigar!)

I was beginning to think that we were tasting a Forty Creek as I knew Johanne and Graham had spent some time at the distillery, posting amusing photos on Facebook of themselves hiding amongst the barrels, or even in them (or pretending to be in them). We also finished with a Forty Creek expression on our first DavinTT too, that was Portwood, but this definitely was not. I checked my notes for their Confederation Oak, a sample Johanne had sent me previously, similar profile but no cigar, and then it hit me. I remembered the considerable twitter buzz when Heart of Gold  was released by Forty Creek 43% abv, I was fairly certain that Johanne and Graham brought a truckload home from their trip. (Full points for my Sherlock Holmes like deduction)

And Davin's notes?

Unfortunately Forty Creek's Heart of Gold did not feature in the first edition of Canadian Whisky as it hadn't been released at the time but you can read Davin's notes here; Heart of Gold

What did everyone else think?

@How2DrinkWhisky: Nose: Maple syrup over pancakes with a little char on the edges. Roasted cheddar bits? Yeasty for moments.

@bozkurtkarasu: Nose: Damp cardboard boxes, birch plywood sawdust. Pine cones, tomato juice and olive brine... Wait a minute... Am I nosing Bloody Mary?

@cooperedtot: Nose:minty creamy floral rye, with cedar forest, pencil shavings, mineral dust, and an undercurrent of red fruits: jujubes. Deep underneath sherry, fig cake, and maybe a hint of leather.

@ValBradshaw:  Holy Roses! on first nose only. Waited a few minutes, then lovely peach, cedar & soft cinnamon. Butterscotch oat square (ask me for the recipe-they're delicious). With creamy butter, vanilla. Oats all over it; almost crunchy.

@WhatTastesGood: Nose; minerals, wet earth, nutmeg, caraway, dried citrus peel.

@robinburke: On the nose I get a hint of wine but quite vegetal to me.

@thomas_speller: Nose: uncooked pancakes, musty, pencil shavings, tomatoes and eggplant… what!?

@themisswhisky: Mmm first wee sip is really pleasant - loads of tinned pears for me

@ansgarspeller: Bit woody, rye, creamy, white and milk chocolate, herbal. Thinking of rye mixed with sherry?

@arok: Second sip builds on the first, sweeter but even more plumps raisins.

@cooperedtot: Rich mouth feel. Excellent flavor density. Rich rye w/the cocoa & leather of sherry. Dense. Delicious. 

@mynameisgone: Palate, dark and heavy, like the burnt edges of a fruit cake, with the rye spices and sweetness following up.

@The_Casks: Brown sugar and slight citrus zing. peppery notes, clove, powdered ginger, pine resin...

If you've got a copy of Canadian Whisky and are up to the challenge here are the final 5 questions we were set and the 'bonus' question is also included. No prizes on offer but feel free to email me your answers which can all be found within Davin's book:

1. What Canadian whisky distillery had their two copper pot stills seized by US customs after they had been shipped from Scotland via the Panama Canal?"
2. How many tasting notes for whiskies are found throughout the book?
   
   a)  1-50 b)  50-100 c)  100-150 d)  There was tasting notes?
3. What is “blending at birth?”
   a)  Canadian term for mixing different grains together to form a mash bill.
   b)  Mixing 2-year-old rye whisky with base spirit and then put into a cask to mature.
   c)  An in-house breeding program used by a prominent Ontario distillery to insure a bloodline of Master Blenders.
   d)  Blending different new make spirits from multiple distilleries and grains to form a Canadian Blended Whisky.
4. What change needs to take place at Glenora distillery to facilitate being able to increase production from the current 50,000 litres per year to up to 400,000 litres per year?
5. What prevents Canadian distilleries from being seen as lucrative an investment as Scottish and American distilleries?
   a)  The high level of taxation leading to low profit margins.
   b)  Unpredictable grain yields due to inclement weather.
   c)  With large distillery plants owned by large multinationals there is no room for competition.
   d)  Investors don’t like the cold.

Bonus Question

Found on Mark Gillespie’s Whisky Cast 21^st December Podcast Where Graham MacKenney asks: Why is Yeast not considered as an ingredient of Whisky?

And Finally..

A huge thanks to Johanne McInnis and Graham MacKenney for sharing their Canadian whiskies with us all and for Davin De Kergommeaux for spending time with us all, three Sundays running, and answering all of the questions we were bombarding him with.

