The Canadian Ménage à Trois... Which would you choose?

I love Canadian whiskies, no doubt about that. I bring them with me when I travel, I share them with friends, I talk about them at every opportunity and it's because I really feel like they are such a unique category all to themselves (but then again you could say every whisky is that...) Something else to consider is I own them. Over one third of my whisky collection is Canadian Whisky and I couldn't be prouder. 

Shut the ffffffront door!!!!

I don't like the fact that some bloggers will write about whiskies being the do/be/end all but ask them if they actually own a bottle and you find out quickly that they received free samples and that's pretty much the only reason they wrote the blog. Oh well to each his/her own I guess, who are we to judge?

Dan, Johanne and Maryse?

So why up on the soapbox now Lassie? Well simply put I was on twitter having another conversation about a few Canadian whiskies arriving at the liquor store which prompted conversations and the next thing I knew us stooges were doing a ménage à trois with some 21 year olds...  :) Dan posted his first at: 

http://dan-the-tax-man.livejournal.com/74188.html

Then Maryse guest posted on mine: 

 

http://whiskylassie.blogspot.ca/2014/09/guest-writer-maryse-pothier-sets-out-on.html

Then comes mine (with an added silly twist I assure you): Three Canadian whiskies all 21 years old and all at 40% ABV, this should be a good head to head comparison!

I started with the Century Reserve 21 year old made by Highwood Distillery:  http://www.highwood-distillers.com/

It's 100% corn which is a bit of a rarity in Canada. Unlike bourbons or other "corn forward" whiskies this is not at all aggressive on the nose and it's so mellow you really have to pay attention to get the aromas/flavors. At first sniff the clover honey is so subtle you really have to work at it to get it. It's elegant, soft and whimsical. Inhale too much and it's like you took it all away, honestly. There's a bit of fresh cut hay in the background and softer spices. I bet this one surprises Dan and Maryse!

On the palate she comes alive! Lemon creaminess (reminds me of lemon squares with graham wafers), then comes the spicy pepper and the finish is short buttery and sweet like toffee slide. I wanted to pour a second!!!  The nose was intriguing and pleasant, the palate sort of bitch slaps you at the end with the pepper!? 

Oh behave!!!   Century 21 Year Old 

Glad I started there, I think I'll call her "The Librarian"   Soft, seductive and a bit surprising once you drink her in! She's complex but you would never know it at first. I could see myself reaching for this one when I want something to savor, ponder and enjoy. I like it, she's a good start to this menage à trois... NEXT! 

Whisky #2 poured and introduced: Collingwood 21 out of Ontario: http://www.collingwoodwhisky.com/

This is a limited release from the distillery and so I made sure to buy a few bottles. This one is a 100% malted rye! The nose is right there in your face and pulls you into the glass, especially after the librarian, this one is almost a bit of a brute!? Rich rye bread (I may have detected smoked meat?!) There's quite a bit of dried raising and hints of chocolate in the background too. On the palate, more rye notes: Peppery, full bodied, oily. Some anise seed as well?!

Fluffy sweetness: Collingwood 21

After a few more sips, it's becoming sweet & syrupy... hmmm a bit too sweet for me right now. Almost hard candy (Christmas barley toys). I couldn't spend too much time with this one, I think I would get bored quite quickly. I like it, but like the bottle it comes in, it is pretty and one dimensional!? It might be the type of whisky I wouldn't mind drinking every once and awhile but I wouldn't sit and enjoy several of them. It's a bit of a one night stand so I think I'll call this one "Bunny"...

And last but not least Danfield's 21. Sorry no website but it's made by Black Velvet for William & Churchill. This is a blended Canadian whisky only sold in Canada (like many of them) and is not released on a regular basis. Those of us who like it, stock up when it does come out and the shelves are usually emptied quite quickly. 

Nose: Quite oaky, reminds my of fresh cedar shakes! Luscious red fruit - cherries, plums perhaps. Some floral notes at the back (like geraniums?) Quite pleasant really, well balanced.  On the palate, lovely oily and slippery. Cinnamon heart candies or maybe more like some candied ginger pieces?! Oh yes.. hot and sweet. The finish lingers, again hot, spicy, sweet. Leaves quite a lovely flavor behind. 

HOT & SWEET = Danfield's 21

Now this, I could drink several of, oh yes... This is the one I could drink every night I think. Quite a lovely dram and very satisfying. I think, in Maryse's honor I'll call this one the sweaty firemen!? It's hot, oily, spicy sweetness that you hope never ends and that you keep coming back for...  (Man it's warm in here all of a sudden??) 

