I have perhaps been a little remiss here on my blog, where I review Rum and Whisky. My failing has been the omission of perhaps the most influential whisky brand in Canada (which is where I live), and perhaps one of the most well known whisky brands in the world, Canadian Club, (which is currently sold in over 150 countries). In spite of the popularity of this whisky, and in spite of the status that it has garnered as a truly iconic whisky of Canada, it has taken me over a year to provide my first review.
That is all changing as of now! Part of the reason for my newly found inspiration is the recent Canadian Whisky Awards 2010, where Canadian Club was given an Award of Excellence for Canadian Whisky Profile. And another part of the reason is my own recognition that Canadian Club Whisky deserves to be included and reviewed on my blog. And now, while the brand can bask in the glow of its recent award, is a good time to do it.
And that is why today I am publishing my first Canadian Club Whisky review. The kick-off so to speak of a series of reviews which will encompass the entire line-up. Because I am a somewhat contrary individual, rather than beginning at the bottom of the brand portfolio, I am going to start at the top with the recently released Canadian Club 30-Year-Old Whisky.
Now 30 year old spirits are special. To that end, Davin de Kergommeaux, (certified malt maniac, whisky writer, and founding father of Canadian Whisky), and I, agreed to publish our reviews of the Canadian Club 30-Year-Old Whisky on the same day and link to each others reviews to give you, our readers, two perspectives of this spirit rather than one. Then in a fit of exuberance we both realized that there was yet another well established Canadian whisky writer, Jason Debly, (of Jason’s Scotch Whisky Reviews), who could complete the triumvirate and provide a third unique perspective. Now Davin lives in Central Canada, (Ottawa, Ontario); Jason hails from the East Coast of Canada, (Fredericton New Brunswick); and I live in Western Canada, (Edmonton, Alberta); not that geography is important, but it just happens that our three reviews will be somewhat of a cross section of opinion from one side of our county to the other. As we have not shared our opinions ahead of time, I think that this will be very interesting.
I respect Davin’s and Jason’s work. They each have a strong writing style, and are extremely good at what they do. In fact, I believe it is somewhat of an honour for me to publish my review side by side with persons of their caliber. And speaking of the reviews, without further delay, here are a few excerpts from the three reviews:
I guess I will begin with my review:
“…the nose deepens into a dark rich baking spice aroma with Demerara accents of dark brown sugars, rich toffee, vanilla, wisps of cinnamon, and even a hint of maple. Playing in the merry little breezes is a subtle smokiness with the fleeting aroma of dried fruits and cigar tobacco. This is a wonderfully rich nose which I could enjoy even if I never tasted the whisky…”
You may read my full review here:
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And as promised, here are the two other reviews being published today for your consideration:
Davin de Kergommeaux’s review on Canadian Whisky may be read here:
“…Fragrant and flavourful with butterscotch, dark fruit, loads of fresh-cut wood, hot pepper, a vague corn-whisky mustiness, and recurring rich tobacco notes. Deceptively simple and surprisingly lively. Rich & Round…”. (Click on the excerpt to read the full review)
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and Jason Debly’s review on Jason’s Scotch Whisky Reviews may be read here:
“…Big rye flavor that brings to mind certain great American bourbons. Maple sugar, hickory and massive oak towering overhead. Nevertheless, the flavors are all in balance with a nice symmetry...” (Click on the excerpt to read the full review)
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Two weeks ago I began a series of reviews based upon a collection of whisk(e)y samples provided from the personal collection of J.L. Wheelock, a member of the Beam Global team here in Alberta. Part of the sample set of whiskies were a selection of Bourbon Whiskeys from the Jim Beam Distillery. I was not given a sample of Jim Beam Kentucky Straight Bourbon as part of this sample group; however, I happened to have a small 375 ml flask of Jim Beam on hand so I thought that I would provide a review of the flagship whiskey of the Jim Beam brand as part of this series of reviews.
The Rum Howler Blog 