If you want to find out more about Canadian Whisky then I recommend you get a hold of Davin's book first and make sure you're following these people on Twitter! @DavindeK @Whiskylassie and @grahammackenney Then you should point your browser to Davin's Canadian Whisky website here: Canadian Whisky

The deadline for the answers to the Scavenger Hunt was 28th December and their was two hours to go when I was proof-reading this post. Yes, I managed to complete my answers in good time, and confirm with Johanne that they had been received. My fingers are crossed, and this post will be published as soon as the deadline has been passed.

The winner will be announced on Sunday 29th December at around 2000 GMT on Twitter under the #DavinTT2 hash tag. At the time of writing this post (late on Saturday evening) Johanne had received over fifty entries to the competition and was busy marking.

Update
Just four out of the sixty four entrants achieve a 100% score on the Scavenger Hunt, @bozkurtkarasu, @robinburke, @mr_goalie7959 and I was pleased to find out that I was the last of the four. 

I initially thought there was just one 'winner takes all' prize but I picked up the runners up prize as @bozkurtkarasu took the first prize. Congratulations to my fellow 100%ers!

Slàinte! Dave

Davin De Kergommeaux Tweet Tasting

During the month of May I spent four very interesting Sunday evenings, re-reading Davin De Kergommeaux's Canadian Whisky and joining a section of the #whiskyfabric from around the globe discussing the book with the author. 

Organised by Johanne McInnis (@Whiskylassie to us on Twitter), each week we reviewed a section of the book, starting from section four 'a concise history of Canadian Whisky' and working our way through to the nine key distilleries that remain today. At the end of each session we tasted a Canadian whisky, blind, and this is the culmination of those four tweet tastings.

Week 1

Whisky Discovery #420

Lot 40 (43% abv)
Canadian Whisky
Not available in the UK yet

For the first week of Canadian Whisky we were all to read the first part of Section Four, A concise history of Canadian whisky reading Chapters 10-13 which covers three of the early distilling dynasties; Thomas Molson and the Molson Distillery (1821-1867) Gooderham and Worts (1832-1990), and Henry Corby's Corbyville (1859-1987)

Our first whisky comes from the largest distillery operating in Canada today. Hiram Walker & Sons was established in 1858, Ontario, is also the longest continuously operating beverage alcohol distillery in North America.

Lot No. 40 is expertly distilled in small batches using only the finest locally sourced ingredients. By distilling in a single copper pot still, the resultant whisky starts off earthy and woody tasting before becoming full bodied and complex with a velvety vanilla oak finish.

So What Did I Think?

Ready to go at Whisky Discovery HQ

These notes were all done blind, the expression only being revealed after we had all nosed, tasted and posted our notes:

Colour: Lovely rich golden colour

Nose: Sweet butterscotch popcorn with spicy rye like notes. Cloves came to mind at first, then after a little while in the glass there is a slight sour note, almost vinegar like. There's also a crushed green pine needles note, and even picked up some Thai Basil. Adding a drop of water mellows the sour note picked up.

Palate: It's oily and mouth-coating. Vanilla and butterscotch lead, some herbal notes, Quite creamy, the pine needles found on the nose appear on the palate and spice gently builds on the tongue. with liquorice remaining at the end.  With a drop of water it becomes really smooth and even creamier

Finish: Remains spicy with more sweet butterscotch and vanilla although slightly drying

And Davin's notes?

Dark, sour German rye bread, with dry grain, caraway seeds, oak and bitter dark molasses. A floral fruitiness matures into dark prunes, oranges and aromatic vanilla. but this is all about rye bread

What did everyone else think?
@sjoerd972: A very creamy variety of rye whisky. But thick rye is very recognisable. Rather sweet too
@The_Casks: Vanilla bean, caramel, bruised apples. Toasted, buttered rye bread
@WhatTastesGood: Nose; major caraway and some delightful ginger snappy notes
@jfpilon: white flowers. orchard. orange blossoms
@WhatTastesGood: First sip, sweet like a dark butterscotch, spicy with cloves and cinnamon. Fresh herbal notes too, esp mint.
@WhiskyNotes: The woody sourness stands out on the palate for me, lots of spices and herbs as well. Menthol. Caramel. Ginger.