So there you go, every whisky has it's style and time. I love all three of these and they all have a purpose in my collection. Thanks to Dan and Maryse for having fun with this. It's nice to see how we, like the whiskies, are different and unique. I like that!

Now if you'll excuse me I have to go set the shed on fire, pour myself a Danfield's and wait for the firemen and Maryse to arrive....   JUST KIDDING, I assure you...  no really...

Lassie

Guest writer Maryse Pothier sets out on a Canadian Whisky Head to Head to Head adventure....

3 whisky amigos walk into a bar and order....

So.... let me set the "mood" for this one, hehehe! People who have met me will tell you I'm a bit of an off the wall, hyped up on life passionate whisky aficionado. They will also mention that I have a big heart and love, did I mention LOVE sharing whisky experiences with anyone who is crazy enough to befriend me.  

Maryse (@bergamot63 -> twitter) & I became virtual friends and then met in real life. I liked her from day one mostly because we have similar personalities, we are roughly the same age, at the same points in our lives AND I think she's a little bit crazy like I am. LOL! (I'm not big on hanging out with boring people) When it comes to whisky: I deeply respect her opinions, palate and nose. 

Hint: She is wearing glasses & has dark hair ;)

I've watched Maryse grow so much in the last year, taking on bigger roles in her hometown's whisky society, getting involved and trusting that her palate/nose are really great at getting the more subtle profiles of some of the whiskies we have enjoyed. I was happy when she agreed to join Dan Davies (@Whisky_Yak) and me for a head to head to head of three Canadian Whiskies that are 21 years old. 

I mean after all, we are three Canadians all from different provinces, at different places in our journeys and we all enjoy the whiskies that come from our vast and lovely country. So a few emails later and here we are, ready to let everyone know what we thought of the three whiskies we chose: Century Reserve 21, Collingwood 21 and Danfield's 21.

First up, in no particular order and as promised is my lovely friend Maryse's guest blog:

"Man, this is hard!

This is me always struggling to verbalize or put down on paper my thoughts about the whiskies I sample. For one who is rarely at a loss for words, I have difficulty expressing/describing the sensations brought on by what I am drinking.

So why have I agreed to do this? Why have I sat here, in my living room, getting my knickers in a bunch, trying to make a bit of sense and not sounding too much like a big ignorantamus? And, to top it off, in a language that is not mine?

Because I am on a road to discovery, a learning path that I hope will take me beyond the simple act of putting whisky in my mouth, swallowing it and saying “Dang! That's good!!” If I want to encourage and help other people enjoy whisky, I need to learn to talk about it... intelligently. I know it takes time and practice... which I have not had a lot of (add to that the fact that I am not very studious and rather lazy)... and yet here I am, playing with big boys and girls and squatting Whiskylassie's blog... Sheesh, what was I thinking! Well, you know how it is with us girls; we just want to have fun! This is hard! Hard but fun, hard fun! 

So this is me throwing myself in the pool and doing the doggy paddle, trying to learn to swim! Knowing I would face a few other difficulties, I saved myself the trouble of deciding which whisky to taste first and why... Hurray for alphabetical order! :-p

Century Reserve 21 

I first tasted this whisky a bit more than I year ago and I remember not being very impressed by it... but I was still very new to the whisky universe and even more so to the Canadian whisky world. When it arrived at SAQ a couple of weeks ago, I seized the opportunity to buy it and taste it again and see where it would take me...) 

I found this whisky very difficult to nose... at first, I got nothing, NOTHING!! Then came a bit of citrus but I could not get the “sweetness” I knew I was supposed to get from the corn. As I let it sit there for about ten minutes, I found it lost a lot of its kick. This did not bode well. On the palate I got a lot of cinnamon and some pepper. Because it is a corn whisky I was expecting a creamy taste, a roundness I could not perceive. All I could get was the sensation one gets when eating a mouthful of those little valentine cinnamon hearts. The finish was somewhat long... and peppery.

I just had enough left to add a drop of water, expecting it to collapse... I was wrong... after adding a drop of water, first honey and then a bit of toffee came through... much better... And I got the creaminess I was expecting before but still the cinnamon felt very strong. The finish was still long and peppery but with roundness I could not find at the beginning.

To me this is a very frustrating whisky. I like whiskies with bold flavors and a lot of attitude. This one is most probably too subtle for my beginner's palate. I do not hate it but it is not among my favorites. Maybe it will grow on me in time... or maybe not... 

