Archive for the ‘Awards’ Category
Posted by Arctic Wolf on December 17, 2015
Wiser’s Legacy Canadian Whisky (a Corby Brand) was released in early 2010 as a new entry into the fledgling “Super Premium” category of Canadian Whisky. At the time, a few other Super Premium Whiskies already existed in the market-place (Wiser’s own Red Letter, and Crown Royal’s, Cask No. 16 and Crown Royal XR); but the category hadn’t really caught the buying public’s imagination. In fact the Super Premium category had seen more failures than successes to that point (at least as far as Canadian Whisky was concerned). However the tipping point for the category seems to have been the year 2010, and the brand which (in my opinion) which helped the most to bring about a this change was Wiser’s Legacy.
According to David Doyle, who was the Master Blender for Wiser’s Legacy:
“I have selected only the finest new, white oak casks, which are essential to the aging process and help mellow the perfect distillate under tightly controlled conditions. It is this careful and deliberate craftsmanship that makes Wiser’s Legacy the ultimate achievement in traditional Canadian whisky distilling.”
Here is a link to the Rum Howler #8 Canadian Whisky of 2015:
“… The legacy seems like an attempt to inject a fuller oak presence into the Canadian Whisky profile. Fresh oak tannin is at the forefront of the flavour which is thick with corn and bourbon tones swimming in a pool of rye. A kind of punky dankness lingers under these flavours, and I catch hints of maple, and perhaps a touch of anise buried in that dankness …”
__________________________________________________________
You may read about the Top 25 Canadian Whisky Countdown here:
The Rum Howler 2015 Top 25 Canadian Whiskies
Posted in Awards, Canadian Whisky, Extras, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review | Tagged: 2015 Top 25 Canadian Whiskies, Legacy Small BatchSazerac, Review, Rum howler, Whisky, Wiser's 18 Year Old | Comments Off on The Rum Howler’s #8 Canadian Whisky of 2015 – Wiser’s Legacy
Posted by Arctic Wolf on December 17, 2015
The Panamonte Reserva XXV is a well aged Panamanian rum from PANAMONTE BRANDS. This is a molasses based rum produced from sugar cane grown and distilled in Las Cabras de Pese. This rum is very special, as every drop of the Panamonte Reserva XXV rum has been aged for a minimum of 25 years in used bourbon casks. It was handcrafted by Master Blender, Francisco “Don Pancho” Fernandez Perez.
I had a small hand in bringing this particular rum to Alberta, as I introduced the 25 Year Old to a local liquor importer, the Libor Group. It only took one taste to convince them that this rum despite its high price was a something very special.
Here is the review for the #8 Spirit in my Rum Howler Top 100 Spirits Countdown.
“… the impact of the oak gains momentum and stains all of the scents with its presence. The orange peel moves to marmalade; the brown sugars move to dark rich toffee; and the pungent spices move to smells of deep dark tobacco. I also begin to smell baked apples and dry fruit (raisins and dates) as if the rum has a sherry influence (I am told it does not), and although I wonder why I did not notice it before, the scent of roasted walnuts has grown in the glass giving the overall aroma even more depth and character …”
________________________________________________________________
You may follow my Countdown list of the 100 Best Spirits here: The Rum Howler 2015 – Top 100 Spirits
Posted in Awards, Extras, Rum, Rum Reviews | Tagged: 25 Year Old, ?Reserve XXV, Panamonte, Review, Rum, Rum howler, Top 100 Spirits | Comments Off on #8 Panamonte Reserva XXV – 25 Year Old Rum (Rum Howler Top 100 Spirits)
Posted by Arctic Wolf on December 16, 2015
Somewhere in the Highwood Distillery barrel aging warehouse is a darkened corner where all of the oak barrels are all stamped “Lot 1525“. This corner contains the oldest whisky in the entire facility, with the age of the whisky inside the barrels ranging from 15 to 25 years. (It has been hinted to me that some of these barrels contain whisky that is perhaps even older!) These whisky barrels were originally part of the consignment of whisky acquired when Highwood purchased the Potter’s Distillery in 2005. As such, these are barrels of whisky produced from a corn-based distillation by the old Potters Distillery, in Kelowna British Colombia. The barrels made the journey to the Highwood facility in 2005 and have been sitting in the darkened corner waiting for the right moment to be tapped and bottled. From this darkened corner, the Master Blender has carefully chosen just the right barrels, and then just as carefully blended the wonderful elixir within to create a blend of whisky which contains the distillery’s most prized aged whisky, the Lot1525 Century Reserve Custom Blend Canadian Rye Whisky.