Week 2

Whisky Discovery #421

Alberta Premium Dark Horse (45% abv)
Canadian Whisky
Not available in the UK yet

Our second Sunday afternoon of Canadian Whisky had us continuing with Section Four, A concise history of Canadian whisky reading Chapters 14-18 covering three more of the early distilling dynasties; Joseph E Seagram, Hiram Walker and J.P. Wiser, and the first chapter of Section Five, intoducing the first of the current (at time of printing) nine distilleries of Canadian Whisky, Alberta Distillery and we ended our evening tasting one of their core expressions.

The nose of Dark Horse is full of oak and smoke imparted by the heavily charred American white oak barrels. When sipping Dark Horse, you can experience a horseshoe shaped pattern on your tongue, with some sour and spice on the sides and sweetness on the tip. Flavours of vanilla, smoke, sweet oak, and savoury dried fruit such as plum and blackcurrant. Smooth and long lasting sweetness on the finish.

So What Did I Think?

As before these notes were all done blind, the expression only being revealed after we had all nosed, tasted and posted our notes:

Unfortunately I was struggling with a cold during our second session and my notes at the time were hopeless.

My initial thoughts were an alcohol burn on the nose, and so I was guessing 45% abv and later I found a chicory note on the nose.

On the palate I could only taste Chicory and wasn't sure if that was from the cough/cold sweets I had eaten that day. However, it reminded me of 'Camp coffee' (is it still around?) which has chicory in it, there was a light sweetness to it too and a little pepper at the end. I did manage to return to this dram later on after clearing the cold and really loved this dram and would love to see this one in the UK

And Davin's notes?
Unfortunately Alberta Premium Dark Horse did not feature in the first edition of Canadian Whisky, but you can read Davin's notes here

What did everyone else think?
@jfpilon: nice plum & prune nose, with a touch of rubber, pine and flint. Dark. nice
@mavisinc: spiced orange and ginger. Reminds me of Christmas pudding.
@Macdeffe: Ryesyrup, whatever that is, is my first impression. Very sweet and very dark for a Canadian
@WhatTastesGood: The palate has a lot of cherry cough syrup and, to me, some cigar smoke. V sweet, almost cloying
@mavisinc: Orange peel or grapefruit peel bitterness
@WhiskyNotes:  I now get a little mint on the palate, nice in combination with the sweetness.
@cocktailchem: The heavy dose of molasses make me think of Crown Royal Black

Week 3

Whisky Discovery #422

Danfields Limited Edition 21 Year Old (Black Velvert) 40% abv
Canadian Whisky
Not available in the UK yet

Four our Third Sunday afternoon of exploring Candain Whisky we contued reviewing Section Five covering the nine (at time of print) distillers of Canadian Whisky. This time it was Black Velvet, Canadian Mist, Glenora and the Gimli Distillery.

We finished this afternoon's entertainment with an older Canadain Whisky, Danfield's 21 year old limited edition from the Black Velvet Distillery

So What Did I Think?

Once again these notes were all done blind, the expression only being revealed after we had all nosed, tasted and posted our notes:

Initially I was getting some dusty grain notes that seems to be the signature opener for Canadian whiskies. There was a lovely sweetness that I just couldn't put my finger on what it was reminding me of and a gentle perfumed note to this too. Although fragrant this came across as quite delicate.

Although there were hints that this was an old whisky, this certainly didn't smell like an old Scotch, no dominant notes of old wood, leather or mustiness to it. Although gentle it was very crisp and clean.

This tasted quite gentle on the abv so I guessed at 40% After pouring a second dram notes of Cedar, certainly a fresh resinous woody note appeared alongside some orange zest, and a mandarin juice note too. Spices with pepper cloves and cinnamon too and a very dry nutty finish, like you've eaten too many hazelnuts!

And Davin's notes?

Fragrant cedar and crispy oak, then peppery spice with masses of sweet and tart fruit. Lilacs, spices and hard wet slate tinged with pickles become blistering white pepper, cinnamon, ginger and cloves

What did everyone else think?

@Macdeffe: I get lacquer light and wood, then wet wood/cardboard. This just reminds me so of grain whisky aged 15-25 from Scotland in flavour and nose, not agewise though
@Whiskylassie: This smells so delicate! Ever sniff apple blossoms in the spring? Really sweet and floral beautiful!
@WhatTastesGood: Nose features big fruit, esp cherry at first, then brown sugar, fresh sawdust & something earthy like slate.
@WhatTastesGood: Water rings out more herbal notes and mutes the spice which makes the sweetness too much. Prefer this one naked.