Collingwood 21 

This little exercise is another proof I should not, ever, trust my first impressions of a whisky! When I first read about this one, I wanted it, really wanted it. A rye whisky, smoothed with maple staves? How perfect that sounded! I wanted it and I wanted to love it and waited for it with almost baited breath...

When I finally poured my first glass, I was like a kid on Christmas Eve! My disappointment was as big as my expectations... I hated it! I was so sad... but knew better... I put the bottle away for another time...

Tonight, it opened up to me and shared with me some of the secrets it had withheld on the previous tasting. On the nose, I got a warm, flowery smell with shy bits of caramel. On the palate it was very spicy, yet creamy and thick. After adding water I got whiffs of raisins and weird yet intriguing smells of creamy cola. It tasted very fruity and the empty glass is bursting with a warm caramel spread smell.

I am so happy to be reconciled with this one; I am going to pour myself another dram! I will have to go easy as this was a one-time bottling and once empty, it can never be replaced... how sad... 

Danfield's Limited Edition 21 

This Canadian whisky holds a special place in my collection and in my heart. Last year a very sweet Lassie, who barely knew me, asked me if I wanted to participate in a Twitter tasting of Canadian whiskies. Four whiskies tasted and discussed on a weekly basis... how intriguing! I had missed the first week but still got all four samples and met weekly and shared (although not much) with a new entity in my life known as the #whiskyfabric. This whisky sure was a game changer... 

I never drink a sample bottle in one sitting, well, almost never. Danfield's was one of the four bottles in this little experiment and not only did I drink it all in one sitting but it sealed the deal between me and Canadian whisky (actually, both Danfield's and Forty Creek's Portwood Reserve did). From then on, I wanted to try more, buy more and most of all know more. When I open the bottle, the nose is, to me, very reminiscent of bourbon. When poured in the glass, I get a very fruity but not too sweet and somewhat dry smell that has nothing to do with the smell that pops from the bottle... How odd is that?! After it has been sitting for a little while apple and a bit of caramel come through. With the addition of a drop of water I get a bit of citrus.

The palate is spicy, warm and slightly buttery with a faint taste of citrus at the end. Water makes it creamier but also more peppery. After the pepper goes away, it leaves a faint toffee taste in your mouth. This is a very special whisky for special occasions.

To me this whisky feels luxurious and rare... well; it actually is in these parts... Before LCBO stopped carrying it, I managed to squirrel away a couple of bottles... phew!"

So there you have it... Maryse's take on three lovely Canadian whiskies that we decided were worth a head to head to head comparison. Look forward to seeing what Dan thought... His blog is next!

Huge thank you for taking a step off the cliff and diving in Maryse. Putting thoughts to paper is not as easy as it seems and you did it like a pro! Dog paddle my ass!  hehehe.... 

Lassie

Lot 40 Canadian Whisky, then VS now...

It is with great pleasure that I do this post with my friend Bob Caron (@Bob_Caron) and it's with even greater pleasure that I thank Sean Cain (@KYgeographic) from my twitter #whiskyfabric for contacting me at one point by sending me a photo of the original release of Lot 40 that he had purchased. It's a pretty rare bottle to get our hands on here in Canada so I was quite impressed when he sent me the photo. Of course I offered to send him a very healthy sample of the 2012 release so that he could compare the two and like the whiskyfabric often is, he reciprocated and sent me a healthy sample of the original. To which, I turned around and shared half with Bob. Why? Well because he appreciates Canadian Whisky and he and I regularly share, trade and have great discussions about them.

If you are looking for the back story about Lot 40, you "ain't" going to find it here. Check out my friend Davin's website, he is the grand master Canadian whisky guru:

1990's: http://www.canadianwhisky.org/reviews/lot-40-43-alc-vol.html

2012: http://www.canadianwhisky.org/reviews/lot-no-40-2012-release-43-alcvol.html


Take it over Bob: 

1990's label

"When I received the original Lot 40 (1990s version) in the mail, I had just come down with a cold and this was an opportunity that I did not want to squander. I’m feeling pretty good right now so here I go. I already had a bottle of the 2012 release and I was excited to put these head to head. The first pour from the sample bottles would be predominantly for nosing. I really took my time with this one. My first impression between the two was that there was no way these could claim a common heritage. They seemed so different. These nosing notes take place in a time frame of 45 to 60 minutes.