Here is a link to the Rum Howler #9 Canadian Whisky of 2015:
“… Upon entry into my mouth, I taste a clean rye whisky which oozes honey and spice. A nice light corn flavour rests underneath supporting the whisky with a gentle elegance. Like the Centennial rye which I reviewed previously, this is polished, with the hard rye buffed and smoothed into a silky suave flavour experience. Oak spices and marzipan weave in and out of the corn, the rye, and the honey …”
__________________________________________________________
You may read about the Top 25 Canadian Whisky Countdown here:
The Rum Howler 2015 Top 25 Canadian Whiskies
Posted in Awards, Canadian Whisky, Extras, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review | Tagged: 2015 Top 25 Canadian Whiskies, Canadian Whisky, Century Reserve, Lot 1525, Review, Rum howler, Whisky | Comments Off on The Rum Howler’s #9 Canadian Whisky of 2015 – Century Reserve (Lot 1525)
Posted by Arctic Wolf on December 16, 2015
We have entered into the top 10 of my rankings of the Best Rums of 2015, and an intimidating 23-year-old masterpiece from Rum Nation (their Demerara 23 Year Old) leads us into the top 10. My favourite expression from Appleton Estate (the 12 Year Old) grabs the number 9 spot with a wonderfully complex 9 Year Old Agricole rum from Reimonenq (the only agricole Rhum to make my list) making it to number 8. Diplomatico’s sweet and succulent Reserva Exclusiva is always one of my favourites and one of the World’s most sought after rum’s the Zacapa XO (25 Year Solero) just misses the top 5.
Any of these rums would make a wonderful Christmas Gift for any rum aficionado.
Here are the next five wonderful cane spirits in my listing of the Best 25 Rums of 2015:
10) Rum Nation Demerara 23 Year Old
09) Appleton Estate Extra Old 12 Year
08) Reimonenq Vieux 9 Year Old Rhum (Distilled 1999)
07) Diplomático Reserva Exclusiva
06) Zacapa XO (25 Year Solero) Rum
__________________________________________________________
You may read about and follow the Top 25 Rum Countdown here:
The Rum Howler 2015 Top 25 Rums
Posted in Awards, Extras, Rum, Rum Reviews | Tagged: 12 Year Old, 2015 Top 25 Rums, 9 Year Old, Appleton Estate, Demerara 23 Year Old, Diplomatico, Exclusiva Reserva, Reimonenq, Review, Rhum, Rum, Rum howler, Rum Nation, Zacapa XO 25 | Comments Off on The Rum Howler Top 25 Rums of 2015 – #’s 10 thru 6
Posted by Arctic Wolf on December 16, 2015
In the early 2000s, Wiser’s 18 Years Old Canadian Whisky carried the moniker ‘Very Old, and it was usually my whisky of choice when I wanted a special treat. By the time my website had opened, the spirit had been re-branded as Wiser’s 18 Year Old Limited Edition as such I never reviewed the whisky from the ‘Very Old’ bottle. However, in my collection of rare spirits, I still have a few that I purchased from that time before I began to write reviews. When I began my tasting deliberations for this countdown, I decided to sample one of these older bottles (purchased in 2006) next to some of my current favourites. It turns out, that in 2006 when the spirit was called still Wiser’s Very Old , it was quite spectacular (at least the 2006 version was).
Here is the review for that particular bottle of whisky which arrives as the #9 Spirit in my Rum Howler Top 100 Spirits Countdown.
“… as I waited for a moment, the nose coalesced into a deep dark rich baking spice aroma with dark brown sugars, rich toffee, vanilla, and wisps of cinnamon. It is a wonderfully rich aroma. Behind the rich baking spices is a rich oak sap imparting a sturdy backdrop of oak wood and tannin. This is the type of whisky aroma which makes my mouth water in anticipation of what is coming next …”
________________________________________________________________
You may follow my Countdown list of the 100 Best Spirits here: The Rum Howler 2015 – Top 100 Spirits
Posted in Awards, Canadian Whisky, Extras, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review | Tagged: 18 Year Old, Canadain Whisky Awards, Review, Rum howler, Top 100 Spirits, Very Old, Wiser's | Comments Off on #9 Wiser’s Very Old 18 Year (Rum Howler Top 100 Spirits)
The Rum Howler Blog 