Week 4

Whisky Discovery #224

Forty Creek Port Wood Reserve (45% abv)
Canadian Whisky
Not available in the UK yet

I had tasted this before and recognised it quite early on in our blind tasting, though kept quiet. You can find out what I thought of this here:

Port Wood Reserve is made in the same style as all Forty Creek whiskies. No mash bill is used, the varietal whiskies are aged separately, and once completed, they are brought together for marrying. The Forty Creek blend was thenaged in the vintage port wood barrels for another two years prior to bottling.

John makes his own vintage ports, made from Niagara grown grapes and aged in white oak heavy charred barrels. There were just 6,600 bottles filled.

So What Did I Think?

This has a fabulous rich nose as well as a dark almost pinkish colour. On the nose toffee and butterscotch, along with black cherries, raisins, dates and  figgy too, even a little licorice. With a little air I was getting some wild fennel notes as the spicy rye notes emerged from the glass

I was tasting vintage Ports and Sherries the previous week and the taste of this whisky was reminding me of that afternoon, Oloroso Dulce came to mind at the time.

And Davin's notes?

Moscatel, wine vinegar, and red wine, with hints of wood, dark chocolate and a saltiness. Berry fruits and excitingly hot pepper. Magical, rich, lucious and full-bodied

What did everyone else think?
@galg: the nose is very rich almost toffee. lots of caramel (the good one ) also quite a lot of spice
@WhiskyScores: Warm almonds, caramel & spices with light solventy note on nose
@The_Casks: Lush caramel sweetness, caramel apples & warm caramel over vanilla ice cream, & a bit of nutty toffee. Toasted rye & candied orange
@WhatTastesGood: Tons of spice on the nose (cinnamon, black pepper) and herbs. Wet earth and a slight mustiness, like a mushroom. Really pleasant.
@sjoerd972: On the nose I get cleaning liquid, toffee and caramel, rye bread and balsamic vinegar.
@Macdeffe: Almost smells like a weak Pedro Ximenes

And Finally..

A huge thanks to Johanne McInnis and Graham MacKenney for sharing their Canadian whiskies with us all and for Davin De Kergommeaux for spending time with us all, four Sundays running, and answering all of the questions we were bombarding him with.

If you want to find out more about Canadian Whisky then I recommend you get a hold of Davin's book first and make sure you're following these people on Twitter! @DavindeK @Whiskylassie and @grahammackenney

I know I should have finished this post ages ago, especially as we've just finished tasting four new Canadian Whiskies with the second DavinTT event. Unfortunately life gets in the way sometimes and as much as I'd like sit and write about our journey everyday, sometimes it's just not possible! Hopefully we'll be able to catch up a little over the Christmas holidays.

Slàinte! Dave

DavinTT2

During December we have been taking part in the Canadian Whisky Twitter Tasting with author and Canadian Whisky expert Davin De Kergommeaux. (@DavindeK)

Each Sunday evening Graham MacKenny (@grahammackenny) and Johanne McInnis (@whiskylassie) have hosted the tasting, which end with a blind tasting of one or two Canadian Whiskies.

While we're been discussing Canadian Whisky we have been set a number of questions relating to Davin's excellent book. (you can see what we thought of it here). 

10 were set on the first Sunday, and a further 10 were set last weekend. Answering all of the questions correctly will put you in to the draw for a fabulous prize.

Today is the third Sunday, and we're tasting the fourth and final sample (we started with a double header) and the third tranche of questions will also be released this evening, one of which is below:

#DavinTT2 - Scavenger Hunt Question 23

23. What is “blending at birth?”

a)  Canadian term for mixing different grains together to form a mash bill. 

b)  Mixing 2-year-old rye whisky with base spirit and then put into a cask to mature. 

c)  An in-house breeding program used by a prominent Ontario distillery to insure a bloodline of Master Blenders.
d)  Blending different new make spirits from multiple distilleries and grains to form a Canadian Blended Whisky.

Simple eh?

If you've missed the first 20 questions, have a copy of Davin De Kergommeaux's book Canadian Whisky, the portable expert, (or are extremely knowledgeable !) and would like to enter this competition drop me a line, and for a small bribe I'll send them all to you.

Follow along on Twitter this evening from 2000 GMT using the #DavinTT2 Hashtag

Although all answers should be sent to @whiskylassie you are welcome to send them to me for 'validating' first. I will to check your answers against my own, and if yours are all correct, guarantee to modify one or more of your answers for comic effect before forwarding them to Johanne for you, thus increasing my chances of winning the prize.