     
1990s - I got a blast of the traditional rye spicy nose at first with a hint of sweet orange liqueur like a Grand Marnier. There’s a hint of black licorice but it fades as the orange and now chocolate start to dominate. A bit of butterscotch makes a presence but the sweetness in the nose diminishes as the rye spice asserts itself again over the orange chocolate. The orange component faded a bit to reveal mint with the chocolate.
     
2012 - I didn’t get much sweetness at all on this one. There was a touch of Magic Marker smell and spearmint with an Earthiness behind it. The Magic Marker smell dissipates to leave the Earthy rye and the mint changes to a dill as chocolate starts coming through. Some mint is coming back but its more like a peppermint.

Now for the weird part, they are stating to resemble each other. They both get a bit of oak and leather and those Autumn smells of the leaves on the ground. Chocolate mint is there in both of them but the 90s version still has a hint of the orange. I’m glad I took my time with these because the evolution in the glass was very interesting. I then tasted these after being in a glass for about an hour. Just as the aromas had become similar, the tastes were also similar with chocolate orange and oak over the rye spice. Neither seemed sweet and the finish had a bit of dill lingering on the tongue.

I then did a fresh pour of each to taste again.
1990s - The chocolate orange is strong and I detect no hint of the dill among the the background of the rye. The 2012 on the other hand, the dill and oak and the Earthy tastes are at the front. With a bit of water, the two start to come back together again as they did after an hour of nosing. The 2012 however still had a hint of dill and the 90s version still had a faint amount of orange. The mint had faded away.

This was a really fun head to head and a great surprise how they started out so different and seemed to come together over time to reveal that they really do share a common ancestry. Who knows, maybe a 2012 bottle will be like the 90s version after ten years in the bottle or maybe the 90s version tasted like the 2012 back in the day".

2012 Label

Johanne's thoughts: My first "confession" about the 2012: DISLIKED it immensely. I tried it as soon as we purchased the bottle and I didn't even finish the dram. I remember thinking, well this is a bottle that will stay in the collection for a long time!? I even recall telling a fellow Canadian blogger/friend to wave off! That I thought it wasn't good at all. I prefered the Pike Creek release much more than the Lot 40. There it sat in the collection and I did send it to friends who wanted to try it. All of them enjoyed it so I was really perplexed as to why I simply didn't.

My aha moment came during the #DavinTT I hosted in the spring of 2013. I added water and boom! The dram was exciting. I've since enjoyed it several times since then and have bought more than one bottle.

So what did I get on the head to head:

1990's

Color: Dark amber. Legs plentiful, long and skinny. Very oily sample. 

Nose: Seville Orange Marmalade. Super spicy and what I consider a bit agressive on the nose. I could smell rye bread which is not uncommon but then last week Graham had a corn beef sandwich on pumpernickel bread.  That was it!  I couldn't smell anything else after that.  

Palate: Sweet butterscotch with a weird backdrop of fruit that is slightly overripe ( a grape that is on the verge of bad and you know the minute you bite into it). Nice and spicy like fresh gingerroot.  

Finish: Very peppery but I like it.  It's a fruity peppery with very little bitterness.

I added water and in my opinion it totally fell apart. Thought I had put too much water so tried two more times, same thing. I loved it neat and not at all with water.

2012 release

Color:  Identical to the 1990 release.  Dark color amber.  Legs are plentiful & skinny but the whisky doesn't seem as oily.  Does not appear to be as syrupy as the first release.

Nose: Dill pickles with a large dose of warm rye bread coming out of the oven. Caraway seeds always very prominent on this whisky. Then the second wave comes out: Sweet but almost artificial in nature. 

Palate: Ugh.. So bitter, almost like sucking on a white grapefruit. It still makes me shudder neat! Mouth dries out completely. Not pleasant for me at all.

Finish: Hot, peppery. Really strong cinnamon candies. Gives me heartburn.  

Needless to say I am not a big fan of the new 2012 release, well at least not neat. I really do enjoy it with water.  

The 1990 however really surprised me because I didn't need water at all AND as stated when I added water it sort of seem to ruin the balance of sweet, sour and spices.  

I think for both Bob and I this was a great experience. I really loved the fact that what got "us" all here was, once again, the whiskyfabric that I keep talking about.  

So thanks Sean (Sorry I asked a bit too late for your thoughts on old vs new - he had drank the sample I sent :) and a special thanks to Bob for once again stepping in and experiencing something new with me.

Whisky trail gets better every day.  