Book Review: Canadian Whisky

My 'well thumbed' copy with my only bottle Canadian whisky in the background

I hadn't even considered Canadian Whisky at the beginning of my whisky journey, but what did I know back then? I had started on a 'malt crusade', but was only buying whisky from the supermarkets, and although reading anything I could find, was mainly reading the brand websites.

Towards the end of my first year I bought a couple of books when I desperately needed some guidance. One of them was Ian Buxton's 101 Whiskies To Try Before You Die, and it was Ian's book that opened my eyes up to the vast catalogue of great tasting whiskies from around the globe. Listed in it were two Canadian Whiskies, which immediately went on my list. His follow-up book, 101 World Whiskies listed a further four. I needed to find out about Canadian Whisky.

Twitter has made a huge difference to my whisky knowledge. With the #whiskyfabric woven across the globe (go on, search that hashtag on Twitter) Canadian whiskies have been traded with friends across the pond and I have made some steps towards checking off the ones from the list, as well as discovering some new expressions chosen for me through these trades.

It was during my first virtual journey into Canadian Whisky (with the help of #whiskyfabric founder @whiskylassie and @BruceFraser who traded the necessary samples to start my tasting trip) that I found out about Davin de Kergommeaux and his Canadian Whisky website and was about to publish his 'portable expert', Canadian Whisky. 

Then at the beginning of this year I was asked if I would like to take part in a four part whisky tasting with the author, and a copy of the book would be sent my way. The book duly arrived and was enthusiastically read.

Davin takes readers on a journey through the history of Canadian whisky, the book being divided into five sections, which seems to cover all bases incredibly well. 

Starting with the key ingredients and the 'substance' of Canadian Whisky, we're then told how it's made in great detail. This is followed by a section on how we should be tasting it and why it tastes the way it does. 

The fourth section is a concise history with the rich folklore surrounding it, and the final section introduces the nine current distillers of Canadian whisky.

Davin has put his heart and soul into this book, and it has been a fabulous read. The history has been extensively researched and learning about the pioneers of the industry has been fascinating; of the English and German settlers bringing their distilling skills with them to their new home, of the rise and fall of the distilling dynasties as whisky went out of fashion towards the end of the last century, leaving just nine distilleries today from the twenty two registered in 1976.

However this isn't just a book describing the history of Canadian Whisky, throughout the book Davin has posted tasting notes for Canada's top one hundred whiskies.

This book (and the Canadian whisky I have tried to date) has certainly whetted my appetite for more. Unfortunately reading Davin's tasting notes is a bit of a tease as Canadian whisky is not (yet) widely available outside of Canada (they seem to be keeping it all for themselves!) There are a few brands available at the well known British whisky websites but I'm sure with the increasing interest more will be available in the very near future, and as it does, I'll be ready, with my portable expert!

Whisky Discovery #286

Crown Royal Maple Finish Whisky (40% abv)

Canadian Whisky

Not sure if available in the UK yet

This was a surprise dram in a surprise package sent to me from friends and fellow bloggers  Johanne and Graham, (A Perfect Whisky Match) for the second anniversary of my Whisky Journey.

There was a cheeky note daring me to open and sample this - I was intrigued and opened it immediately. The overpowering smell of sweet sickly caramel juice was instant, and although I asked what it was that Johanne had sent me, I had the sneaking suspicion that it was indeed this Crown Royal Maple Finish immediately.

I've not come across anything from Crown Royal before, but have seen the brand listed in A 101 Whiskies Top Try Before You Die, so delved onto their website to find out what they had to say about it, this is what I found:

The legendary taste of Crown Royal with a touch of natural maple flavour  Our master blender finished our celebrated whisky with maple-toasted oak to yield a uniquely smooth experience.

It’s a perfect blend of Crown Royal's signature caramel and vanilla nose with the elegant aromas of light, fresh maple that creates a flavour profile that finishes on an authentically warm and woody note. 

It ends with their classic statement: Whisky Started, Maple Finished.

So What Did I Think?

Upon opening the small sample bottle the whole room is filled with the sweet sickly smell of maple syrup, caramel and vanilla, it really is overpowering. I spilt a little on my hands which only made the situation worse.

No nosing glass was really required, I was engulfed in a cloud of the smell, though I persevered with it: Overpowering maple syrup, caramel, vanilla, sweet, sickly, butterscotch like concentrated 'Angel Delight' mix forced up your nose. I left it in the glass for a while and tried really hard to find any whisky notes, and perhaps just the faintest of wood notes could be found.

So what did it taste like? I tweeted "Yup, sickly and sweet on the palate too, very difficult to tell this is a whisky." If someone had told me it was a flavoured Vodka, or a flavoured Rum I wouldn't have argued with them, The maple syrup masks any other flavours within. I'm not sure what market this is aimed at, but my fifteen year old daughter quite like the smell of this.

Sorry Crown Royal, but this really doesn't do it for me and I will be very wary of trying flavoured whiskies again. Maple finished? It certainly killed this whisky for me.

Whisky Discovery #224

Forty Creek Port Wood Reserve NAS (45% abv Lot 061 Bottle #5247)
Canadian Whisky
Not available in the UK (yet)

Photos courtesy of @WhiskyLassie

So onto the final tasting in this first experience of Canadian Whisky, and hoping I've saved the best to last! When I received the five drams from @Whiskylassie I lined them up and arranged them in colour order, and this being the Port Wood was the darkest and so was destined to be the final dram of this series.

I've been hoping to get a hold of some Forty Creek as there has been a lot of good things being said in the whisky forums that I've been reading so was pleased when Johanne included this Port Wood Reserve, a limited edition, which sold out almost instantly the first time this was released.

The Forty Creek distillery was started by winemaker John K. Hall in 1992 in Grimsby, Ontario, After being a for over 20 years, John decided he needed another challenge, being a whisky lover and seeing no one in Canada was enhancing the heritage of Canadian Whisky. Whilst the Scotch whisky makers were promoting their single malt whiskies and Bourbon whisky makers were beginning to develop & promote small batch bourbons. John noticed that over the years, the craftsmanship of the Canadian spirit was being lost amongst distillery closings and consolidations. In the mid 1800’s there were over 200 whisky makers in Canada yet today Forty Creek is the only independent whisky maker in Ontario.

Forty Creek treats each of their grains individually; fermenting, distilling and ageing each grain separately to highlight the best characteristics of each grain. This brings out the fruitiness and spiciness of the rye, the nuttiness of the barley, and the heartiness of the corn, John says "the mash bill concept doesn't make sense to a winemaker. Wines are vinted by individual varietal to bring out the best taste characteristics from each grape type. Corn doesn't taste like barley, and rye doesn't taste like corn, so why mix them altogether at the beginning of the process?" 

Today, in Canada, all whiskies are column distilled, but it wasn't like that in the 1800’s when whisky makers used copper pot stills. Conversion to column stills came about when whisky taxes were imposed. Forty Creek favours copper pot stills as you would find in Scottish single malt distilleries. Pot stills capture not just the alcohol but also the flavour.

Port Wood Reserve is made in the same style as all Forty Creek whiskies. No mash bill is used, the varietal whiskies are aged separately, and once completed, they are brought together for marrying. The Forty Creek blend was thenaged in the vintage port wood barrels for another two years prior to bottling.

John makes his own vintage ports, made from Niagara grown grapes and aged in white oak heavy charred barrels. There were just 6,600 bottles filled.

So what did I think?

As I said earlier this was the darkest of the five drams sent from Canada, and is a rich copper colour. It's rich and luxurious, with thick legs clinging to the nosing glass. The nose is just divine, and seems to go on evolving in the glass. As soon as you've identified one component something new flashes before you. Toffee and butterscotch, sweet sherried fruits; black cherries, plump raisins figs and dates and some rich candied orange peel. Vanilla and cereal grain notes then spicy rye, but wait there's more! Tobacco and dark chocolate notes, just glorious!

On the palate I was immediately reminded of an aged Oloroso Sherry. Beautifully balanced with the rich sherried fruits coming out in force; juicy black cherry and raisins, port is evident too with a slight tannin 'tartness' that keeps the honey and toffee sweetness in check. The finish is long with peppery spice heat, yet at the same time it's sweet and very mouth watering, before a hazlenut and/or coffee bitterness lingers.

This was definitely the best of the five Johanne traded with me, but each has been a great experience. I can honestly say I've thoroughly enjoyed each one and certainly want more than the 50ml teaser I've had of each. 

Many thanks to Johanne and Graham of The Perfect Whisky Match for sharing these whiskies with me and for introducing me to Canadian Whisky, check out their blog, it's a great read and for the oracle on Canadian Whisky take a look at Davin de Kergommeaux's fabulous website, simply named Canadian Whisky