Johanne  

Time for a whisky review - Skype style...

Soooooo sorry ---

First and foremost my sincerest apologies go out to Richard for my extreme tardiness on this.  It's been quite a while since I actually have done a whisky review and there's a really good reason for that.  I promised myself I wouldn't review one single whisky until I finished this particular blog.  I've been writing about experiences, trips, people but not one whisky review.  

Back in November I received a message from a fellow twitterer that he really enjoyed our blog and banters on the "interweb", so much so that he was quite intrigued by a blog idea I was toying with.  I am always looking for the why's in just about all aspects of my life and whisky is no different.  I wanted to see if there was much of a difference between a distillery bottling and an independent bottling of the same whisky and this is where Mr Culver fits into the equation.  After a few discussions, we narrowed it down to Ledaig 10 year old and a Duthies Ledaig 13 for a head to head comparison and tasting challenge.  I invited Richard to join us and I was very happy he obliged.  
We had a great 2 hours talking over Skype, sharing stories and of course drinking whisky! When we hung up both Graham and I agreed it was a fantastic way to enjoy whisky with friends who didn't live in the same city.  So, soon thereafter I started writing my blog, then Christmas season came along and I put it on the back burner.  Survived that and quickly realized I caught the worse cold in the world (I kid you not as I think back to me sitting on the couch at 11:00am on a Saturday begging Graham to help me because I was so sick even my hair hurt).  That awful pestilence lasted almost 3 full weeks.  Then we were off to Victoria for 10 days.  It simply felt like there was one thing after the other that seemed to keep me from writing this particular blog.  I had what I call my "had to writes" because I had committed to review or write something for someone and this one sat in draft form... waiting.  Finally, a break in the madness and the first draft of the blog was finished the long weekend in Easter.   So, again my sincerest apologies for dragging this one along.  I've cleaned off the dust and here it is. I introduce Richard Culver (@rmculver),  fellow Canadian twitterer, imbiber, traveler and member of the "whisky community" of Toronto who has a great nose for whisky.

Richard enjoying Canadian winter & whisky

"Thanks for letting my own whisky journey be a part of your experience.  Glad to provide you with a dram of Ledaig from Duthies.  Duthies, a division of Candenheads, is one of three independent bottlers.  There are independent bottlers like Cadenheads who bottle their own products; and lots of companies whose products are bottled under contract.  The information can be almost overwhelming.  Thankfully the Malt Maniacs do a pretty good job of sorting it out for me.  I like Ledaig.  This lightly peated malt hits a sweet spot for me.  I usually bring back a bottle from my trips to Scotland since it's not readily available in Ontario.  Loch Fyne Whiskies puts this malt in the same single malt flavour map quadrant as Lagavulin 12.  I can tell why they do.  Do a taste comparison keeping in mind the Ledaig 10 is half the cost of the Lag 12 cask strength.  Nose both glasses the next morning and see if you can tell the difference then.

On my last trip I traveled to the distillery on the Isle of Mull.  Definitely excited about going, and really hoped to pick up a distillery edition or something more aged than their 10 year old.  I know that older bottlings exists because I've seen them on Whiskymarketplace.com. I tended to shy away from independent bottlings because I've been burnt before.  I bought a different but well known distillery product that I can best describe as vapid.  It was a lifeless spirit from a tired old cask.  I had always wondered if a distillery contacts the bottler and says:  "You can have these tired old casks for cheap" OR, if the bottlers come into the distillery with their accomplished noses and say "How much do you want for these casks with the bright shiny spirit that seems so promising".  In truth it's neither of these extremes.  Many bottlers buy the new make spirit freshly distilled to put in their own casks.  I am still cautious about buying independent bottlings.  The Duthies Ledaig was a bottle I picked up at a Companions of the Quaich meeting.  It's nice to sample whiskies before deciding what to buy.  Ralfy says you always should.  I trust Ralphy and Ed Patrick.  Both are respectable individuals. First time I imbibed these two whiskies I sat down with Tom Alexander.  Here are our comments on the head to head we did with the Ledaig 10 vs the Duthies Ledaig 13:

  
LEDAIG 10 YEAR OLD, 46.3% ABV:

Colour:  Bright shimmering sunshine.  

Nose & Tasting:  Reminiscent of Springbank and Talisker with its peppery caramel seaweed background.  I found a lemony citrus afternote like that which persists after you have licked the salt off of your hand and washed it down with tequilla.  Water muted it, but brought out more peat.

DUTHIES LEDAIG 13 YEAR OLD, 46% ABV: 

Colour:  Slightly muted.  Lighter & more pale than the Distillery Ledaig 10.

Nose & tasting:  More of a vegetable note, also wet rubber boots.  With water it definitely opened up more than the distillery bottling and the extra age did offer more to savour.   

VERDICT:  Both were well liked.  My favorite was the distillery Ledaig 10 whereas Tom's favorite was the Duthies.  Either way, both bottles offer a good dram at a very attractive price. We ended our evening with the Lagavulin 12 and it was interesting to note the similarities.

Part of my own whisky journey is about discovering and identifying the base spirit and notes with a brand.  This light bulb went on after attending a Glenfiddich deconstruction with Jamie Milne and tasting the range with Ian Millar, both Masters of their craft.  While tasting the Glenfiddich range with Ian, he brought out a bottle of Peated Glenfiddich and the epiphany happened.  This dram that I was enjoying was at its core the Glenfiddich that we all love, just so wonderfully peated.  I recommend you look for the 125th anniversary edition."

Richard

Back to Lassie writing:

From my perspective what I truly loved about this experience was meeting yet another person from the whisky fabric, having the most wonderful evening sitting at the computer, laughing, sharing stories, enjoying a whisky and simply living in the moment of today's technology.  As Richard sat in his home in Ontario and Graham & I sat at the kitchen table in Saint John, we connected.  We met someone who shared the same passion as us, we enjoyed the stories (some of which were truly hilarious and PG rated somehow, totally by accident of course) and in the end our horizons were broadened just a little more by the curiosity and love of all things whisky.  It was Graham's first experience doing a Skype tasting and he truly enjoyed it.  He and Richard now follow each other on Twitter and often have great discussions about all aspects of whisky.  

So here is what I thought of the whiskies:

LEDAIG 10 year old, 46.3% ABV

Color: Golden wheat.  Whisky legs are plentiful and almost sticky.

Nose: Quite light I thought with a very soft salty peat.  There's some cereal on the nose, but with a hint of seaweed and Atlantic ocean "air". 

Palate: Not much spice at the forefront, seems a bit muted now with the peat but there's a nice smokiness to it.  I find this quite rich and a full bodied dram.  Some earthiness to it, like a bit of "wet forest".

Finish: Not overly long but still smoky with a bit of "hotness" to it like cinnamon or cloves.


DUTHIES LEDAIG 13 YEAR OLD, 46% ABV

Color: Simply not as golden as the distillery bottling.  It's more like a winter sunny yellow.  Seems slightly muted compared to Ledaig 10.  The legs are also plentiful and very viscous.

Nose: This whisky seems to have more personality and is slightly more aromatic on the nose then the 10. It's much more citrus and cereal on the nose.  Don't get me wrong the peat and coastal salt is there, but they are at the background.  It seems a bit creamier or more full on the nose.

Palate:  As we sat and chatted, I noticed the palate changed slightly from start to finish.  It started off a bit more herbal for me, very smooth. Grassy meadows.  Then after a few minutes the smoke comes back, more like a burnt out fireplace.  Quite a nice palate, not as aggressive as the nose.

Finish:  Medium finish, a bit longer than the 10.  Also a bit more "piquante" in nature (assuming because of the ABV difference).  

Overall I think I liked the 13 just a bit more than the 10 from the distillery as it was a more balanced dram from start to finish.  But I would easily own either bottle in my personal collection or recommend them to others if you like whiskies like this:  Salty, slightly peated, full bodied and quite tasty in nature.  The "meat and potatoes" sort of dram that does not disappoint when you are in the mood for something that will linger and makes you take note from the time you lift the glass to your nose.  

So, I will thank Richard yet once again for indulging in my curiosities and I plan on doing this type of little tasting again soon with a few other distillery vs independent releases.  And of course, I plan on asking Richard to "assist" me on this part of my journey.  It was truly a pleasure doing this, my only regret is that I didn't get to put it in "print" a long time ago like I should have.  Sometimes the Lassie is not remotely close to being on top of things.  Doesn't happen often but when it does...  oh boys does it ever happen.

I strongly encourage you try a whisky tasting via Skype if ever you can.  Hell, just ask....  I'd be happy to take part!   

From yet another wonderful aspect of the whisky trail, I remain the silly and slightly embarrassed Whisky Lassie...

  PS - Very much looking forward to meeting Mr. Culver in person at Spirit of Toronto in a few weeks!